Lewis Hamilton jokes about rivals, then hits out at Bernie Ecclestone: “He tried to alter the 2014 championship”

Lewis Hamilton jokes about rivals, then hits out at Bernie Ecclestone: “He tried to alter the 2014 championship”. Lewis Hamilton says he will not give advice to his title rivals.

The championship is decided in Abu Dhabi, and Hamilton is an “observer”

When Lewis Hamilton signed for Ferrari, he hoped to arrive at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fighting for something meaningful. The drivers’ title would perhaps have been overly optimistic (even though confidence was high within Ferrari, judging by the declarations coming from Maranello before the start of the season), but the way the championship unfolded forced the seven-time world champion to face reality: he will only be fighting for sixth place, a position he also needs to defend from Kimi Antonelli, who has closed the gap to -2 with a strong end to the year.

Hamilton will therefore be just an observer of the title showdown between Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen. When journalists asked him about the championship fight, the seven-time world champion brushed the topic aside with just a few words.

Hamilton’s words

“I wouldn’t give anyone advice, they’re my rivals. So I’d probably tell them lies,” he joked. Not even the presence of fellow Briton Norris makes him change his mind: “I won’t be cheering for anyone except myself and this team.”

“I don’t think they’re feeling the same things I felt, anyway. I remember it’s been a long time since my first title, that was 2008. I know for sure that I was very nervous the first time. But the wait for the second was long, and in 2014 I didn’t sleep, especially because someone tried to introduce new rules that could potentially change the outcome,” he added, taking a jab at then–F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who suggested the idea of double points for the final round to keep the championship alive until the last race. “Luckily it didn’t work, but it was nerve-racking.” – the British driver concluded ahead of the final round of the 2025 Formula 1 championship, which is set to take place at the Yas Marina Circuit, the 5.281 km motorsport racing track situated on Yas Island.

Seventeen years on from his maiden crown, the man who has been part of more title showdowns than anyone else on the current grid will watch this one from the sidelines – firmly in red, firmly keeping his cards close to his chest, and clearly still enjoying every minute of the drama.