"Martin Brundle Dismisses Claim That Lewis Hamilton Could Win "

“Martin Brundle Dismisses Claim That Lewis Hamilton Could Win 2023 F1 Title with McLaren”

Formula 1 commentator Martin Brundle has voiced disagreement with Helmut Marko’s recent claim that Lewis Hamilton could have won the 2023 championship if he had been driving for McLaren. Instead of taking Marko’s view at face value, Brundle sees it as a case of typical Formula 1 “paddock one-upmanship” and rivalry between teams like McLaren and Red Bull.

Hamilton, who has been racing with Mercedes, has had a challenging season. With just three races left, the British driver has expressed frustration over the difficulties he’s faced with his car, likening the experience to “driving a plank of wood” on some occasions. While eager to put this challenging season behind him, Hamilton still aims to finish strong, but his current position shows how far he’s been from competing for the top spots dominated by Red Bull.

Marko, a senior figure at Red Bull, recently suggested that if Hamilton were in a McLaren this season instead of Lando Norris, he could have outperformed others and achieved his eighth world title. However, Brundle, who has closely observed the sport and Hamilton’s career, feels that this claim overestimates the impact Hamilton would have had in McLaren’s car against Max Verstappen’s performance and Red Bull’s dominance.

In Brundle’s view, while Hamilton remains one of the sport’s greatest drivers, his results this season do not support the idea that he would have made enough difference in a McLaren to unseat Verstappen. He pointed out that Hamilton’s driving this year hasn’t shown anything that would significantly alter the balance of power favoring Red Bull.

Hamilton’s recent experience at the Brazilian Grand Prix added to a season of frustration. His struggles over the weekend reflected ongoing performance issues that have plagued him and Mercedes throughout the year, emphasizing the challenges in competing with Red Bull’s superior package.

Mercedes has also responded to speculation about Hamilton’s future, with some rumors suggesting he might leave before his contract ends. However, both Hamilton and Mercedes have maintained that they remain committed to each other. Hamilton, who is looking ahead to a well-deserved break after the season, will be eager to see whether changes in the team’s car development next season might provide the competitive edge he has been missing.

In the highly competitive world of Formula 1, it’s common to hear comments like Marko’s, Brundle noted, as teams and drivers position themselves and speculate on hypothetical scenarios. But Brundle believes that Red Bull’s lead this season, driven by Verstappen’s consistent form and the team’s engineering superiority, would have been hard to overcome regardless of which driver was in a McLaren.

Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, is still widely respected for his talent and contribution to the sport. Yet, as this season draws to a close, the reality is that Red Bull has set a new benchmark that both Mercedes and other teams are striving to reach. Whether Hamilton could challenge Verstappen directly with different equipment remains speculative at best.