Ex-F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone Gives Blunt Verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s Title Chances at Ferrari

Former F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone was brutally honest on Lewis Hamilton's chances to win a record-breaking eighth world championship.

Ex-F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone Gives Blunt Verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s Title Chances at Ferrari

Bernie Ecclestone (via IMAGO) and Lewis Hamilton (VIA @lewishamilton/instagram)

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Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats in Formula 1. The British driver has bagged seven world titles during his career at the pinnacle of motorsport. However, the 40-year-old has struggled to match his past glory in recent years, with a switch to Ferrari not bearing fruit either. Now, former F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone has given a brutally honest verdict on Hamilton’s chances to win another title.

Currently, Lewis Hamilton is tied to F1 legend Michael Schumacher with seven world championships. The Briton awaits a record-breaking eighth title. Though, Hamilton had previously claimed that he was focused on bringing glory back to Ferrari, rather than just his drivers’ title. Nevertheless, things have been far from what he anticipated.

The 40-year-old’s debut campaign at the Scuderia has been disappointing so far. Lewis Hamilton has failed to even come close to race victories this year. Although, he did win the Sprint race in China. The situation went downhill to such an exit that there were rumors of Hamilton wanting to retire from the sport entirely. However, the Ferrari driver quickly ruled out such a possibility.

Bernie Ecclestone was asked whether Lewis Hamilton would be able to win his long-awaited eighth championship. The 94-year-old made it clear that the F1 star should give up on such ambitions. Ecclestone pointed out that Hamilton was lucky enough to dominate the sport during the Turbo Hybrid era at Mercedes, at a time when he faced quite little real competition. Things have drastically changed over the years with the seven-time champion now finding it difficult to outpace his rivals.

No. I think there’s a period in people’s lives when everything’s going to work well, or not work well. I think he was fortunate enough to be around when… firstly there wasn’t so much competition so it was a little bit easier. And now he’s got competitors, which when he was winning everything, he didn’t have too many people at the top of the tree.

Bernie Ecclestone told Sky Sports F1

Bernie Ecclestone remains ‘hopeful’ for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari chapter

Before the 2024 season was about to get underway, Lewis Hamilton shocked the sporting world by announcing his move to Ferrari for the following year. After spending over a decade at Mercedes, the Briton wanted a new challenge in a new environment. While Bernie Ecclestone does not seem to be confident over Hamilton’s title chances, he still wants to see the 40-year-old succeed.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (via Getty)
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (via Getty)

Ecclestone claimed that he was hoping to see Lewis Hamilton get the job done at the Scuderia. The seven-time world champion was poached by the Scuderia with the hope of finally becoming a title-contending force again. The former F1 Supremo insisted that while winning the championship was not going to be easy for Hamilton, he could still make sure that the team improved during his time at Maranello. This can pay dividends for the Italian team in the long term.

But I hope he still can get the job done. Whether he can win the World Championship where he is, it’s a completely different story.

Bernie Ecclestone added

Certainly, Lewis Hamilton would not be in agreement with Bernie Ecclestone. The seven-time world champion has admitted that things have been quite chaotic at Maranello. Nevertheless, Hamilton has not lost hope. The British driver will likely shift his focus completely on fighting for the world title in 2026 with the new regulations. Though, it remains to be seen whether Ferrari will be able to give the British driver the right car next season.

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