Martin Brundle exclusive: Lewis Hamilton ‘still right there’ against two rising F1 stars

Martin Brundle praised Lando Norris and George Russell but made a point to mention Lewis Hamilton can still compete with them.

The British Grand Prix was one that delighted the home crowd even if the man on the top step did not come from the country.

Hamilton secured his 195th podium and did so alongside a man at the other end of his F1 career, Norris.

Do not count Lewis Hamilton out yet

McLaren driver Norris is one of two young Brits who are beginning to compete at the highest level alongside Russell, while Alex Albon also has British heritage along with Thai.

Speaking to PlanetF1.com at a reunion of members of his former Tyrrell team, Brundle said Norris and Russell were “good kids” but Hamilton is still up there with them.

“We’ve got a lot of good circuits in the UK,” the Sky pundit said. “A lot of racing and we’ve really got some good kids with Lando and George but Lewis is still right there with them.”

F1 has evolved massively since Brundle first raced for Tyrrell in 1984 and it was put to him whether a driver is quick regardless of the era he races in.

Brundle surmised that the truly excellent have another level to their driving.

“The best drivers always have a bit more capacity to think about everything around them,” he said.

“The best drivers always end up in the best cars.”

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As for Brundle’s path into F1, his route was a little more unusual with him still employed in a garage during his first couple of races in the sport.

“I just started banger racing and hot rod racing and touring cars,” he recalled. “I never imagined I’d be a Formula 1 driver.

“So when I got the call from Tyrrell to test the car in ‘83 that turned my life around.

“I was still working in the garages for the first two or three races. I’d go home from Rio or somewhere and then I would go and sell cars and get ready for the next race.

“It’s laughable, I can’t imagine Lando doing something like that, but that’s how it was back then.”

All eyes will now be on Norris and his McLaren team to see whether the upgraded MCL60 can continue to be a threat at the sharp end of the grid, with the next stop on the F1 2023 calendar, the Hungaroring, offering up more low-speed sections where Norris believes McLaren remain weak.

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