Lewis Hamilton being told to rip up Ferrari contract before 'horrible to watch' claim made

Lewis Hamilton's dismal season for Ferrari has come off the back of the Brit being warned his stint with the Italian team would be difficult. That was the assessment of ex-Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone, who said last year ahead of Hamilton's move to Ferrari that competing with Charles Leclerc would prove to be an arduous task for the seven-time world champion.

The 95-year-old was certainly proven right in what has been a frustrating campaign for Hamilton, who has yet to capture a podium Grand Prix finish this season. Sitting sixth in the Drivers' Championship standings, Hamilton is a whopping 64 points behind Leclerc, who has already clinched seven podiums including in the last two races. His struggles at Maranello follow what was a difficult last season at Mercedes, where the 40-year-old was notably dominated by George Russell in qualifying. When predicting how Hamilton would fare at Ferrari, Ecclestone told the Daily Mail: "I don't think it will be easy for Lewis. Especially in that team.

"They will back Charles Leclerc. He's quick and has grown up there. They won't dump him for anyone. However, from Lewis' point of view, it may not have been a mistake to join Ferrari. He couldn't exist any longer at Mercedes. Either he's given up with them or they have given up on him. They wouldn't do much to keep him, so he is better off going."

Signing what was reportedly a £50million-a-year contract with Ferrari, Ecclestone suggested that if Hamilton was to decline, tearing up his deal would be the correct decision to make. "He would have to walk away from a lot financially," he added.

"It is a big deal he has got, though I suspect the bonus clauses written into his contract are there to make him feel good rather than reality. For John Elkann, the guy who runs it, it was a big ego thing.

"He thought he had captured the best guy the world had ever seen. When he signed him there was nothing to indicate he was wrong in that assessment. Whether he is still happy with that is another story.

"Only time will tell. If Lewis is fading, which I don't like to see, he should go away and do something else, and do a good job at it. He's now one of the older generation - and didn't he say he wanted to hear less from them?"

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While Hamilton has hinted he has no plans to discuss his future, his lack of consistency at Ferrari has been described as "horrible to watch" by ex-F1 driver Johnny Herbert. Despite qualifying in third for the Mexico City Grand Prix, Hamilton finished the race in eighth after being handed a 10-second penalty following a battle with Max Verstappen.

Speaking after the race, which was won by Lando Norris, Herbert praised Hamilton's improved qualifying performance but lamented the struggles he's been unable to shake off in races. "A mixed bag," he said of Hamilton's race weekend. "It was good to see Lewis race with Max. I thought that was a great piece of racing. There was a little bit of wheel-banging, but that was the way racing should be.

"It was a late dive up the inside. Lewis probably wasn't expecting it. It was another frustrating weekend for him. It was a better qualifying. He seemed to be happier with the qualifying performance. But then in the race it didn't quite materialise.

"It just didn't click for him. It just seems to be an ongoing thing. It's horrible to watch." Today sees the Sao Paulo Grand Prix take centre stage - a place Hamilton has found victory three times in his career, with the last triumph coming in 2021.