Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has warned Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari would be a bad call.
As last season concluded in Abu Dhabi, speculation grew that the Briton is considering leaving Mercedes when his contract expires after 2020 to replace Sebastian Vettel at the Scuderia.
More recently, however, Hamilton himself has signalled another new contract with the German manufacturer is more than likely and Ecclestone believes the six-time world champion shouldn’t be fooled by the appeal of racing in red.
“If I were Lewis I would stay at Mercedes. He is comfortable there, he is in charge. He’s got the guy [team boss Toto Wolff] who turns the lights on and off supporting him,” he said in a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Mail.
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“It wouldn’t work at Ferrari for him because they are Italians. He would have to really learn the language so he’d know what they were saying behind his back, for a start.
“The problem with all the Italians, they don’t want a fight, don’t want an argument with anyone. Instead of saying to someone who is doing a bad job, ‘Sort yourself out or I’ll sort you out — please yourself, but I want results,’ they say, ‘Let’s have dinner so we can talk about it. Be friends’.
With Hamilton likely entering the twilight of his career, however, Ecclestone admits he wouldn’t be the first man he’d offer a seat.
“If I were a team boss I’d sign Max [Verstappen]. He’s quick and easy to deal with,” the Briton claimed.
“If I had Lewis I’d just tell him what time the next race starts and say be there for then. Apart from that, he could do whatever he wants.
“I’d cut his pay and let him do his own sponsorship, anything. Mercedes try to rein him in a bit. I’d give him total freedom.”
When the 2020 F1 season finally begins, the goal will still remain the same for Hamilton, as he bids to match Michael Schumacher as a seven-time world champion.
And should he manage it, Ecclestone claims the 35-year-old should have no qualms about retiring, if he feels the time is right to do so.
“There is no need for him to worry about winning one more championship than Schumacher. If he wants to stop racing, he should not carry on just for that reason. He should carry on because he wants to drive.” he said.
And when he does retire, where will Bernie put him in terms of the all-time greats?
“Lewis is very good,” he adds. “Top four or five, or whatever, but it is hard to say this guy is better than so and so. Lewis has the best equipment and best team. The best everything.”