Lewis Hamilton handed a humbling verdict by Bernie Ecclestone as Ferrari partnership continues to prove unsuccessful

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has often made controversial statements about Lewis Hamilton, and he is back at it again. The 95-year-old reckoned that the seven-time champion was left flustered as he found himself not in contention to win a drivers' title with the squad and would be inclined towards the fashion realm in the near future.

Hamilton had been at Mercedes for the past 12 years and had won six drivers' titles with the Brackley-based squad. But to fulfill his childhood dream of driving for Ferrari, the Briton left the German giant and moved over to Maranello to win the eighth title that he had longed for.

However, with the Ferrari SF-25 not having the pace to fight for the title, along with the 40-year-old facing some troublesome weekends where Charles Leclerc has often shone. This has seemingly created an atmosphere of confusion within the Scuderia garage.

Subsequently, sharing his thoughts on Hamilton's plight at Ferrari, Ecclestone said (via Sport.de):

"Everything is slipping through his fingers there. He wanted to become world champion and is now surprised that he can't." "I believe that in the future he will do more with fashion. The problem is: Ferrari needs a dictator at the top to be successful. They don't speak Italian there, they speak Ferrari. Everyone in Italy has a say and interferes, deciding what's right and what's wrong."

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has been unable to finish on the podium in the Grand Prix format during the previous 20 race weekends.

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Lewis Hamilton reveals the challenge he is facing at Ferrari after remaining at Mercedes for the past 12 years

Lewis Hamilton getting inside the Ferrari SF-25 for the qualifying for the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton has one of the most unfortunate streaks in the history of F1 to his name, as he has gone the most races without a podium for Ferrari in the sport. But, this is often noted down to the difficulty of adapting to a new team by the paddock.

Moreover, when reflecting on his challenges, Hamilton pointed to the same factor and said (via Motorsport):

"That’s not many people. Only when you’re inside a team can you really, truly understand how it works and how F1 works... You can’t imagine how the machine really operates otherwise. I’ve been in F1 for so long, but when I came to this team it really was different again. So I don’t blame people for not knowing. All I can do is continue to focus on the things that I can control. How I prepare, and work with the team. How I show up each day and stay positive."

On the other hand, Hamilton has four race weekends left to go to claim his first podium with the Scuderia and not end his maiden campaign with the team without joining the rostrum once.

Edited by Geetansh Pasricha