Bernie Ecclestone issued a simple “no” to Lewis Hamilton winning an eighth World title, but that’s only part of Ferrari’s problems.

Hamilton joined Ferrari at the start of this season in a blockbuster move that united Formula 1’s most successful driver with the sport’s longest-serving team.

Can Lewis Hamilton win an eighth World title?

But it has been anything but a dream start for the partnership.

Although Hamilton has been successful in F1 2025’s short races, winning in China and on the podium in Miami, he’s been off the pace in the Grands Prix.

The seven-time World Champion has yet to record a podium result, never mind a win, in 11 Grands Prix, nor has F1’s most prolific qualifier, with a record of 104 pole positions, started a Grand Prix from the front row of the grid.

His results have left him in sixth place in the Drivers’ Championship with just 91 points on the board, 125 behind championship leader Oscar Piastri. He trails his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc by 28 points.

All but mathematically out of this year’s fight for the World title, former F1 supremo Ecclestone was asked if he thought Hamilton would ever add to his tally of seven World titles.

“No,” he told Sky Sports.

“I think there’s a period in people’s lives when everything’s going to work well, or not work well.

“I think he was fortunate enough to be around when… firstly there wasn’t so much competition so it was a little bit easier. And now he’s got competitors, which when he was winning everything, he didn’t have too many people at the top of the tree.

“But I hope he still can get the job done,” the 94-year-old continued.

“Whether he can win the World Championship where he is, it’s a completely different story.”

Hamilton joined Ferrari ahead of what was expected to be a good season for the Italian outfit, after it raced McLaren all the way through to the final chequered flag of the F1 2024 season for the Constructors’ title.

But while McLaren has kicked on, leading both championships this season, Ferrari’s form has faltered.

It’s led to speculation that team principal Fred Vasseur is under pressure to hold onto his job.

Ecclestone weighed on Vasseur’s position, saying: “I hope he gets the job done because it’s wrong to keep switching one guy out and another guy because the guy who comes in, he’s not going to be happy with the guy, what he’s been doing, the one that’s leaving.

“They want to change things, that’s the problem with changing people a little bit at the top.”

Vasseur has been at helm since 2023 when he replaced Mattia Binotto, increasing Ferrari’s tally to five team principals in just 10 years.

“I think the problem there is what happened when we changed everything. All the people that are there are in charge, but there was nobody in charge, except everyone,” Ecclestone said.

“And I think it’s all sort of gone back a little bit that way. It needs one guy, really and truly, there to say, this is how it’s going to be.

“It’s finding the one guy; they should get Luca [di Montezemolo] back!”

Ecclestone, however, won’t get his wish as di Montezemolo has recently been appointed as a director of McLaren Group Holdings Limited in a surprise move.

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