Jordan praises Dennis on signing Hamilton

Jordan has said he is in awe of Dennis's decision to sign a rookie driver - and thinks the move shows that deep down the McLaren boss is a 'pure racer' at heart.

"What's come over Ron Dennis?" said Jordan in his exclusive column in this month's F1 Racing. "Do my eyes and ears deceive me? Is this is the same Ron we all know and love?

"Breaking the code of practice of a lifetime? Signing an F1 rookie as a race driver? If I didn't know Ron better I'd say it was almost Jordan-like."

He added: "Ron has never done anything like it before and, in my opinion, it proves he has the big balls of a racer."

Jordan has followed Hamilton's career closely since first meeting him at the Macau Grand Prix in 2003, and he is looking forward to seeing how the GP2 champion fares next year.

He has no doubts that Dennis will enjoy the challenge that comes from taking on Hamilton rather than a more established star.

"Jordan survived by taking on youngsters and giving them their chance," he said. "It's a gamble, but it's worth it.

"Hamilton will be good for business and, I hope, good for results. Good luck, Lewis, you'll need it in the Piranha Club. But keep attacking and your talent will shine.

"And I applaud you, Ron - you'll enjoy the merry-go-round of racing a rookie. There'll be good races and there'll be atrocious ones.

"But I know what you're thinking: it couldn't be much worse than this year."