Jordan: Hamilton must be ruthless
Former team boss Eddie Jordan says Lewis Hamilton must be prepared to ruthlessly retaliate in the event of a repeat of his Fuji collision with Felipe Massa
Hamilton only needs a top five finish in Brazil to clinch the championship, so must not take unnecessary risks.
But Jordan says he must be ready to fight dirty if necessary.
"People may not like me for saying this, but if Massa tries to take him out as he did in Japan in order to steal the title then Lewis has to be ready for it," Jordan told the Daily Express newspaper.
"If he tries that on then Lewis has to turn his wheel into Massa to ensure he does not finish the race either - he has to take his wheel off."
Jordan believes that Hamilton will have no trouble clinching the title if he can maintain the serene form he showed when dominating Shanghai last week, but warned that he can't afford another erratic performance like the one he delivered in Japan.
"What happens next in the championship depends on whether Lewis has learnt from his last two races," he said.
"He was brilliant in China when he drove flawlessly to victory but awful, just awful in Japan. If the Hamilton of China turns up in Brazil, he will be world champion.
"I don't think he needs to go for broke but that is what he is inclined to do.
"He needs to be careful. He knows that right now the world is against him - the other drivers are against him and the stewards are against him. Yet I think what happened to him after his win at Spa was ghastly and his penalty in the Japanese Grand Prix was harsh too. That's what he has to contend with."
Hamilton also needs better support from his McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen, according to Jordan.
"I do believe Ron Dennis and his McLaren team need to get more out of Heikki Kovalainen because his input to the cause has been minimal," Jordan said.
"They have to aim to get Kovalainen on the first two rows of the grid in Brazil. That would dramatically improve McLaren's chances.
"Kovalainen always seems fuelled-up with a very heavy car and that makes him slow at the start, makes the car more difficult to control and is harder on the tyres. They should look to have him qualify fast and lighter from the start of the race. If he could get into the Ferraris it would really help Lewis."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Hamilton accepts blame for incident with Albon in F1 Brazilian GP
Ferrari drivers called to F1 stewards over Brazilian GP collision
Will Alonso's Indy failure end the age of versatility?
Wolff should get out of Mercedes while at the top of F1, says Jordan
Racing Point F1 team hires ex-Michael Jordan marketing chief
The true story of how Schumacher escaped Jordan
The F1 podium-finisher that gave Jordan stability in a year of chaos
The forgotten F1 comeback that began Jordan’s odyssey
Jordan: Hamilton should join Red Bull in F1
Norris: McLaren can win races in F1 2024 if it gets everything right
Leclerc: Sainz simply doing a better job in recent F1 races
Alonso: Stroll more sensitive to Aston F1 car handling issues I drive around
Magazine: The potential shocks to come in F1's 2025 driver market
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
The secrets of F1 turbocharging explained
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments