Bernie Ecclestone has urged Lewis Hamilton to retire from Formula One amid his torrid start to life at Ferrari. Seven-time world champion Hamilton, 40, has failed to secure a podium in his first 14 races for the Scuderia and was despondent last weekend, after qualifying and finishing 12th in Hungary.

Former long-time Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone believes that record world champion Lewis Hamilton should consider retirement in the wake of poor results. Hamilton, 40, has had a difficult start at Ferrari after 12 years at Mercedes where he won six of his record-tying seven world titles.

Lewis Hamilton would be “cheating himself” if he continued in Formula 1, with Bernie Ecclestone adamant he should have retired a while ago. Hamilton’s shock decision to swap Mercedes for a Ferrari in a bid to claim an eighth World title hasn’t yielded the resurgence that the Briton was after.