Eddie Jordan, former F1 team boss, has expressed the belief that Lewis Hamilton should emulate his departure from McLaren and leave Mercedes in search of a new environment.
Hamilton’s decision to part ways with McLaren in 2012 and join Mercedes has proven to be a brilliant move, as he has since clinched six additional World Championship titles, bringing his total to seven and matching Michael Schumacher’s record. Notably, Hamilton holds exclusive records for the most race wins, podium finishes, and pole positions, among others.
However, securing an unprecedented eighth championship is proving to be a formidable challenge for Hamilton. In the 2023 Formula 1 season, it appears that Mercedes lacks a competitive challenger capable of contending for the title against Hamilton, a trend that has persisted for two consecutive years.
While this situation extends to all teams apart from Red Bull at present, Jordan believes the time has arrived for Hamilton, who has yet to commit to a new contract with Mercedes beyond 2023, to take a leap of faith once more and reinvent himself outside of the Mercedes team.
“My only concern is that Lewis has to find something else in his mojo now and he needs to get out of there,” said Jordan on the Formula For Success podcast.
“He needs to move on just like he did when he was with McLaren. Get out of Mercedes, Lewis. It’s time you reinvented yourself somewhere else.”
At present, the indications strongly suggest that Hamilton will continue his association with Mercedes. However, whenever he eventually chooses to retire from Formula 1, it appears that the team has already found their prospective superstar in the talented George Russell.
Russell initially commenced his F1 journey with three seasons at Williams, all while being nurtured as part of the Mercedes junior program. Since his promotion to Mercedes for the 2022 season, Russell has made a remarkable impression and currently holds an impressive 4-1 qualifying record against Hamilton in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Jordan candidly acknowledges that Russell is defying his expectations while donning the Mercedes colors, as he consistently demonstrates his abilities alongside Hamilton.
“I got it wrong with George,” said Eddie Jordan.
“I saw him in the Williams and I thought, ‘are they really going to sign him? Is that really what’s going to happen?’
“He absolutely blew me away. He did. And full marks, hands up, I got that wrong.
“I never thought he would do what he’s doing, and I never thought that he would be beating Lewis.”
