F1 News: Ex Boss Urges Lewis Hamilton to Abandon Mercedes for Good

Eddie Jordan advises Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes and seek fresh challenges, urging him to reinvent himself just as he did when leaving McLaren.

Ex-F1 team boss Eddie Jordan has sparked a heated debate by suggesting that Lewis Hamilton should follow in his own footsteps and bid farewell to Mercedes, seeking fresh surroundings to revitalise his career. Hamilton's decision to leave McLaren and join Mercedes back in 2012 was a game-changing move that led to six additional World Championship titles, bringing his tally to seven, equaling Michael Schumacher's legendary record.

While Hamilton's dominance in terms of race wins, podium finishes, and pole positions remains unmatched, his pursuit of an unprecedented eighth crown faces significant hurdles. The 2023 Formula 1 season marks another year where Mercedes appears to lack a competitive challenger capable of pushing Hamilton towards the title.

In light of this, Eddie Jordan believes the time has come for Hamilton to embark on a new journey, reinventing himself away from the Mercedes team that has become synonymous with his success. Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan expressed his concerns and advised Hamilton to make a bold move, reminiscent of his departure from McLaren.

"My only concern is that Lewis has to find something else in his mojo now, and he needs to get out of there.

"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," Jordan emphasised.

Currently, indications suggest that Hamilton will stay with Mercedes with another long-term contract. Nevertheless, George Russell is obviously a future champ in the making after spending his initial F1 years with Williams under the Mercedes junior program. Russell's impressive performances since joining Mercedes for the 2022 season have caught Jordan's attention, with the young driver even outperforming Hamilton in qualifying, boasting a 4-1 record in the 2023 season.

Jordan humbly admitted his misjudgment of Russell, saying:

"I got it wrong with George. 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."