'Hamilton would have been champion in the Ferrari'

Formula One correspondent Jonathan McEvoy has claimed to Sky Sports that Lewis Hamilton was so ahead of the competition this year that he would have won the 2017 championship even if he was in a Ferrari rather than his current Mercedes.

Mercedes and Ferrari were the only two real candidates to claim the constructors championship as the campaign unfolded, with third-placed Red Bull starting strongly but suffering from reliability issues in the second half of the season.

Since Hamilton's title win, he is now level with Vettel on four championships. The duo are viewed by many in the sport as being of relatively equal talent on the circuit, but McEvoy thinks that his compatriot would have won the title in a Ferrari as the team wouldn't have allowed reliability issues to impact the team as much with him behind the wheel.

He said: "I think Ferrari should be strong every year; they have a bigger budget than anyone else, the story of Ferrari is one of underdelivery.

"They made strides this year but why can't they get near to the line every single season? They should be stronger than they are. I think they lack a bit of non-latin direction within the team which has shown itself to be susceptible over the years.

"I'm not sure I agree that Ferrari was stronger than the Mercedes, it was finely balanced, but I think Lewis would have won had he been in the Mercedes or the Ferrari."

This view was shared on the show by colleagues Chris Medland and Will Buxton, who think Hamilton had a better mentality than Vettel throughout the season.

"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," Buxton agreed.