Lewis Hamilton has fired back at Eddie Jordan’s comments, insisting that he doesn’t take credence in criticism from ‘older, white men’. The Brit’s move to Ferrari was heavily questioned over the winter following a problematic final year with Mercedes.
When Hamilton signed his Ferrari contract, his stock was high after an impressive 2023 campaign in which he finished best of the rest behind the two Red Bull drivers. However, 2024 was a far more challenging year for the Brit as qualifying woes resigned him to a P7 Drivers’ Championship finish despite recording two Grand Prix victories.
Considering Hamilton’s advancing age, some F1 pundits questioned whether the Brit has passed his best. One of the most vocal detractors was former team owner Jordan. “For me, I think the FFS moment of the year was Lewis signing to Ferrari,” he said on his Formula For Success podcast. “I just never saw that coming.”
Jordan continued: “My FFS is, I say to John Elkann, who’s the chairman of that group, what the f**k was he thinking about in getting rid of Carlos [Sainz] when he had a very happy, friendly, structured team that knew how to work together.
“Lewis is a particularly nice person. I’m not sure there’s many nicer people on the grid than Lewis Hamilton, so I don’t think he’ll have a problem there. However, my FFS goes to John Elkann of Ferrari for even authorising, signing off on that deal. It was absolutely suicidal to get rid of Carlos.”
In a powerful interview with TIME Magazine, Hamilton provided a defiant response to Jordan and his other doubters. “I’ve always welcomed the negativity,” the seven-time world champion explained.
“I never, ever reply to any of the older, ultimately, white men who have commented on my career and what they think I should be doing. How you show up, how you present yourself, how you perform slowly dispels that.”
Hamilton has been working tirelessly during the off-season to ensure that he hits the ground running when the season gets underway in Melbourne. He trained ferociously over the winter to remain in top condition, and completed TPC (testing of previous cars) tests in Fiorano and Barcelona.
The Brit has been pouring his all into pre-season testing. After being the first driver to arrive in the paddock on Thursday morning, Hamilton was still toiling away in the Ferrari garage late into the evening, only exiting the track at 10pm local time.
