Legendary F1 commentator and F1 boss, Eddie Jordon has said that Lewis Hamilton will likely sign a contract with the Mercedes F1 team within a week. The founder of the Jordon F1 team which today is known as the Aston Martin F1 team has been known to be one the best F1 insiders. Last year he predicted an INEOS investment in Mercedes. While he believed INEOS could fully take over the F1 team, his predication partially came to fruition with INEOS gaining a massive 33 per cent stake in what is F1's best package.
"I think the contract with Lewis will be signed this week. I can't imagine they're going to wait until February. What will Mercedes do after Lewis? They have it picked out, of course, but that's not Toto's modus operandi. He's taken a bigger stake and brought INEOS in. He doesn't want to have to worry about a new driver," Jordan tells Daily Mail.
Daimler Boss Ola Kallenius hasn't been keen on heeding to Hamilton's demands
Jordon is also of the view that Mercedes F1 CEO, team principle and 33 per cent owner, Toto Wolff will not let Lewis Hamilton leave the team like this especially after his increased shareholding and the addition of INEOS which has pumped in more money and is 33 per cent owner alongside himself and Daimler.
"He has increased his shareholding over the winter, brought in INEOS as a one-third shareholder, and he doesn't want to be walking up and down the paddock with somebody new that he has to think about," added the 72-year-old.
"He wants to be there with the man of the moment, he wants to be there with the king of all kings in Formula One and that is Lewis Hamilton," Jordon added.
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have formed F1's most formidable partnership
Photo Credit: AFP
Jordon is of the belief that Hamilton should get a pie out of the commercial rights money that Mercedes makes. In 2020, the Mercedes team won nearly a quarter of the share of the F1 TV coverage generating advertising value that nearly equal to 4 billion euros.
"The TV rights that Mercedes are getting as a result of winning the Drivers' and the Constructors' Championship, surely some of that should go to Lewis?" he asked.
"He has been a hugely important part of the success and the reward they are getting. Who is the first person the TV people want to speak to first? Lewis. Do Lewis' comments get repeated much more than anyone else? Of course, they do. If you look at LeBron James and Tiger Woods, they went to the organisers of their respective sports and said that we bring more credibility and support because of who we are and you need to compensate us. So pay Lewis an amount of money that the team are getting. I cannot see how he is not entitled to that," Jordon stated.
"Some might say he is already being overpaid, and maybe so, but we all said that nobody would ever come close to Michael Schumacher's record and now you have a driver who has the potential to beat him by becoming an eight-time World Champion. And make no mistake, Lewis is getting better," he argued.
