Bernie Ecclestone is the former chief executive of Formula One. He still holds very close links to the sport despite being 91 years old.

He was in charge of the sport for over four decades and has one of the most knowledgeable minds in the industry. However, it's safe to say some of his opinions do cause a bit of controversy.

Now, he’s made some suggestions regarding the potential future of Lewis Hamilton and his current form in the 2022 season.

Hamilton, who last year was competing in a tense battle for first place with Max Verstappen, has struggled this season. In fact, Mercedes teammate George Russell has outperformed the seven-time champion so far with Hamilton in sixth and Russell in fourth as things currently stand.

This has prompted Ecclestone to suggest that Hamilton could walk away from F1 before his contract is up in 2023 due to dissatisfaction from the Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ecclestone said the following: “Lewis might sell his position to Toto. ‘This is how much I am getting, I’ll step down and give me half of what I would get’ - Toto can go and do one of his magic deals, offer someone less money, and keep £20 million.

“Nobody needs to tell Toto this because he has already thought of it. Lewis would probably stop under those circumstances.

Lewis Hamilton: Bernie Ecclestone makes big accusations about 2022 season

MOGI GUACU, BRAZIL - MAY 15: Bernie Ecclestone during a visit to the Velocitta racetrack for a Stock Car and Formula 4 race on May 15, 2022 in Mogi Guacu, Brazil. (Photo by Marcelo Machado de Melo/Getty Images)

“I don’t know what he’s doing dressing up in all those funny clothes. Has he a deal to it? Is it to get noticed? Maybe that’s it.”

Ecclestone claims that the reason for the lacklustre performances is down to a lack of motivation for Hamilton, despite the Brit having a self-proclaimed hunger for success.

“Toto is getting a bit fed up with Lewis. I don’t think he’s trying, do you?

“Let’s put it another way, Lewis doesn’t seem bothered about losing, it’s not like him. He has a competitive nature but he’s taking it a bit easy for my liking.

“I don’t think he’s actively helping George. I don’t think he’s doing anything. I don’t think he cares too much. He’s not prepared to put the effort into winning that he did.”

It’s unclear what will happen going forward with Hamilton. He’s going to continue racing for the 2022 season, but his performance is sub-par for what we’ve come to expect.

Perhaps it’s mentality, but either way, it’ll be interesting to see whether Mercedes do look to strike a deal to remove the legend to get someone fresh in soon.

However, that seems highly unlikely.