The F1 Report: ‘Lewis Hamilton would’ve won 2017 title in a Ferrari’
Written by News on 13/12/2017
Lewis Hamilton would have won the F1 drivers’ world championship in 2017 even if he was driving a Ferrari rather than a Mercedes.
That is just one of the bold verdicts made in an enthralling and explosive edition of the F1 Report during an end-of-year Journalists Special which will be first broadcast at 8.30pm on Sky Sports F1 on Wednesday night.
Jonathan McEvoy, Will Buxton and Chris Medland join Natalie Pinkham for the must-watch edition to reflect on the year – with conversation inevitably turning to the Hamilton v Sebastian Vettel fight which defined the season.
And as he reflected on the title fight, Daily Mail F1 correspondent McEvoy concluded: "I think Lewis would have won if he was in a Mercedes or a Ferrari."
While Vettel’s supporters will no doubt challenge that assertion by pointing to the spate of car failures which cost the German so heavily after the summer break, McEvoy countered: "Reliability issues aren’t just from the sky.
"Were there reliability issues because they felt under the gun? Would they have felt it if Lewis was leading and in Baku roles were reversed?
"I think he found a slight vulnerability at Ferrari."
More specifically, both Medland and Buxton believe Hamilton exposed a weakness of Vettel as the pair went head-to-head for the first time for the drivers’ crown.
"When the heat was on, Lewis was much calmer, much cooler. But Seb lost his cool and it was costly," argued Medland.
"Sebastian does have these excesses which need calming and controlling. The frustration became anger and the mistakes crept in," concurred Buxton.
But this week’s show didn’t always reach unanimity with an assessment of Liberty Media’s first full year in charge of the sport provoking a particularly fierce debate.
Here’s a flavour…
Sky Sports F1’s Christmas treats
F1 Report: Journalists Special
First broadcast: Wednesday December 13 at 8.30pm
Repeats: Saturday December 16 at 10.45pm; Sunday December 17 at 11.45pm; Friday December 22 at 5.25pm; Wednesday December 27 at 10pm.
(c) Sky News 2017: The F1 Report: ‘Lewis Hamilton would’ve won 2017 title in a Ferrari’
