“This all happened on his watch,” says former Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan, who sharply criticises Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss as for the second F1 year in a row, Mercedes is still not as competitive as it should be.
Jordan is particularly critical of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. The Austrian had already expressed his frustration after the season opener in Bahrain, finding “everything bad” about the race. “There is not one positive news here,” he said at the time. Eddie Jordan slams Wolff for the problems Mercedes has experienced.
“I criticise Toto Wolff…”
Jordan does not like the way the team boss handled the situation: “I criticise Toto Wolff for the way he criticises his engineers and how they got distracted. This all happened under his supervision, so it is his responsibility,” the former team boss tells OLBG.
He demands: “Wolff should take the criticism like a man, like a team boss, like a chairman and face the fact that Mercedes didn’t get it right.”
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However, it has to be mentioned that Wolff is quite overtly self-critical about himself. After Bahrain, he also said:
“In the final analysis, I bear the responsibility. So if I want to do something, I have to fire myself.”
Historically, Mercedes always blames the problem, not one person but no matter who you blame, Mercedes currently seems to be at best third strongest – behind Red Bull and Aston Martin.
For Jordan, the rise of Aston Martin is also a stroke of luck, which at least still provides some excitement at the top. If they didn’t have that and Red Bull just drove away on their own, “then that would highlight Mercedes’ decline even more,” he says.
Lewis Hamilton change teams to Ferrari
That brings Jordan to his next topic being Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion will probably be able to bury his dream of an eighth title in 2023, and Hamilton needs to drive for Ferrari.
Time and again the question is asked how long the British driver will be content with the prospect of a failing Mercedes team. Even Wolff had said that he would “not be angry” if Hamilton went to another team.
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Jordan also finds that incomprehensible: “What would I think if I were Hamilton? Am I really loved there?”, says the Irishman, who positions himself clearly:
“The Mercedes is not good enough for Hamilton,” he says, and suggests that he should change: “Hamilton should look for another world champion team.”
The question, of course, is: where? Jordan doesn’t think Red Bull would dump Sergio Perez for the British former champion, especially considering their primary driver in Max Verstappen. And going back to McLaren, where he started his career and won his first world championship title, would not be sensible considering the current plight of the Woking team.
“The only other places I see him going are Ferrari or staying with Mercedes.”
Dream of Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari
The ex-team boss would prefer a move to the Scuderia: “Formula 1 needs Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari, and Ferrari needs Lewis Hamilton,” he says.
He would find it interesting if he were to swap places with Charles Leclerc in return:
“Leclerc is a Mercedes guy as a driver, and to see the battle between Leclerc and George Russell would be great – a match made in heaven,” says Jordan, who is sure that everyone in F1 would love to see that swap.
“But if I’m dreaming about Hamilton going to Ferrari, it’s just a thought because he’s won seven (actually six; ed.) world championships with Mercedes, so from that he might want to stay,” he says.
“On the other hand, all great drivers would feel the attraction of a great team like Ferrari. That’s where I think Hamilton should end up.”
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