Eddie Jordan sees Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes
Consultant for the BBC, Eddie Jordan claims that Lewis Hamilton will replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes in 2013. The Irishman particularly supports his argument with remarks made by Bernie Ecclestone about the potential retirement of the seven-time World Champion and the economic aspects of such a transfer.
Despite the sale of the team that bore his name in 2005, which still competes in Formula 1 under the name Force India, Eddie Jordan continues to roam the paddocks throughout the season as a consultant for the British public television, the BBC. The Irishman thus shares his opinions and observations with the millions of viewers who follow F1 across the Channel.
Thus, Jordan foresees Lewis Hamilton’s transfer from McLaren to Mercedes. “I believe that Hamilton and Mercedes have already agreed on the terms and that the deal should be concluded imminently,” the Irishman specifies. “A few weeks ago, I said on television that I felt Lewis was on his way out; I got the idea that he was in talks with Ferrari, which we know is true. But I can now confirm that his agents have had meetings with Mercedes.”
At the origin of this scenario are statements from the “F1 Supremo” himself, Bernie Ecclestone: [He] clearly told me live on television on Sunday that Schumacher was leaving, although Schumacher then played it down. Indeed, when questioned by Jordan, Ecclestone let slip about Michael Schumacher: I’m sorry that he is leaving us without being a winner, because he is a winner. For Jordan, the two pieces of information are therefore linked and there is no longer any doubt: It appears that Michael is leaving and that Lewis is coming to Mercedes.
And the Irishman detailed the underlying economic aspects of this potential transfer, hinting at a slight downsizing at McLaren: « Hamilton has not yet reached an agreement with McLaren. In fact, the team has made it clear to him that it cannot offer him a salary as large as his current annual $15 million [about 12 million euros, editor’s note], which was negotiated before the financial crisis. Moreover, McLaren will have to pay for its Mercedes engines for the first time next year. »
Commercially speaking, Jordan believes that this departure would align with the commercial strategy of Lewis Hamilton’s management: « Hamilton’s transfer to Mercedes would also make a lot of sense in the context of his manager, Simon Fuller, the man behind the Spice Girls and now David Beckham. Fuller is trying to position Hamilton as a major global star, like Beckham, and Mercedes is a more global and renowned brand than McLaren. »
Of course, the sporting consequences are significant: There is uncertainty about Mercedes’ position in F1, Jordan continues. The board is unhappy with the team’s current performances, but signing Hamilton would undoubtedly be a major coup and could give the team some respite.
As expected, Mercedes AMG F1 Team, through its CEO Nick Fry, as the representative of Lewis Hamilton with Simon Fuller’s company, XIX Management, refused to comment on Jordan’s remarks. McLaren, on the other hand, responded by stating: « Lewis Hamilton’s management team informed us that this story is not true. »
Whatever the case, such a transfer would occur in a particular context for Lewis Hamilton, who drew the ire of his team this Sunday after having published confidential telemetry data on his Twitter account, and while the 2008 World Champion apparently has not settled his future during the break as he had previously hoped.
