“There’ll still be a lot of enemies”: Lewis Hamilton to remain second fiddle to Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, former F1 boss predicts

Former F1 boss, Bernie Ecclestone, has given his thoughts about the threats to Lewis Hamilton as he joins Ferrari this year. Speaking also about the team dynamics, specifically the favouring of Charles Leclerc by the organization. The Monegasque driver has been with the team since 2019 as compared to Hamilton, who has just made his start with the Prancing Horse.

In conversation with the Telegraph on February 8, the former F1 superemo addressed the fact that the British driver will be dealing with opposing forces with his unexpected entry into the Italian team. Ecclestone said [via PlanetF1]:

“The team is happy with Charles Leclerc, his team-mate. Leclerc speaks their language [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.”

The British billionaire also revealed what he dislikes about the 40-year-old driver, as well as suggesting that Hamilton give up on his pursuits outside the world of Formula 1.

"How a guy who has won a few world titles and has a few dollars in the bank can dress the way he dresses… I’m not a fan of that. He has a lot of talent as a driver."

“As much as people credit him with? No, but still enough to win races. I don’t know why he does all this other nonsense. He needs to get out of the music business and whatever else.”

Bernie Ecclestone held the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Formula One group until 2017, after which Liberty Media took over the racing competition and its brand.

Lewis Hamilton, who has been a part of F1 since 2007, started his career in the sport with McLaren, scoring his first championship title with them in 2008. In 2013, he joined Mercedes, remaining with the team until 2024, and securing six more drivers' titles. He will now race with Ferrari, becoming a part of the most successful driver-team pairing in F1 history as the 16-time constructors' champion adds the 105-time race winner to its lineup.

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Lewis Hamilton feels "right at home" with Ferrari in new video

Meanwhile, in a video shared to his Instagram account earlier this week, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that he is feeling comfortable with the Italian team already. Hamilton has taken part in a few test sessions with the team, driving its 2023 car at the Fiorano track, as well as spending time with the 2024 challenger in Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya.

In the video shared to his social media, Hamilton gave glimpses of his time spent with the Ferrari crew.

"Feeling right at home," the driver captioned

Lewis Hamilton's first race with Ferrari will be at the season opener in Melbourne, Australia in March.