Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari: Bernie Ecclestone doesn't believe it
According to Bernie Ecclestone, the arrival of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari is nothing to be thrilled about. Age, talent, competition with Charles Leclerc, the former « dictator » of F1 speaks in an interview.
This is not breaking news, Bernie Ecclestone has never had a fondness for Lewis Hamilton. Although he has already criticized his behavior and political messages, such as his "rainbow helmet" in support of the LGBTQ+ community, he now finds something to criticize about his "historic transfer" to Ferrari.
Great star of the Mercedes team for 12 years, where he won six world championship titles, Lewis Hamilton will probably not be treated the same way at Ferrari. There, he will have to deal with his garage neighbor, Charles Leclerc, the prodigy driver of the Scuderia. "I don't think Lewis will receive the same attention at Ferrari," said Ecclestone in an interview with the Telegraph. "First of all, the team is satisfied with Charles Leclerc, his teammate. Leclerc speaks their language, so they will take care of him. Even if Lewis does well, he will still have many enemies, because he arrived all of a sudden."
Not a question of age but rather of motivation
As for those who think Lewis Hamilton has become too old to attempt to win an 8th world championship title, Bernie Ecclestone also has an opinion. I have my theory on this. It's not the drivers' age that matters, it's the time they've spent doing the same thing. With Lewis, I thought: He's tired. He's lost his motivation. If he had never won a world championship, it might be different because there would be a motivation to win one. But he has won seven.
« He won't last long »
Former owner of an F1 team, Mr. Ecclestone is well aware of Lewis Hamilton's commercial value. Nevertheless, this doesn't stop him from criticizing the way the British driver manages his image. "Lewis puts himself forward in a way that makes you able to dislike him," Ecclestone explains. "How can a guy who has won a few world titles and has some dollars in the bank dress the way he does... I'm not a fan of that. He has a lot of talent as a driver. As much as people attribute to him? No, but enough to win races. I don't know why he does all these other silly things. He should step away from the music industry and everything related to it."
Lewis Hamilton's life outside of sports may not please Ecclestone, but it does appeal to others as he is the most followed driver on social media. This surely pleased Ferrari, who made a move for Hamilton to bring him to the Scuderia for at least two years. But once again, Bernie Ecclestone is quite skeptical about this transfer.
« He won't last long », predicts Ecclestone. « Piero Ferrari, who took him there, still thinks they made the right choice. I hope that's the case. I hope they didn't just take the plunge and end up regretting not doing it. » Answer from the first Grand Prix of the season, on March 16th.
