Former Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone has described Lewis Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari thus far as “embarrassing,” warning the Briton of losing his reputation if he does not retire from the sport.
Ecclestone is known for his candid opinions, and in the past, he has advised Hamilton to retire from the premier class of motorsport, given his struggles in adapting to the Ferrari SF-25 F1 car.
Hamilton parted ways with Mercedes after a successful 12-season stint, seeking his elusive eighth world championship title with Ferrari. Many believed that Hamilton’s struggles with F1’s current ground effect car would end after moving to the Maranello-based outfit. However, getting used to a new team and car demands effort and time.
The seven-time world champion’s race in Hungary saw him finish outside the points in P12, leading him to state to the media in a dejected manner that he was “useless.” Leaving aside his Chinese Grand Prix sprint race victory, Hamilton has yet to score a podium finish this season, and with eight races to go, it remains to be seen if he secures one before the season ends in Abu Dhabi. Ecclestone targeted Hamilton and Ferrari in his comments to Sport.de, as quoted by Planet F1:
“The most embarrassing thing, in my opinion, for Lewis and Ferrari is that they thought he could do all the things that were necessary.
“You must be disappointed that what was supposed to be delivered was not delivered.”
Ecclestone reiterated a statement from the past, revealing that Hamilton should stop racing. He said:
“He should stop. The danger that – if he continues for another year or a year and a half and hasn’t gotten better by then – people will forget him and his achievements.”
Given Hamilton’s social initiatives, such as Mission 44, and his foray into Hollywood movies, the most recent being F1, in which he played the role of a co-producer, Ecclestone believes the 40-year-old driver has lost his “focus.” He added:
“You’re getting tired, and Formula 1 is no longer the only thing in his life. I think he’s lost his focus. Twenty years is a long time, and we now have a lot of young drivers in F1.”
In another interview, Ecclestone offered a bold suggestion to Hamilton to step down from his Ferrari seat. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:
“The guy is not a cheat. But he would be cheating himself if he goes on. He should stop now. If I were looking after him, I would negotiate with Ferrari immediately and say, ‘If you have someone to replace Lewis, he’ll step aside’.
“If I were Lewis, I would say to Ferrari that I wanted to be paid all my contract, in full. They signed him because they thought he could do a job. ‘It isn’t working, so I can make way if you want me to, but that’s the arrangement’. It could work for both parties.”