Lewis Hamilton is about to bring his time with Mercedes to an end before making what’s likely to be the final move of his Formula 1 career.
The success enjoyed by Lewis Hamilton during his 12 seasons with Mercedes may never be matched given the increased competitiveness of the F1 grid.
After winning six individual titles together and a further eight Constructors’ Championships, Hamilton and Mercedes will part ways sitting near the bottom of the four teams who have dominated the sport this year.
Hamilton could still catch teammate George Russell in the standings if he leaves the Brackley-based team with one last victory and his fellow Brit fails to finish in the points.
However, that seems almost impossible to predict considering how temperamental this year’s Mercedes is.
Hamilton has been very self-critical this year, particularly when talking about his performances in qualifying.
The 39-year-old said he’s ‘definitely not fast anymore’ after qualifying in Qatar when he lined up seventh and sixth on the grid for the Sprint Race and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
He’s been outqualified 18-5 this season by Russell and was left very frustrated at the recent race in Las Vegas where he threw a chance to start on pole position and win the race due to two errors in Q3.
Eddie Jordan was speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast and believes Hamilton’s new team Ferrari will be very concerned by what Hamilton has said in recent weeks.
He’s urged Hamilton’s new team to try and find a way out of his current contract before he even steps foot in one of their iconic red cars.
Eddie Jordan tells Ferrari to ‘find a way out’ of Lewis Hamilton’s 2025 contract
Jordan was speaking after the Qatar Grand Prix and in reference to Hamilton’s recent comments, he said: “If you don’t believe 100%, you’re f—–. Do you understand that?
“Because belief, 99.9% means that there is that tiny, little, little thing in there knocking on your head that gives you the things that maybe, oh, I don’t really have that confidence. I don’t really have the ability.
“And at the moment what I heard from Lewis, I’m not fast enough anymore, they were the words, I think.
“Honestly, if I was Ferrari, I would say close the book, find the way out. That’s it.
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“I think also, if it’s a little message to you, Lewis, if you’re out there, always remember in life. You’ve got your music, you’ve got your fashion, you’ve got all sorts of other things.
“You are, in most people’s view, the greatest driver of all time. Please remember what I’m going to say to you.
“Always, always think about the best exit. And this is the time to take the money off the table. Go.”
Ferrari going all-in on Lewis Hamilton after breaking up Charles Leclerc-Carlos Sainz partnership
When Hamilton became available to Ferrari, they decided that Carlos Sainz was the man who had to give way to accommodate the seven-time world champion.
Sainz explained why Ferrari chose to replace him with Hamilton and he will begin life at Williams next week during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi.
The Spaniard has been in fine form in recent weeks and his victory in Mexico City was arguably the best of his Formula 1 career.
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While he and Charles Leclerc may not have always seen eye to eye, they have a chance to win Ferrari’s first Constructors’ Championship in Abu Dhabi since 2008.
That would be the perfect way for their relationship to end before Hamilton’s arrival and while Jordan is unsure if he should be continuing at Ferrari if he’s no longer got that belief, it seems almost impossible to imagine that they would terminate their deal before his debut next season.
However, if the opportunity arose, David Coulthard could see Sainz returning to Ferrari and he would likely jump at the chance if the seat became available before the start of next season.
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