Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton tipped for early Ferrari AXE

Lewis Hamilton has been given a bleak prediction over his Ferrari future

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 9 February 2025 20:00 Updated: 14:39

Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has tipped Lewis Hamilton for an early exit from Ferrari.

The 40-year-old's official switch to Ferrari is now complete, after the team released a series of social media posts documenting Hamilton's arrival in Maranello.

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Hamilton then joined his team-mate, Charles Leclerc, in Barcelona, where he gained vital testing experience in the SF-23 and 24, ahead of the team’s launch of their 2025 challenger.

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The champion’s debut in red depicted a revived and motivated Hamilton, who will be hoping to chase down a record breaking eighth world title in 2025.

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“Firstly, the team are happy with Charles Leclerc, his team-mate. Leclerc speaks their language [he’s fluent in Italian], so they’ll be looking after him. Even if Lewis does well, there’ll still be a lot of enemies, because he has suddenly arrived.”

When asked if age could be a factor in Hamilton’s performance, Ecclestone concluded that his issue may be more motivation based.

Bernie Ecclestone has delivered a brutal assessment of Lewis Hamilton's time at Ferrari

“I have my theory about this. It’s not the age with drivers, it’s how long they have been doing the same thing,” he added.

“I have thought with Lewis, ‘He’s getting tired. He has lost motivation.’ If he had never won a world championship, it might be different, because then there would be an incentive to win one. But he has won seven.”

“He won’t last that long,” he added.

“Piero Ferrari, who has taken him there, still thinks they’ve done the right thing. I hope they have. I hope they haven’t just jumped in and end up wishing they hadn’t.”

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Barcelona Bernie Ecclestone