Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan recently showered Lewis Hamilton with praise after he won the 2024 F1 British GP. This was the seven-time world champion's first win after 945 days.
Hamilton showcased decent pace in the British GP practice sessions. He then qualified P2, his best qualifying position in 2024. He and polesitter George Russell began the Grand Prix from the front row. Both Mercedes drivers got off to a strong start, holding off Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris.
Though Russell had to retire from the race due to a car issue, Hamilton went on to win the British GP. The Mercedes driver broke down in tears after the much-needed victory. He was crying as he spoke with his team over the radio during the winning lap. The thousands of Hamilton fans in the Silverstone grandstands erupted in cheers as the seven-time world champion took the chequered flag.
Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan talked about the "euphoric" atmosphere around Silverstone when Lewis Hamilton won the race. He also praised the Mercedes driver for making people happy in the world of motorsport through his excellent racecraft.
"You know, the atmosphere was euphoric, triumphant. It was amazing, Silverstone went absolutely stratospheric! And I put that down to what Lewis has done over the last 16-18 years. He's brought such joy and happiness to people of motor racing interests. I would say it's kind of inspirational," Jordan said. [1:06]
The $600,000,000-worth (according to celebritynetworth.com) former F1 team owner also shared his views on how Hamilton's success story was inspirational to younger British drivers. He mentioned that drivers like Norris, Russell, and even Oliver Bearman could also believe in winning races and succeeding in F1, following Hamilton.
"I believe that Lewis has done more than anybody else in recent years, to bring those drivers [Lando Norris, George Russell, Oliver Bearman] on, to give them the belief that they can succeed, that they can win races," he added. [1:47]
Eddie Jordan praises Mercedes pitstop strategy that helped Lewis Hamilton win British GP
Along with praising Lewis Hamilton for winning the 2024 F1 British GP, Eddie Jordan also applauded Mercedes for their accurate pitstop strategies at Silverstone.
Since the race was plagued with changing weather conditions, the race was down to creative and clever pitstop strategies from the teams. Though both McLaren drivers passed Mercedes drivers in the middle stint of the race, the Silver Arrows used their pit stops well to reclaim the top two spots. In the latter stages of the race, Hamilton managed to beat Lando Norris with the aid of yet another strategic pit stop.
Speaking on Formula For Success, Jordan commended Mercedes' perfectly-timed double-stack pitstop which allowed the team to attack McLaren drivers.
"Mercedes did a great job really, and they are also part of the winners. Stacking like they did, Lewis passing George and then the two of them coming into the pits one after the other losing little or no time, I thought that was epic racing," Jordan said. [2:18]
After the British GP, Hamilton stands in eighth place in the drivers' championship table with 110 points. Meanwhile, Mercedes is in fourth place in the constructors' championship with 221 points.