Ex-F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone labels Lewis Hamilton as ‘unnecessary handful’ amidst Ferrari move

However, such accolades have been downplayed by Bernie Ecclestone.

People thought they'd done a clever deal in taking him, but I think it's a bit of an ego thing that he [Hamilton] got latched into it all. Fred [Vasseur] knew him from their early days, and I think John Elkann [chairman] at Ferrari, from his point of view, it was a bit of an ego thing that he's managed to capture one of the leading Formula 1 drivers - the best Formula 1 driver, in many people's opinion. Too much of a handful - an unneccessary handful. Bernie Ecclestone said in an interview with RacingNews365

The Brit claimed that the Scuderia reckoned that they had been naive by acquiring the former seven-time world champion for the 2025 season. Moreover, he also indicated how it was not that big of a deal and having Hamilton was not necessarily worth it in comparison to the hassle they had to endure.

On the other hand, Hamilton has not had a great start to his 2024 season. Subsequently, this led to experts questioning whether the Maranello-based team would regret sacking Carlos Sainz to make place for the inbound Brit. Only time will reveal how this alliance plays out.

Bernie Ecclestone feels there was never blind trust between Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton

Despite claiming that the formation of an alliance between Hamilton and Ferrari was to satisfy their egos, the Brit went on to state that there was never a close relationship between Toto Wolff and the 39-year-old. Ecclestone feels this eventually led to the latter’s move to the prancing horses.

The 93-year-old explained how the relationship eventually broke apart.

Toto[Wolff] has relied on him an awful lot more, and they've become close for selfish reasons - both of them. I don't think there was ever a sort of a relationship where you could rely on both parties. There obviously wasn't because that's why he [Hamilton] suddenly decided to leave. Bernie Ecclestone said in an interview with RacingNews365

Ecclestone claimed that the Austrian was a lot more trustful of his star driver. However, this soon changed as both of them became distant from each other, and the trust between the two was reduced. This eventually led to the fallout and Hamilton leaving the Silver Arrows after the end of the 2024 season.

Subsequently, Mercedes has been tasked to find a replacement for the outgoing champion. The team has several options on the table but will have to make a decision soon due to the volatile nature of the driver market.