Ricciardo tries to remain diplomatic in assessment of Hamilton's performance

Lewis Hamilton is one of the best drivers in modern F1 history and perhaps even the very best. However, he also owes much of his success to a dominant car and, according to Daniel Ricciardo, perhaps a weak teammate.

Ricciardo doubts qualities of Valtteri Bottas

In an interview with Square Mile, the Australian is asked to what extent Lewis Hamilton owes his records to his own qualities or the supremacy of Mercedes. Ricciardo, aware that he can come across as unkind, answers as honestly as possible.

"To answer it diplomatically, I think Lewis isn’t the only one that could win races in that car. That’s obviously my opinion and I think that George Russell, in a way, showed the possibility of that by pretty much beating Valtteri [Bottas] in his first race. So you could argue that just maybe Lewis doesn’t have the strongest competition.”

McLaren team-mate Lando Norris had a similar remark last season when Hamilton scored his 92nd GP victory in Portugal, breaking Michael Schumacher's record. The young Lando was criticised - especially on social media - for this. He was even accused of racism by a 'famous' actress and so he later apologised for his statements.