Lewis Hamilton’s next move should be to partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull in what will soon be a championship-worthy car, says former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan.
Yet to agree a contract with Mercedes beyond the end of the current 2020 F1 season, Hamilton is widely expected to stay-put with the six-time defending world champions, but Jordan thinks he should be willing to take on the immense challenge of sharing a garage with Verstappen.
“I personally believe that Lewis should go to Red Bull and not to Ferrari,” he told Ziggo Sport. “I’ll tell you that is perfect, because… the best young driver of all of Formula 1 at the moment is Max Verstappen. There is no question about it.
“His style, his speed, his intellect, his control on the track. Also his arrogance. And grand prix winners and grand prix champions need a level of arrogance. That is obvious. And he has that.
“Whether he got it from Jos or whatever, I have no real idea, but the facts are that he has an unbelievable talent. And what I believe is if he had a team-mate like Lewis Hamilton, then I do believe he would be able to beat him.”
Almost certain to soon collect his seventh driver’s championship, Hamilton would be even with the great Michael Schumacher for most F1 titles. And while Jordan thinks he’d meet his match in Verstappen, he has no problems putting him in the sport’s pantheon of drivers.
“I think Lewis at the end of this year will be better than everybody. I have to say that Lewis is on a level with Prost, Senna and Schumacher. And I think he is about to pass them, until Max gets himself sorted.
“Then once Max gets on a roll, he will be exactly the same. I don’t think Red Bull are far away. They are extremely close. And I think they haven’t really been that lucky this year.
“We saw the DNFs of Max and a few little issues, you know. [Alex] Albon finished third last race. I do believe that the engine, the Honda engine, has the equal or will be the equal very soon of the Mercedes.
“So as I said to Adrian Newey: “You have to make a better car, because if you perform like I know that Max can perform, then it is a world championship there for you to have with Red Bull.”