Before the seven-time champion moves to the Scuderia for the upcoming season, former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has questioned Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari.
Three months ago, Hamilton’s announcement that he would be ending his 12-season career with the German manufacturing giant—with whom he has won six of his championships—shocked the sport.
Ecclestone remarked that Hamilton’s choice was unexpected because the British driver will now be racing for Ferrari until his early 40s.
In an exclusive interview, Ecclestone was first questioned about his relationship with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, simply asking him what he thought of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.
Ecclestone remarked, “It was a strange, strange move to make.” “Toto has become much more dependent on him, and they have gotten close out of self-interest on both of their parts.
There has never, in my opinion, been a kind of partnership in which you could depend on both sides. Clearly, there wasn’t, as evidenced by Hamilton’s abrupt departure.”
“an unnecessary handful” is Hamilton.
Ecclestone responded, “Big surprise, in that I didn’t understand why he did it, given the year’s notice basically,” when asked if he was taken aback by the news. Why didn’t he hold off till the end of the season?
“People thought they’d done a clever deal in taking him, but I think it’s a bit of an ego thing that he (Hamilton) got latched into it all.”
“I think John Elkann (chairman) at Ferrari, from his point of view, it was a bit of an ego thing that he’s managed to capture one of the leading Formula 1 drivers – the best Formula 1 driver, in many people’s opinion,” Ecclestone continued. “Fred (Vasseur, team principal) knew him from their early days.”
These events take place. Simply a collection of interconnected situations.”
Ecclestone, though, has stated that if he had been running Brabham for 16 years in the 1970s and 1980s, he would never have signed a Hamilton.
“Too much of a handful—an unnecessary handful,” was his response when asked why it wasn’t.
He went on to explain, saying, “He really does sort of command a little at Mercedes.” To keep him satisfied and on board, Toto has allowed him to be that way.
“But with the drivers, I never experienced that. They remain true friends of mine, not because of money or anything else. wonderful companions.
“That kind of relationship is what I’d rather have than the tendency to leap when someone tells me to jump or to defend a situation. If I felt it was the proper thing to do, I would act on my desire to do so.”
