‘He’s d*cked around’ – Eddie Jordan issues brutally honest verdict on Lando Norris

While Lando Norris “beyond any doubt” has the raw speed to compete at the front, former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan explained there was “nothing in me” that saw he could take on a drive of Max Verstappen’s magnitude in Brazil.

Norris had started on pole on Sunday, but it was Verstappen who rose from 17th on the grid to win the race, overtaking a significant portion of the field while cementing his high on-track position with a well-timed red flag, while Norris eventually crossed the line sixth.

Lando Norris ‘has the speed’ but ‘hasn’t got there’ yet – Eddie Jordan

Norris lost the lead off the line to George Russell from pole position at the weekend, the sixth time out of seven he has not converted the P1 grid slot to the opening lap lead this season.

While the wet conditions always lead to more of an unknown for the drivers, Verstappen has been lauded for his rise through the field to claim his first victory since June’s Spanish Grand Prix – putting a huge dent in Norris’ title hopes in the process.

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard was discussing his belief of Norris being “the real deal” and how he will set himself up for future title challenges, but former eponymous team owner Jordan interjected and explained that, while the raw speed is there “beyond any doubt”, Norris needs to take lessons from this title race if he is to go up against the likes of Verstappen in future.

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“Lando hasn’t quite got there yet,” Jordan said.

“He hasn’t got there on the start, he hasn’t got there on the pole position run to the corner.

“He has the speed, beyond any doubt. He’s got the speed. But there’s nothing in me that tells me that I’ve seen in Lando, something that I saw what Max could do on Sunday. Nothing. I’m sorry, it’s just not there.

“So Lando has to look at himself long and hard this winter into the mirror and say to himself: ‘If I’m going to be a great World Champion, I have a lot to learn here, and I need to start replaying those videos about what it really is like to be hard, tough and victorious.’ And I’m sorry, at this moment in time, he hasn’t got it.”

Coulthard replied at that point: “My God, Eddie, you are a hard, hard man,” to which Jordan retorted: “It’s a fact. He hasn’t translated those into race wins.

“He d*cked around on the podium. He’s d*cked around on the start line. Honestly, how many races should he have won this year?”

Coulthard responded: “Well, a few more probably than he has, and that probably would make a difference.

“Of course, because he hasn’t converted the starts and he wasn’t a maestro in the rain in Brazil. I think, for me, I think Lando has it. I think Lando will deliver it.”

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