A wise man once said, not quite so politely, that 'opinions are like rear ends, everyone has one!'

And, the former 'plumber-made-good' F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone certainly has an opinion, and has never been one to keep it to himself.

In an interview with Sky Sports earlier today, Ecclestone suggested that the four-time F1 world champion may be tired and fed-up with the sport.

"He doesn't seem to be the Lewis that he was before," Ecclestone stated, before going onto back Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel for the title. 

"I don't know whether it's me, but when you talk to him and see him act the way he acts generally, he's not the racer he was."

Hamilton's start to his title defense has not been plain sailing, failing to get on the top step of the podium in the first three races of 2018.

A pit-lane tactical error in Melbourne robbed Hamilton of a certain win, and technical failings and just lack of pace denied Hamilton success in either Bahrain or Shanghai. 

His mood has not been helped by a resurgent Ferrari, a strong Red Bull car, and some blistering qualifying laps by his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas. And not to mention the small matter of Bottas out-driving Hamilton in two of the three Grands Prix this year. 

Hamilton was also irritated by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, admitting to the media in China that his star pilot was not in the "best place" following a less than dynamic weekend.

Bernie, traditionally a big supporter of Hamilton, claims he has lost his edge.

"He's still very quick, still super talented, still a super nice guy, but maybe he's just getting a little bit tired of travelling and he's fed up with things."

Is that Bernie's way of hinting that Hamilton could perhaps be ready to quit F1? If that is the case, surely Liberty Media and officials will be very concerned given his status and reputation within the sport.

Other media commentators have also passed comment on Hamilton's poor start to the season.

Former Jordan team boss and F1 pundit Eddie Jordan claimed in an interview for Express Sport that Hamilton will not be one of the greats of Formula One unless he comprehensively beats teammate Bottas.

"What is surprising me is that Bottas is right there with him this year and if we’re talking about the greatest driver that Britain has seen or one of the great, great drivers, he should be beating his team-mate."

Hamilton has stated that the 2018 Mercedes car is not quite where he wants it to be, but that they'll get it right. That combined with contractual issues, a fast grid around him, and the pressure Hamilton works under may be having an impact.

But, wise heads will invariably prevail. Hamilton may be working through some teething problems, but he's still only nine points behind his rival Vettel. But, even with these struggles, many in the paddock are still predicting Hamilton will be there or thereabouts come the last race of the season.

Ecclestone added: "I thought Lewis would win every race, so I've been proved wrong. It would be nice to see Sebastian win because he's a mate of mine and I support him always. So I hope he can get the job done."

The next Grand Prix is this weekend in Baku, home of the Azerbaijan GP.