Eddie Jordan tells Ferrari to RIP UP Lewis Hamilton’s £40m-a-year contract before it even begins, as he pinpoints comment before his last race with Mercedes which shows he is ‘f***ed’

Eddie Jordan has urged Ferrari to rip up Lewis Hamilton’s contract ahead of the Formula One season finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

The 39-year-old veteran, who officially joins the Scuderia on a £40million per year contract after Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, will wave farewell to Mercedes after a fruitful nine-year stint with the Silver Arrows.

Despite winning six of his seven world titles at Mercedes, Hamilton’s farewell tour from the F1 team has been somewhat spiky during the final races of the season – and it dropped to new lows in Qatar last weekend as he hit out at the pace of his car.

After the Qatar sprint race, Hamilton said: ‘The positive is that the car is fast and George should be able to shoot for pole tomorrow. Who knows? I’m definitely not fast anymore.

‘I’m just slow, same every weekend. Car felt relatively decent, no issues, and not really much more to say.’

When the reporter asked to clarify whether this was a ‘you’ thing, the Mercedes driver simply smiled and added: ‘Who knows? I’m definitely not fast anymore.’

Upon hearing Hamilton’s comments last weekend, F1 legend Jordan has urged Ferrari to back out of the contract, fearing that the British driver is ‘f***ed’ because he lacks ‘belief’.

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, the 76-year-old businessman said: ‘If you don’t believe 100 per cent, you’re f***ed. Do you understand that?

‘Because belief, 99.9 per cent, means that there is that tiny, little, little thing in there knocking on your head that gives you the things that maybe, “Oh, I don’t really have that confidence. I don’t really have the ability”.

‘And at the moment what I heard from Lewis, I’m not fast enough anymore – they were the words, I think – honestly, if I was Ferrari, I would say close the book, find the way out. That’s it.’

Jordan also fired a warning to Hamilton as he prepares to complete his farewell tour in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

He added: ‘I think also, if it’s a little message to you, Lewis, if you’re out there, always remember in life. You’ve got your music, you’ve got your fashion, you’ve got all sorts of other things. 

‘You are, in most people’s view, the greatest driver of all time. Please remember what I’m going to say to you. Always, always think about the best exit. And this is the time to take the money off the table. Go.’

Also reflecting on Hamilton’s remarks, former Formula One driver David Coulthard said: ‘He’s as low as he can be right now. But I would say that’s pretty worrying. It doesn’t detract from his brilliance, it doesn’t take away anything from the records, but there is a thing called mother nature and the clock is ticking.’

Hamilton, who famously missed out on a record eighth world title in Abu Dhabi four years ago, has since struggled to mount a challenge against perennial champion Max Verstappen, with Mercedes falling significantly off the pace.

It has been another season to forget for the Silver Arrows with McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all above them in the constructor standings, while it’s an even grimmer reading in the drivers championship with George Russell in sixth and Hamilton down in seventh.

Despite the relative lack of pace, Hamilton did triumph to win both the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and Belgian Grand Prix back in July.

He will hope to claim more race wins as part of the Scuderia, who will be searching for their first world title since 2008 with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in the cockpits. 

More to follow.