Bernie Ecclestone Believes Lewis Hamilton is “Bigger than F1”

Recently, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone spoke to Autocar magazine on various subjects. From F1’s future to his tenure at the head of the sport, the 89-year old opened up. He even spoke about 6-time F1 world champion and his compatriot, Lewis Hamilton.

When he spoke about his opinion on Lewis Hamilton, he said, “Yeah. He’s different. That’s great. He’s a first-class guy. He’s actually bigger than F1. Nothing wrong with launching clothes lines or having rappers as friends. I don’t think people give him an instruction book and start telling him what to do. He’s in a position where he can speak out and wake a few people up, and I’m pleased he’s using it.”

“He has also said he feels the sport is a bit too safe now, which I agree with. I don’t want anybody to get hurt, but some of that knife-edge excitement has gone from it.”

The rise of Lewis Hamilton in F1

When Hamilton debuted in 2007, he practically burst onto the scene and established himself as F1’s new star. A year later, he clinched the world championship in a thrilling season finale. Since then, he experienced a fairly subdued few years until he joined Mercedes in 2013.

After a year of getting to grips with the car, he took his second F1 world championship in 2014. From that point onwards, he became unstoppable, with the 2016 season being the only blip in his CV. Fortunately, he managed to brush it off and resume his dominant spree.

Had the coronavirus pandemic not halted the F1 season in its track, Hamilton would be on his way to another world championship. Until at least July, the champagne is on ice and the cars are stuck in the garages. F1 is desperately trying to kick-start the season as soon as possible. However, with almost half the circuits dropping out, it is getting more and more difficult.