When Ex-F1 Team Boss Wanted Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to Swap Places for ‘Deal in Heaven’

Lewis Hamilton partnering up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari has quite possibly proven to be the biggest driver move in F1 history. But just a couple of years ago, Eddie Jordan had proposed an alternative. One that would in all certainty, have had a similar effect.

Instead of Hamilton sharing the garage with Leclerc in Maranello, Jordan called for the Monegasque to head to Mercedes.

But why would the former F1 team owner want Leclerc—who for long had been the golden boy at Ferrari—gone? After all, Leclerc had been a Ferrari fan since forever and was widely regarded as the driver who would bring Championship glory back to the squad.

Jordan had a simple answer.

“Charles Leclerc is very much a Mercedes type of driver,” the Irishman said in an interview from two years ago. Plus, he was keen on witnessing a battle between Leclerc and George Russell. “To see Leclerc and George Russell fight it out would be great. That could be a deal in heaven.” 

Charles Leclerc about lewis hamilton
“the most successful driver in f1 history”
” the best he can’t wait to learn from”
mad respect between the two wishing them the best ❤️pic.twitter.com/pVW2MDJrVk

— (@versacerrari) June 21, 2024

Only a part of what Jordan wanted turned out to be true two years later when Hamilton joined Ferrari. Leclerc stayed put, kickstarting a potentially formidable partnership with the seven-time World Champion.

This has become a pairing that neither he nor most, would have fathomed before it actually materialized. But Jordan did state that Hamilton would taste more success had he moved to Ferrari. So, why is he so against the move now?

Jordan explains why Ferrari signing Hamilton is “suicidal“

It’s fair to say that Jordan did not want Hamilton and Leclerc at Ferrari together. That’s because of the relationship Leclerc had developed with Carlos Sainz.

Sainz joined in 2021 and formed a strong bond with a driver already established as the Scuderia’s number one. Together, they drove the team’s progress forward, and Sainz has left Ferrari (for Williams) on the cusp of becoming a Championship-winning outfit.

Jordan believes shooting that dynamic in the head will affect the harmony in the team.

Explaining his ‘For F*ck Sake’ (FFS) moment on the Formula for Success podcast last year, Jordan said, “My FFS is, I say to John Elkann, who’s the chairman of that group, what the f*ck was he thinking about in getting rid of Carlos when he had a very happy, friendly, structured team that knew how to work together. The drivers [Sainz and Charles Leclerc] got on well together“.

Jordan doesn’t doubt that Hamilton is a “nice person” who will do anything to help Ferrari achieve greatness. But he believes “it was suicidal to get rid of Carlos” as far as the team was concerned.