Lewis Hamilton will have “a lot of enemies” at Ferrari after joining the team from Mercedes for the 2025 Formula One season, according to former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
The 40-year-old has made the bold move for a fresh start with the Prancing Horse after 12 years with the Brackley outfit, where he won six of his seven Drivers’ Championship titles.
It may not prove to be such a smooth transition for Hamilton though, as the Briton has only recently started learning Italian which is widely spoken throughout.
And after enjoying iconic status at Mercedes, Ecclestone has suggested that the veteran racer could struggle to win over some of his new colleagues within the Italian team.
“I don’t think Lewis will get the same attention at Ferrari,” Ecclestone told The Telegraph. “Firstly, the team are happy with Charles Leclerc, his team-mate. Leclerc speaks their language [he’s fluent in Italian], 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.”
Asked if his 13-year age gap to Leclerc could have an impact, Ecclestone added: “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.”
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