Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has warned Lewis Hamilton that he needs to “stop” before he tarnishes his legacy with his time at Ferrari.
The 40-year-old has broken numerous records within F1, including most pole positions and most race wins by a driver, as well as equalling the record for the most championships for a racer with seven.
All of his glory was achieved with Mercedes' power during his time with McLaren and Mercedes, but Hamilton shocked the world when he decided to leave the Silver Arrows to fulfil a lifelong dream of racing for Ferrari.
However, his time with the Scuderia has not gone to plan, with the veteran yet to score a podium in red.
Bernie Ecclestone has taken aim at Lewis Hamilton
|GETTY
Ecclestone has warned Hamilton that he needs to retire before he does any more damage to his legacy. He said: “The most embarrassing thing, in my opinion, for Lewis and Ferrari is that they thought he could do all the things that were necessary,
“He should stop. The danger [is] that, if he continues for another year or a year and a half and hasn’t gotten better by then, people will forget him and his achievements.
“You’re getting tired, and Formula One is no longer the only thing in his life.
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“I think he’s lost his focus. Twenty years is a long time, and we now have a lot of young drivers in F1."
Hamilton has only seen success this season during a Sprint race in China, where he took both the pole and the win, but has yet to stand on the podium in a Grand Prix.
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Lewis Hamilton has struggled at Ferrari | REUTERSHamilton’s former boss, Toto Wolff, took a very different stance to Ecclestone when he claimed no one would remember the-40-year-old's time with Ferrari.
He revealed: “He is going to retire [and] nobody is going to ever know that he was at Ferrari at the end.
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“Who thinks about the [Michael] Schumacher and Mercedes time? That is not relevant for Schumacher's career.”
Hamilton will now turn his attention to the streets of Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton has 105 Grand Prix wins through out his career
|GETTY
It has not been a track that Hamilton has excelled at, but the Briton will be hoping to turn around his season.
His former Mercedes team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, set the fastest speed ever achieved by an F1 car around the streets of Baku when he reached an eye-watering 234.9mph (378 km/h) in 2016.