Sky F1’s Martin Brundle has pushed back against Lewis Hamilton’s claim that he could have easily won last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix had he started closer to the front.
Brundle believes Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell, who dominated proceedings with a flawless performance, had more than enough pace to defend any challenge.
Hamilton nevertheless delivered a stellar performance in Las Vegas, climbing from 10th on the grid to finish second behind Russell, securing Mercedes’ first one-two finish since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.
However, the seven-time World Champion suggested that victory was within his grasp if not for his qualifying errors.
“If I’d done my job yesterday, it would have been a breeze today [winning],” Hamilton confidently said post-race.
Brundle, writing in his Sky F1 post-race column, acknowledged Hamilton’s strong recovery drive but cast doubt on his “breeze” comment.
“Hamilton had looked fast, albeit with a few trips up the escape road here and there,” Brundle noted. “Sadly for him he had two poor laps in final qualifying when the back end stepped out and he would start a lowly 10th.
“He said post-race that had he started at the front he would have breezed the race, which surprised Russell a little. There’s no doubt Russell had more pace if he’d needed it.
Brundle praised Hamilton’s race performance, noting his skillful ability to carve through the field.
“It was a standout drive from Lewis, picking his way through serious contenders up into second place and finishing just seven seconds behind at the flag,” acknowledged the former F1 driver.
“The fans rightly voted him Driver of the Day, and he answered some questions a few have been throwing at him lately about being over the hill.”
Brundle also emphasized that Russell’s impeccable Las Vegas performance demonstrated his readiness to lead Mercedes as Hamilton departs for Ferrari at the end of the season.
“However, it was a standout drive from Lewis, picking his way through serious contenders up into second place and finishing just seven seconds behind at the flag.
“The fans rightly voted him Driver of the Day, and he answered some questions a few have been throwing at him lately about being over the hill.”
“In all the championship noise, you must feel sorry for George Russell, who qualified impressively on pole position and simply dominated the race,” Brundle continued.
“He was so far out front for most of the 50 laps we hardly saw him given the battles raging behind. It was George’s third Grand Prix victory.”
Russell’s assured drive, Brundle suggested, solidifies his credentials as Mercedes’ future leader.
“It was an assured performance from George, who is looking very much the real deal in terms of leading that team into the future.”
Mercedes’ dominance in Las Vegas surprised many, including the team itself. The cooler conditions in Sin City seemed to suit their car – relatively immune to tyre graining, allowing it to outperform its rivals throughout the weekend.
“Mercedes looked very fast from the opening laps of first practice, and indeed they would lead every session throughout the event,” Brundle said.
“Their car simply worked on the cold slick surface, and the team had the good grace to admit they weren’t entirely sure why, which is consistent with the unpredictability of that car this year.”
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