After 12 seasons with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton has embraced a new challenge by moving to Ferrari at the age of 40 as he pursues a record-breaking eighth Drivers’ World Championship.

Hamilton’s pursuit of a fresh challenge has meant the seven-time F1 World Champion has dominated headlines during the winter break, with Hamilton embarking on a series of ‘firsts’ with the Scuderia after arriving at Maranello a few weeks ago.

The alignment of the sport’s most successful driver and most successful and historic team, together in a bid to create history with a record eighth title for Hamilton, has seen excitement amongst the Tifosi reach incredible levels as his debut with the team nears.

History counts against Hamilton, as just three drivers – the most recent of which, Sir Jack Brabham, came 60 years ago – have won the World title after the age of 40.

Hamilton will get a few chances based on his current contract, with the British driver signing up for up to three seasons with Ferrari, but former F1 owner and circus master Bernie Ecclestone believes Hamilton won’t last even two years.

“He won’t last that long,” Ecclestone told the UK’s Telegraph.

“Piero Ferrari, who has taken him there, still thinks they’ve done the right thing. I hope they have. I hope they haven’t just jumped in and end up wishing they hadn’t.”

Not only will Hamilton face a stern challenge to beat the likes of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Mercedes’ George Russell, and McLaren’s Lando Norris, but the British driver will have to fend off his highly-rated team-mate Charles Leclerc – a driver regarding as a Champion-in-waiting as one of the sport’s fastest drivers.

Having turned 40 in January, might Leclerc being 13 years younger than Hamilton play a factor in the outcome of their intra-team battle?

“I have my theory about this. It’s not the age with drivers, it’s how long they have been doing the same thing,” Ecclestone said.

“I have thought with Lewis, ‘He’s getting tired. He has lost motivation.’ If he had never won a world championship, it might be different, because then there would be an incentive to win one. But he has won seven.”

Added to what Ecclestone predicts will be a troubled partnership between driver and team, the 94-year-old reckons Hamilton won’t enjoy the same level of attention from his team as he had at Mercedes – where he enjoyed seniority and longevity over Russell, as well as a leadership dynamic stemming back to 2017 following Nico Rosberg’s sudden retirement from Formula 1.

“The team is happy with Charles Leclerc, his team-mate,” Ecclestone said.

“Leclerc speaks their language [Italian], so they’ll be looking after him. Even if Lewis does well, there’ll still be a lot of enemies, because he has suddenly arrived.”

The British businessman – whose leadership position in Formula 1 came to an end eight years ago when Liberty Media purchased the commercial rights – said he reckons Hamilton’s use of social media and outspoken nature makes him “dislikeable”.

“Lewis gets himself up front in a way where you can dislike him,” Ecclestone said.

“How a guy who has won a few world titles and has a few dollars in the bank can dress the way he dresses. I’m not a fan of that. He has a lot of talent as a driver.

“As much as people credit him with? No, but still enough to win races. I don’t know why he does all this other nonsense. He needs to get out of the music business and whatever else.”

Ecclestone has often criticised Hamilton in recent years, with the former Mercedes man responding with incredulity to statements from Ecclestone outlining his respect and admiration for Russian president Vladimir Putin following the beginning of military action in neighbouring Ukraine.

“We don’t need any more of it, to hear from someone that believes in the war, and the displacement of people and killing of people, and supporting that person (Putin) is beyond me,” said Hamilton.

“I cannot believe I heard that.

“This is going to put us back decades, and we have yet to see the real brunt of the pain.

“Why? We do not need to be supporting that but looking into the future.

“If you don’t have anything positive to contribute, don’t give them any space.”