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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

Job security isn’t the name of the game when it comes to Formula 1. That being said, when it comes to Lewis Hamilton you’d be labeled a madman to question his place in the sport. How can anyone ever imagine giving the 7x Champion the boot, right? However, back in 2020, a suggestion was floating around the F1 paddock that, if brought to fruition, would’ve meant that come 2021, Hamilton would have been without a racing seat.

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Bernie Ecclestone hasn’t really been a Lewis Hamilton fan. And in the past, he’s had some alarming ideas for the sport, too. However, this time, he combined two of his passions to deliver a shocking suggestion to Mercedes that could’ve potentially derailed Hamilton’s F1 career.

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Ecclestone, talking to F1-Insider.com, said, “I’ve met Mercedes boss Ola Kallenius when he was still in charge of Mercedes’ F1 engines factory in Brixworth. So he knows what it is about. At the moment, however, he has other problems than his Formula 1 project.”

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“But what I am deeply impressed by is how he is leading the company through the emissions scandal and the corona crisis into the future.”

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“If I were him I would sell my team at the end of 2020. What does Mercedes have to prove after six titles in a row? Nothing.”

Read More: “Don’t Challenge Me”: Mercedes Boss Once Threatened to Throw Out Lewis Hamilton Over Rivalry With Nico Rosberg

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What Ecclestone suggested in 2020 would’ve indirectly jeopardized Hamilton’s F1 career. However, in 2021, he did one better and made a shocking direct suggestion about the Brit himself.

Bernie Ecclestone once urged Lewis Hamilton to quit F1

Bernie Ecclestone and Lewis Hamilton aren’t exactly friends. That has been clear for a long, long time now. However, Ecclestone in the past has got on the 7x Champion’s nerves. After Hamilton suffered that soul-crushing loss to Max Verstappen in 2021, Ecclestone came bearing gifts once again.

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Reuters

Ecclestone told Blick, “I don’t think he is coming back, I think he will not race next year. His disappointment in Abu Dhabi was too big and I understand him. Now, tied for seven titles with Michael Schumacher, it is the perfect time for him to fulfil his dream and be a fashion entrepreneur.”

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Watch This Story: Ugliest Moments in Hamilton-Rosberg Rivalry

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Lewis Hamilton is at the dawn of a new era in his F1 career. Can he do what no one has ever done before and win that elusive 8th title?

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Written by

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Anirban Aly Mandal

1,126 Articles

Anirban Aly Mandal is a senior F1 writer at EssentiallySports, with over 1000 articles published on the platform. Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 while playing on his computer, and he has since then dived deep into the world of motorsports. Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports.

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Ranvijay Singh

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