Ecclestone: Hamilton won't last two years at Ferrari

Notably, never a Hamilton fan for whatever reason, 94-year-old Ecclestone also expressed scepticism about how the Briton will be received within the Maranello-based team, particularly given Ferrari’s long-standing backing of Charles Leclerc.

Ecclestone told The Telegraph that Hamilton may struggle to command the same level of attention at Ferrari as he did at Mercedes: "I don't think Lewis will get the same attention at Ferrari. Firstly, the team are happy with Charles Leclerc, his teammate. Leclerc speaks their language, 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."

While Hamilton turned 40 this year, Ecclestone does not believe age will necessarily be the key factor in his performance at Ferrari. Instead, he pointed to longevity in the sport as a potential issue: "I have my theory about this. It’s not the age with drivers, it’s how long they have been doing the same thing.

"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," explained the former F1 supremo, one of few to visualise a failed union of the F1's greatest driver and the sport's greatest team.

Ferrari signed Hamilton on a multi-year deal, with the British driver beginning his first season in red in 2025. However, Ecclestone does not expect him to see out his contract: "He won't last that long. 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."

As a former Formula 1 commercial rights holder, Ecclestone understands Hamilton’s global marketing appeal but criticised the way the British driver presents himself: "Lewis gets himself up front in a way where you can dislike him. How a guy who has won a few world titles and has a few dollars in the bank can dress the way he dresses… I’m not a fan of that.

"He has a lot of talent as a driver. As much as people credit him with? No, but still enough to win races. I don’t know why he does all this other nonsense. He needs to get out of the music business and whatever else," reckoned Ecclestone.

Hamilton is set to make his Ferrari debut this season as he looks to deliver the team’s first drivers’ F1 title since 2007, and looking to take his title tally to an unprecedented eight. Currently, he is tied with F1 legend Michael Schumacher with seven titles.