Ecclestone advises Ferrari to swap drivers – Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has again stepped into the spotlight with one of his trademark provocations, this time aimed at Ferrari. Having only recently advised Lewis Hamilton to retire from Formula 1 immediately, Ecclestone has now suggested a more radical approach to Ferrari’s driver dilemma: replace Hamilton with rookie sensation Gabriel Bortoleto.

Speaking to Swiss outlet Blick just ahead of the post–summer break restart, Ecclestone pointed directly at Ferrari’s management and advised team boss Fred Vasseur to act decisively. “Gabriel Bortoleto’s good performances in a midfield team like Sauber should really wake Ferrari up now. The next driver question for the Italians has to be solved with the Brazilian,” he declared. This follows Ecclestone’s earlier comments to the Daily Mail where he suggested Hamilton “should retire now,” branding the seven-time champion “tired” and in need of a “complete reboot” to pursue something entirely different outside Formula 1.

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Hamilton’s Ferrari honeymoon faded

Hamilton himself fuelled the debate at the Hungarian Grand Prix by describing his own form as “absolutely useless.” While Charles Leclerc secured pole in Budapest, Hamilton qualified poorly and later trailed home in twelfth, a performance that only intensified scrutiny. For Ecclestone, the solution is simple: Ferrari should look to the fresh energy of a young driver who is already proving he can punch above his weight.

Bortoleto’s debut season has been nothing short of impressive. The 20-year-old Brazilian has delivered results for Sauber well beyond what their machinery suggests is possible, taking sixth place in Hungary while Hamilton faltered. Earlier, he scored points in Austria and Belgium, consistently showing maturity and racecraft. Sauber languishes in the lower midfield of the constructors’ standings, yet Bortoleto’s contributions have been one of the few bright spots.

Hamilton’s Ferrari honeymoon, meanwhile, has rapidly faded. The early season excitement of the high-profile switch has given way to a campaign of frustration. His only victory came in the Chinese sprint, while a Grand Prix podium remains elusive. Statistically, Hamilton trails Leclerc heavily in both qualifying and race head-to-heads, underlining the gulf between the two Scuderia drivers.

Still, Hamilton has pushed back at the retirement chatter. On the sidelines in Hungary, he told reporters: “I’m not where I want to be yet, but the fight isn’t over—don’t write me off.” For Ferrari, the question is whether to hold faith in Hamilton’s experience and market value, or consider Ecclestone’s disruptive advice to accelerate generational change.

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The Ecclestone factor

Bernie Ecclestone, even in his early nineties, retains the uncanny ability to dominate headlines with a few well-chosen provocations. Over the decades, he has moved from pulling strings in the paddock to occasionally pulling the rug out from under drivers and teams with verbal bombshells. His latest suggestion, that Ferrari should ditch Hamilton in favour of a rookie, carries all the hallmarks of classic Ecclestone: controversy, attention, and a sprinkling of truth wrapped in mischief.

Ferrari, of course, has rarely been a team that thrives under calm waters. From the glory days of Schumacher to the politics of Alonso and Vettel, drama is never far from Maranello. Hamilton’s struggles this season provide a new theatre for speculation, and Ecclestone has willingly taken centre stage.

For some, his comments reflect the brutal realism of a man who has seen countless greats rise and fall. For others, they are a mischievous poke designed to unsettle and generate clicks.

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The Hamilton problem

The issue for Ferrari is not simply about results on track but about perception. Hamilton’s arrival was heralded as a masterstroke, uniting the most decorated active driver with the sport’s most storied team. Yet the reality has been harsh. He has consistently lagged behind Leclerc, who has carried the team’s competitive hopes.

Ferrari’s decision to sign Hamilton was as much about commercial value and branding as it was about raw pace, but Formula 1 is a results business, and patience wears thin quickly.

Hamilton has faced similar dips before, notably in seasons where Mercedes were not the dominant force, but this slump feels different. The visible frustration, the public self-criticism, and the lack of any standout performance in a Ferrari all fuel doubts about whether the fairytale ever had a chance. His contract is lucrative, his name still carries global weight, but Ferrari has historically been ruthless when momentum turns sour.

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Enter Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto represents the opposite end of the spectrum. Youthful, ambitious, and unburdened by legacy, he has adapted rapidly to Formula 1. Sauber, destined to transition into Audi in the coming years, has provided him with a platform but little expectation. That he has managed to haul the car into the points multiple times is both impressive and telling.

Ecclestone’s endorsement may sound outlandish at first glance, but Ferrari has dabbled in rookies before. The team famously gambled on bringing Leclerc into Maranello after a single season with Sauber, a decision that has since been vindicated. Bortoleto could theoretically follow a similar path, though it would require Ferrari to cut short the Hamilton experiment after barely a season.

 

The satire writes itself

Imagine the headlines: Ferrari, the team of passion and patience, swapping a global superstar for a driver who only recently graduated from Formula 2. It would be peak Ferrari chaos, reminiscent of the team’s long tradition of turning melodrama into strategy.

For Hamilton, it would mark a brutal full stop to his Ferrari chapter before it even really began. The man who once complained of “losing a championship because of a bad catering menu” could find himself outshone by a rookie and ushered toward retirement by a former F1 boss whose main qualification these days is a flair for stirring pots.

Bortoleto, meanwhile, might want to think twice. Joining Ferrari has ended more promising careers than it has created. For every Schumacher fairytale, there is a cautionary tale of talent crushed under the weight of the red shirt. Still, youth loves risk, and the Brazilian may well relish the thought of trading Sauber’s midfield grind for Ferrari’s eternal soap opera.

So, the jury, what do you think? Is Bernie Ecclestone simply playing the role of F1’s mischief-maker in chief, or has he spotted a truth that Ferrari dare not yet acknowledge? Should Hamilton be given time to adapt, or would Ferrari be wiser to gamble on a fresh face like Bortoleto?

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Carlos Sainz was ruthless booted from his Ferrari seat this season, to make way for seven times champion Lewis Hamilton. With more than half the season complete, the Spaniard may be quietly smiling to himself given the difficulties Hamilton has found adjusting to his new team, after a record breaking partnership between him and the Mercedes team.

Yet the switch for Carlos has been no walk in the park in particular he has found the Mercedes power unit significantly different for the one he was used to in Maranello. “Definitely the thing you feel the most when you change teams, the moment there’s a power unit involved, it’s the power unit,” Sainz told assembled media in Monaco.

“The way the power unit operates in terms of switches, especially nowadays in Formula 1 with so much going on on our steering wheels, with the deployment, the battery, things like this, procedures, safety procedures of the engine and the power unit, it’s all definitely the biggest change that I’m having to adapt so far in Williams,”reported the Spaniard….. READ MORE