Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen has been warned by former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone against a potential move to Ferrari in the future, since that could be “the end of his career.” Ecclestone’s comments arrive days after he targeted Lewis Hamilton for moving to Ferrari, claiming that he should have retired instead.
The 94-year-old F1 supremo is famous for his candid opinions, and Ferrari has been a hot topic for him lately, as he did not miss addressing the Maranello-based outfit.
Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari before the 2025 season, is facing challenges in adapting to the team’s SF-25 F1 car, which has caused a serious setback for him in his performances. The most recent race in Hungary saw him in a dejected form after being knocked out of Q2 in qualifying, leading him to call himself “useless.”
Ecclestone suggested that the seven-time world champion should part ways with Ferrari and retire from the sport. Newsweek Sports reported the ex-F1 CEO’s comments:
“Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is. But like a lot of leading sports personalities, when they reach the top, there is only one way to go, and it’s not a good direction. It’s only down.
“They get tired. Lewis is tired. He’s been doing what he is doing forever. He needs a rest from it for good, a total reset to do something completely different.”
He added:
“The guy is not a cheat. But he would be cheating himself if he goes on. He should stop now. If I were looking after him, I would negotiate with Ferrari immediately and say, ‘If you have someone to replace Lewis, he’ll step aside’.
“If I were Lewis, I would say to Ferrari that I wanted to be paid all my contract, in full. They signed him because they thought he could do a job. ‘It isn’t working, so I can make way if you want me to, but that’s the arrangement’. It could work for both parties.”
In another interview, Ecclestone addressed the ongoing performance issues at Ferrari and questioned Hamilton’s signing. He said:
“At the moment, I cannot say anything negative about the Italian staff working for Ferrari. But I think the team needs someone to take charge, find the right direction and get the job done.
“I am not sure that taking Lewis was the right decision. Lewis is obviously talented, but a little bit political, which is typical for Ferrari and typical for him. But he could come to life again which would be good for him and good for Ferrari.”
Now though, Ecclestone has warned four-time world champion Verstappen that moving to Ferrari in the future could prove to be detrimental to his F1 career. He told Sport.de:
“If he goes to Ferrari, that would be the end of his career. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”
However, he then went on to say that Verstappen “can always turn a good team into a winning team.”
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028 but will reportedly decide his next step in F1 after the 2026 season, since it would be easier for him to judge the most dominant team on the grid after the sport enters a new era of regulations next year.
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