Hamilton 'Better Off' Going To Ferrari Although He Won't Win 8th Title Says Ecclestone
F1Saturday, 09 November 2024 at 22:00
Bernie Ecclestone suggested that Lewis Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari might be a good decision, although he doesn't see him winning the eighth title.
At the start of 2024, Mercedes's long-term driver, Lewis Hamilton (who has been with the team for a record-breaking 12 seasons), decided to fulfill his childhood dream and join the red - Scuderia Ferrari.
Whether or not it has been the right decision has been discussed by multiple pundits and former F1 drivers throughout the season. At the moment, it seems like Ferrari is the better team performance-wise, although everything can change before 2025.
Hamilton has been open about the fact that the goal of winning the eighth title is what has been keeping him in Formula 1. Will he be able to do that with Ferrari? Bernie Ecclestone doesn't think so, as he told Daily Mail:
I believe he won't. I don't think it will be easy for Lewis, especially in that team. They will back Charles Leclerc. He's quick and has grown up there. They won't dump him for anyone."
Leclerc has been driving for Ferrari since his second season in Formula 1 and has now been with the Italian team for 7 seasons (including 2024).
While Ecclestone believes that the team from Maranello will prefer the driver that is their own, he said the change from Mercedes wasn't necessarily the wrong decision for Lewis Hamilton.
"However, from Lewis' point of view, it may not have been a mistake to join Ferrari. He couldn't exist any longer at Mercedes. Either he's given up with them, or they have given up on him. They wouldn't do much to keep him, so he is better off going."
Was singing with Hamilton the right decision for Scuderia Ferrari? The former F1 supremo suggests that will only be answered in upcoming seasons.
"For John Elkann, the guy who runs it, it was a big ego thing. He thought he had captured the best guy the world had ever seen."
"When he signed him there was nothing to indicate he was wrong in that assessment. Whether he is still happy with that is another story. Only time will tell."
"If Lewis is fading, which I don't like to see, he should go away and do something else, and do a good job at it."
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