Lewis Hamilton ‘won’t last’ Ferrari contract as Bernie Ecclestone confidently predicts exit

Lewis Hamilton has not started his first race as a Ferrari driver, yet Bernie Ecclestone has confidently predicted when the Briton will leave Maranello weeks after his arrival.

The 40-year-old announced one year ago the surprise news that Hamilton was to join Ferrari after triggering a break clause in his contract with Mercedes. It sent shockwaves through the F1 world as the seven-time champion turned his back on Brackley in his pursuit of an eighth.

Hamilton spent 12 seasons at the Silver Arrows and dominated Formula 1 during most of his days at Mercedes. The three-pointed star helped him to the records for the most Grand Prix wins (105), podiums (202) and poles (104) but toiled in the ground-effect era since 2022.

Bernie Ecclestone tips Lewis Hamilton to leave Ferrari before his contract expires in 2026

Hamilton seemingly believed that Ferrari, rather than Mercedes, would offer his best chance at winning an eighth title from 2025. So, he rode out 2024 and saw the Scuderia fight for the constructors’ title. McLaren beat Ferrari by 14 points – also taking 198 more than Mercedes.

Yet despite Ferrari paying Hamilton a base £39m a season for 2025 and 2026 with an option to stay for 2027, Ecclestone has confidently predicted he will not stay in Maranello that long. Instead, the old F1 supremo believes Hamilton will leave Ferrari before his contract expires.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari

“He won’t last that long,” Ecclestone confidently predicted to The Telegraph. “Piero Ferrari, who has taken him there, still thinks they’ve done the right thing. I hope they have. I hope they haven’t just jumped in and end up wishing they hadn’t.”

Part of the reason why Ecclestone is confident that Hamilton will not see out the initial two-year contract he signed to leave Mercedes for Ferrari is that the ex-F1 supremo believes the Briton will still face ‘enemies’ at Maranello no matter how successful he is with the Scuderia.

He adds. “I don’t think Lewis will get the same attention at Ferrari. The team are happy with Charles Leclerc, his teammate. Leclerc speaks their language, 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.”

Lewis Hamilton could leave Ferrari after 2025 if he thrives or flounders

Ecclestone’s prediction may yet be true as Hamilton may leave Ferrari after the 2025 season if Leclerc destroys him in their first season as teammates. It is extremely unlikely that Ferrari would cut their losses after just one term, but Hamilton could call it quits and retire from F1.

Alternatively, Tom Coronel has also urged Hamilton to ‘disappear’ from F1 if he wins the title with Ferrari in 2025. It would make him the most successful driver of all time in yet another category and leave near enough nothing on the table for Hamilton to prove or achieve in F1.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Formula 1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations

So, Ecclestone may yet be right to suggest Hamilton will not see out his two-year contract at Ferrari either if he thrives or flounders after the 40-year-old’s move to Maranello. Yet one of the key reasons he quit Mercedes was to see what Ferrari deliver with F1’s 2026 regulations.