Martin Brundle has dismissed a claim that Lewis Hamilton would have won this year’s F1 world championship if he was driving for McLaren over Lando Norris.
That claim, from outspoken Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko, came before Max Verstappen stormed to victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil on Sunday.
Verstappen’s eighth win of the season extended his advantage to 62 points with three races to go and the Dutchman can win his fourth successive title at the next race in Las Vegas if he finishes above Norris.
Yet Sky F1 pundit Brundle refused to agree with Marko that seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton could have won the title this year if he was in Norris’ McLaren.
“I don’t agree with that, it’s a potshot,” Brundle said.
“It’s a classic McLaren vs Red Bull [story], that’s just typical Formula One paddock one-upmanship.
“We see it all the time, I quite like it actually. It’s all part of the sport.
“Lewis is one of the all-time greats… I don’t think I’ve seen anything Lewis is doing this year which would have made enough of a difference to have won the world championship over Max Verstappen and Red Bull.”
Lewis Hamilton won his first race in 31 months in July at the British Grand Prix and also benefited from George Russell’s disqualification in Spa to win the Belgian Grand Prix.
However, after a tough weekend for the 39-year-old in Sao Paulo, he is seventh in the drivers’ championship with three races left before he joins Ferrari in 2025.
Meanwhile, McLaren remain top of the constructors’ championship, while Red Bull languish behind Ferrari in third.
