Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in 2025 is being billed as one of the greatest driver transfers in F1 history. However, amidst the excitement behind this move, ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone highlights the selfishness shown by the parties at play.
Per Ecclestone, Hamilton and Wolff never shared a close relationship out of love for each other. It was Hamilton’s success and Mercedes’ good cars on the track that made this marriage stick around, the Briton says as quoted by Marca.
“I don’t think there has ever been any kind of relationship where both parties could [have a relationship]. Obviously there wasn’t, because that’s why Hamilton suddenly decided to leave.”, Ecclestone said.
Furthermore, Ferrari, a team that was reported to be Hamilton’s ‘dream’ outfit, signed the seven-time World Champion out of their President John Elkann’s ego. On top of that, team principal Frederic Vasseur has known Hamilton for a long time. This made signing the Stevenage-born driver a lot easier for Ferrari.
“I think John Elkann (president), from his point of view, was a matter of ego. Because he managed to capture one of the best Formula 1 drivers.”, the former F1 boss added.
Ecclestone’s assessment of Hamilton’s blockbuster move didn’t stop there. The 93-year-old talks about how he would never sign Hamilton, particularly because of Wolff giving him a free pass for everything.
Toto Wolff made Lewis Hamilton difficult to control
Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013, and kickstarted one of the most dominant eras in F1 history the very next year. Between 2014 and 2021, he won six World Championships, establishing himself as one of the greatest drivers in history.
Per Ecclestone, however, Hamilton became very difficult to please because of his success. Ecclestone, who used to own the Brabham F1 team insisted that he would never sign the 39-year-old because he would be “too difficult to control.” He reveals that he never treated his drivers differently, and gave them special preference like he alleges Wolff did with Hamilton. Still, they remain his good friends.
Lewis Hamilton’s official statement:
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of…
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) February 1, 2024
Hamilton moves to Ferrari with one goal in mind – winning his eighth World Championship. But, he didn’t make Toto Wolff’s life easy by dropping this bombshell news on him before the start of the campaign. The Austrian boss continues to struggle to find a suitable replacement for the seven-time champion before the clock runs out.
