Ex-Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes Lewis Hamilton is “too old” to compete with reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, who is at the “sweet spot for age”.
Hamilton has enjoyed minimal success since controversially losing the 2021 Drivers’ Championship to Verstappen, with the seven-time World Champion having not claimed a win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The new aerodynamic era of F1 has very much been dominated by Verstappen and Red Bull, who are quite frankly an unstoppable duo.
Verstappen has sensationally won 25 of the 34 completed races in the new era of the sport, whilst Hamilton has been fighting for podiums and top five finishes.
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The Dutchman has finished no lower than second all season so far, whereas Hamilton has stepped foot on the rostrum just three times.
Jordan does think the 38-year-old can still win races if things “fall in place” for him, but that he’s ultimately now “too old to go head-to-head” with Verstappen.
“Yes. I think he will still win Grand Prix but he will need certain things to fall in place with him,” Jordan said on the Formula For Success podcast.
“Max is at the sweet spot for age, experience, belief, knowledge, the people he’s been around with the team and I think in the same car, right at this moment as we speak with the same ages it has to be Max.”
Co-host and ex-F1 driver David Coulthard was quick to defend Hamilton, and insisted that not only does the Mercedes driver still have the ability to fight Verstappen, but that it’d be “Prost-Senna” all over again if they were ever team-mates.
“I still reckon Lewis has got it,” Coulthard said. “If they were in the same team there would be some contact. It would be Prost-Senna.”
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Jordan is insistent though, that Verstappen has the “edge” over the 103-time race winner, who the Irishman thinks is a “busy boy” away from F1, whilst Verstappen is continuing to race in the virtual world when not competing for Red Bull.
“Look, I’ve got to say that Max has got to have the edge. Lewis would appear to be a busy boy off the track with all of his passions,” Jordan said.
“And as we know, Max when he is off track is very much focused on his simulator, e-gaming team and he’s all totally immersed with anything to do with driving.”