Bernie Ecclestone has called on Lewis Hamilton to retire from Formula One, citing the seven-time world champion's difficult start to life at Ferrari. Hamilton, 40, has failed to secure a podium in his first 14 races for the Scuderia and was despondent after qualifying and finishing 12th in Hungary last weekend.
Hamilton moved to Ferrari after six titles and 12 years at Mercedes, but aside from a sprint race win in China, he has struggled in a car yet to win a race this season. Ecclestone, who ran F1 for 40 years until 2017, believes Hamilton would be 'cheating himself' if he continued and should have retired 'a while ago.'
'Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is,' Ecclestone, 94, told the Daily Mail. 'But like a lot of leading sports personalities when they reach the top, there is only one way to go and it’s not a good direction. It’s only down. They get tired. Lewis is tired.'
Ecclestone suggested Hamilton should negotiate a full payout of his £50m-a-year, two-season contract and step aside. 'The guy is not a cheat, but he would be cheating himself if he goes on,' he added. Hamilton labelled himself 'useless' after qualifying in Budapest and hinted at 'background' issues at Ferrari, but said he looked forward to returning after the summer break.
