Former Formulation 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has taken one other swipe on the collection’ most profitable driver, Lewis Hamilton, predicting his high-profile transfer to Ferrari will finish in failure.
Hamilton began testing for Ferrari last month after becoming a member of the workforce from Mercedes. However Ecclestone doubts he’ll attain the tip of his second 12 months on the workforce.
“He received’t final that lengthy,” Ecclestone told The Telegraph. “Piero Ferrari, who has taken him there, nonetheless thinks they’ve completed the appropriate factor. I hope they’ve. I hope they haven’t simply jumped in and find yourself wishing they hadn’t.”
Ecclestone claimed Hamilton will play second fiddle to Charles Leclerc, his new workforce mate, who has raced for Ferrari since 2019.
“I don’t suppose Lewis will get the identical consideration at Ferrari,” stated Ecclestone. “Firstly, the workforce are proud of Charles Leclerc, his workforce mate. Leclerc speaks their language, in order that they’ll be taking care of him.
“Even when Lewis does effectively, there’ll nonetheless be numerous enemies, as a result of he has immediately arrived.”
Hamilton turned 40 within the low season and has raced repeatedly in F1 since making his debut in 2007. Ecclestone believes that can impact his motivation.
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“I’ve my principle about this,” he stated. “It’s not the age with drivers, it’s how lengthy they’ve been doing the identical factor.
“I’ve thought with Lewis, ‘He’s getting drained. He has misplaced motivation.’ If he had by no means received a world championship, it is perhaps totally different, as a result of then there could be an incentive to win one. However he has received seven.”
The 94-year-old, who was changed as F1 CEO eight years in the past, has clashed repeatedly with Hamilton lately. Ecclestone’s 2020 claim “black people are more racist than what white people are” was described by Hamilton as an “ignorant and uneducated comment.”
Ecclestone got here to the defence of his former driver Nelson Piquet after he used a racist term while referring to Hamilton. He later made comments about the 2008 season which prompted Felipe Massa to carry a court docket case geared toward overturning the results of the championship, which Hamilton received.
Hamilton’s apparel and curiosity in music drew additional criticism from Ecclestone in his newest interview. “Lewis will get himself up entrance in a approach the place you may dislike him,” he stated.
“How a man who has received a number of world titles and has a number of {dollars} within the financial institution can costume the way in which he attire… I’m not a fan of that.
“He has numerous expertise as a driver. As a lot as folks credit score him with? No, however nonetheless sufficient to win races. I don’t know why he does all this different nonsense. He must get out of the music enterprise and no matter else.”
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