Former F1 team principal Eddie Jordan has claimed that Sir Lewis Hamilton was “too nice” in 2021 and opened the door for Max Verstappen to take the Championship from him.
Verstappen darted down the inside of Hamilton on the final lap after a controversial Safety Car restart, but Jordan feels that Hamilton gave the Dutchman the chance to take his first World Championship long before.
“You can’t deny Verstappen the right to the championship,” the 73-year-old said.
“However, on the other side, I think Hamilton has opened the door. He’s allowed someone as aggressive and arrogant as Verstappen to upset him and steal his title from him.”
Jordan reckons that Hamilton has displayed a soft underbelly throughout 2021, and believes that this is something that needs to change.
“I think Lewis has been too nice for too long and I think he needs to harden himself up again. For me, it’s his body language. Listen to the way he spoke afterwards – he was so sporting.”
Jordan, who managed the Jordan F1 Team between 1991 and 2005, sees Hamilton as a British sporting icon, but has accused the seven-time F1 Champion of becoming a nice guy.
“All of Britain can be so proud of what he’s doing, but nice guys don’t win titles and he’s become a nice guy. He’s the best driver I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen some really top drivers in my time, so for me to say that I’m really putting him on a pedestal.”
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Hamilton’s post-race aura also caught the eye of former Red Bull driver Mark Webber, who said that he is unsure about Hamilton’s motivation to remain in the sport after his defeat to the Dutchman.
“What was interesting though, I remember hearing Roger Federer at the Australian Open one year saying borderline ‘I might see you next year’. There was a little bit… Lewis on the end of his quote said ‘we’ll see about next year’, so who knows where his head is right now,” said the Australian.
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