F1 News: Eddie Jordan Blasts Ferrari For Carlos Sainz Replacement - ‘Rocks In His Head’

Saajan Jogia | 5 Hours Ago

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton (44) is introduced before the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former team owner Eddie Jordan questioned Ferrari chairman John Elkann, going to the extent of saying that he must be having "rocks in his head" to replace Carlos Sainz with Lewis Hamilton. Jordan, who is also a friend of Sainz's father, Carlos Sainz Sr. said that he was unable to understand the rationale behind the decision, which led Sainz Jr. to sign with Williams for the upcoming seasons.

Jordan let out a rant on the Formula For Success podcast with former F1 driver David Coulthard, especially after he saw Sainz and his father in tears after the Abu Dhabi GP. The 76-year-old questioned the logic behind the move since Sainz was a strong option in the driver lineup who didn't deserve to be ousted. He also criticized Hamilton for his recent statement, when the Mercedes driver guessed he wasn't fast enough anymore in qualifying, which provided a hint of his current mindset. He said:

“I got such sh*t for saying that I thought Lewis should not be going to Ferrari because of what he said.

“When people say things like ‘I don’t think I’m fast enough anymore’, that registers in my head.

“I’m such a person that, yes, I believe in talent; yes, I believe in performance; yes I believe in speed.

“But I’m a psychological person. I like to know what’s going on inside that brain, because I think fundamentally what’s going on in there very often gets replicated back in the job, whether that’s driving a car, a truck, a train, a crane, it doesn’t matter. It’s how you approach the moment.

“Do I think, this time next year, we will all say: ‘Jesus, Lewis was amazing?’

“I hope I’m able to say that. But at the moment, I have to say Leclerc is quick.

“But the way we saw Sainz, who in their right mind [would replace him]? John Elkann must have rocks in his head to have made that decision.

“I’m particularly close to his father, Carlos Sr, and when I spoke to him to say what a great job he’d done, Carlos Sr was in tears.

“Carlos himself was in tears. He still doesn’t quite understand why he was let go.

“And to be quite honest, neither do I.”

Coulthard likely captured the essence of the situation in his response to Jordan, noting that Hamilton's announcement of his move to Ferrari in February this year had a noticeably positive impact on Ferrari's stock market performance. He added:

“I guess the simple answer to that is that the draw of a seven-time World Champion, the most successful driver in all the stats – poles, wins, all of the good things that you’d want beside your name – [was irresistible].

“And let’s remind ourselves that when the announcement came out that he was going to Ferrari, there was a little bump on the stock market as well.

“Reflecting on Lewis’s time at Mercedes, in many ways this decision saves a problem for Mercedes because they’ve been able to celebrate an incredible, successful partnership – all of Lewis’s victories in Formula 1 have had Mercedes power – it was always going to come to an end at a certain point.

“And this now means it’s like: ‘Over to you, Ferrari. Good luck.’"