Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes can win title - Sir Jackie Stewart
Last updated on .From the section Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have a car which is capable of challenging for race wins and the world championship, according to Sir Jackie Stewart.
Mercedes have started the season strongly, with Hamilton finishing fifth and third in the first two races.
Stewart told BBC Sport: "Yes, they can win races. Lewis will drive the living daylights out of whatever car he's got.
"They can challenge for the title, but they will need to keep up with Red Bull and Ferrari in terms of development."
Kimi Raikkonen won the opening race of the season in Australia, with world champion Sebastian Vettel controversially winning in Malaysia.
Hamilton is currently fourth in the world driver's standings on 25 points, a point behind Red Bull's Mark Webber. Vettel leads on 40 points, with Raikkonen second on 31.
The three-time world champion added: "If the Red Bull is as good as it can be, that's your main opposition, while Ferrari are already more competitive at the start of the season than they were last year.
"The Lotus is very competitive, too, and McLaren will fight back, but [Mercedes team principal] Ross Brawn is an extraordinarily talented man. Mercedes exist to win and they have the resources to do so."
2008 world champion Hamilton joined Mercedes this year after spending six seasons with McLaren, who supported his racing career from the age of 13.
Mercedes, along with their drivers Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, played down hopes for this season despite the car impressing in testing.
But the Silver Arrows were quick in Australia and the second best team in Malaysia, as Hamilton finished third and Rosberg fourth behind the Red Bulls to show that the team had made a step forward.
The next race, which is live on the BBC, is in China on 12-14 April.
Stewart added: "If Mercedes had let Rosberg pass Hamilton in Malaysia, could he have caught the Red Bulls? It's not impossible."
Hamilton has outscored team-mate Rosberg in the first two races, although the German was instructed to hold position in Malaysia, and Stewart believes it is the newcomer who is currently in the strongest position within the team.
Stewart said: "There's no question that Lewis holds the upper hand because he's had more success - he's had more race wins and a championship. He's also started the season well. Nico has won a race [in China last season], but he has yet to follow that up.
"Mercedes have got themselves a very expensive driver and they'll want him to do well.
"They've got the people who Lewis feels will be good for the team. [Technical director] Paddy Lowe is coming from McLaren and I'm sure part of the reason is because Lewis is there.
"Nico is a skilled and talented driver and he may well be better on his tyres but he would have learned his lesson in Malaysia that you can't leave it until the last minute to try and take the initiative. It'll be interesting to see how he responds."
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Amusing how arrogant Hamilton fans are, they went on and on and on and on about...
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The only person going "on and on and on" about anything is you. We get it; you don't like him.
Also, you seem to be tarring all Hamilton fans with the same brush. Every group of fans has their bad apples - even Button fans.
nudge nudge.
The first team to be able to do that should give up F1 and make their money at every supermarket on the planet !
Why does every discussion end up here?
JB is not even mentioned once in this article!
I watched Senna when he was alive (i.e. "live") and he set the benchmark for all who followed. The man was a joy to watch. Alonso is too, so is Hamilton. If detractors like you can't see why these guys are different from the others on the grid race after race, clearly you're missing the point entirely. Compounded by you thinking Senna was "creepy" it seems you're a complete idiot.
I'd ask that you refrain from posting these offensive and libellous lies about me...
Your point on JB. He was 42 points behind 1st place after KOR with only 50 to play for. He finished the season 42 points off 1st place. Now, the JB "fans" on here put great stock in him "walloping" LH by 43 points in 2011. So, JB was, on the same basis, never in contention for the WDC in 2010.
LH is the ONLY McL WDC in the last 13 years and won his WDC in 08 without the best car. He was a point away as a rookie in 07, in contention in 10 and did more than enough to win in 2012. JB has had 3 of those same McL cars and was beaten in them twice by LH and has never been in contention for a WDC at McL. Come the end of 2013, that will be 0 WDCs in 4 years for JB.
Agreed. It is said that a "great" driver can perform well even in a bad-to-average car, then what does that make Blunder Button based on his 2012 season!? Afterall, the McL was often the quickest car on the track...and BB dragged into an average finishing position of 7th! He can't even be relied on to deliver in a quick car.
@FIS, You'll be banned long before I ever will...
"The simple reason there is always so much interest in Lewis, is because he is the best racer of his day."
No, the simple reason is that he is British and we live in Britain, in other countries there is more interest in their own sportspeople. Some people fail to realise this and think the world revolves around our state of affairs.
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I would have thought you would be happy now Button gets to be No 1 at Macca!
"Jackie Stewart is and always has been one of the shrewdest judges of F1."
His speciality was his driving, beyond that the man is just another parrot - one of hundreds around.
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"its not lies if you wrote it in post 301."
AGAIN, I didn't write in 301 what you claimed I did. Hence you lied. Hence your posts with your lies in have been removed. Alles klar?