LEWIS HAMILTON was given surprising career advice as Eddie Jordan suggested the Briton should join Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton will return to Formula 1 next season despite his anger over last season’s final race, Martin Brundle has said. The Mercedes man is said to be still furious with the FIA after a controversial decision from race director Michael Masi helped Max Verstappen win his first world title on the last lap.
In a special edition of The F1 Show titled Abu Dhabi: One Month On, Brundle was asked whether Hamilton and Mercedes could consider leaving F1 ‒ but was adamant in his response. He said: “Absolutely not, I don’t buy any of it to be honest. I’m sure Toto has been asked by Lewis, ‘what are you doing about this?’ But Formula 1 is fantastically successful for the Mercedes-Benz brand, while Lewis is 37 years old and we know he’s driving at his peak, incredibly determined and competitive. “He’ll be back.”
While Hamilton has enjoyed dominance at Mercedes since 2014, this hasn’t stopped speculation around his future. In 2020, Eddie Jordan suggested Hamilton should make the move to Red Bull. He said: “I personally believe Lewis should go to Red Bull and not to Ferrari. When asked in 2020 about the prospect of Hamilton joining Red Bull, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said “never say never”.
He added: “Never say never. I’ve seen crazier things in my life. But I don’t see why Lewis would do that. He has a very strong personal bond with the Mercedes brand and the team that he helped to create. At the moment we are giving him the best car and we have mutual trust in each other. We still have successful times ahead of us. I do not believe such a move for him would be rationally understandable.”
The Mercedes boss has also commented on Hamilton’s future this weekend, saying it would be a “disgrace” if the seven-time world champion didn’t continue in Formula 1. Wolff told Kronen Zeitung: “I really hope we see him again. It would be a disgrace for the whole of F1 if the best driver decided to retire because of outrageous decisions. He added: “No matter what obstacle has been thrown at him, he has known all his life that he has to [do] his talking on the track.
“But it is incredibly difficult for him, until he has found a way between understanding what is right and what is wrong. That just takes time. The FIA’s investigation findings are set to be released just two days before the first race of the 2022 season, meaning the furore around last season’s finale is likely to remain a hot topic going into Bahrain.
