Hamilton has endured a frosty relation with his team after two difficult
seasons in Formula 1. Since winning the championship in his second full
season in 2008 he has finished no higher than fourth in the past three
years, with his 2011 campaign littered with high-profile crashes, a series
of race incidents with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and run-ins with officials.
Jordan also speculated about the financial implications for McLaren in trying
to re-sign Hamilton, indicating that the team would not be able to match the
£15 million contract they gave Hamilton prior to the global financial
crisis.
Nevertheless, Jordan’s comments have been dismissed out of hand by both McLaren
and Hamilton’s management company, Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment.
“We have been told by Lewis Hamilton’s management team the story is untrue,” a
McLaren spokesman said, with an XIX spokesman indicating that negotiations
towards a new deal at McLaren are on track.
“We are in advanced discussions with McLaren about a new deal. More
importantly, at the moment, Lewis is focused on Monza and competing strongly
for the championship.”