Brundle made the comments last year when Hamilton was rumoured with a move to Ferrari, something which looked unlikely when the seven-time World Champion signed a two-year extension with the side.

However, Thursday evening stunned the world, as it was confirmed that Hamilton will race in red in 2025.

Hamilton is replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari following the 2024 season, which will be his 12th and final campaign with Mercedes.

READ: Felipe Massa told he has ‘personal right’ to take Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title

The 103-time race winner will partner Charles Leclerc for at least two seasons, after agreeing a “multi-year” deal.

It’s been viewed by many as the biggest driver transfer in the history of the sport, with Brundle having commented last year when it was rumoured that he’d “love” to see the British driver try to replicate Michael Schumacher’s success.

“With my Sky F1 cap on and my F1 cap on, I would love to see Lewis in a Ferrari and go there and try and do a Michael Schumacher and win a championship there,” Brundle said last May to Sky Sports. “I think it’d be a wonderful story for next year.”

Whilst Hamilton racing for Ferrari is something most only dreamed of happening, it’s very soon going to be a reality.

However, Ferrari aren’t in a much better situation than Mercedes currently and are also comfortably behind Red Bull.

Whether Hamilton has high hopes for 2025 remains unknown or if he’s actually looking ahead to 2026 when the new power unit regulations are introduced.

READ: FIA to continue speaking to F1 amid Andretti rejection

Regardless, Brundle believes Hamilton can’t simply fix the Italians problems by jumping into the car, as the side itself just aren’t good enough currently.

“You would think so, but I’m a fan of Carlos Sainz as well, they’ve got a very dynamic young partnership there, Brundle said.

“Ferrari’s problem at the moment is not their driver line-up, it’s their car, it’s not fast enough. So that’s where they need to focus. Lewis Hamilton can’t just turn up and sort Ferrari’s issues out single-handedly by pressing the throttle pedal and turning the steering wheel.”

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For the last two seasons, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have been given difficult cars to tame by Mercedes, which have stood no chance in the title fight.

Russell’s win at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix remains as the Silver Arrows’ only victory since the new aerodynamic regulations were introduced last year, whilst Hamilton’s last win came at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Russell and Hamilton have both had the better of each other in their two seasons as team-mates, with Russell having come out on top in 2022.

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This shocked many, as the King’s Lynn-born driver became just the third teammate of Hamilton’s to finish above him in the Drivers’ Championship.

However, Hamilton comfortably had the better of the ex-Williams driver in 2023 and ended the year 59 points and five places ahead of him.

It means they enter 2024 at 1-1, increasing the stakes on being the top driver at the Brackley-based team next year.

Whilst being Mercedes’ number one driver is a target for both presumably, the real goal is to fight for the title.

For this to happen, Mercedes need their new concept to be a success, as Red Bull are likely to make further progress.

Should the Germans have a race-winning car in 2024 then it’ll open up an interesting question: which driver will come out on top?

Brundle was asked this by a fan but failed to give a definitive answer, despite Hamilton being a seven-time World Champion.

READ: Christian Horner admits to losing to Max Verstappen’s mum

The ex-F1 driver noted that it’s difficult to answer as Russell has never had a car capable of winning the title, with it being a huge unknown on how he’d deal with that.

“I think they’re so close, those two if you look at the stats,” Brundle explained during a Sky Sports F1 Q&A session. “But George had a couple of nightmare races this year. That’s a very good question. It depends [on] if Lewis maintains his current motivation, but it’s so close to call.

“Lewis knows how to do that but George has got youth on his side. I don’t know the answer to that, but I definitely wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, Lewis without a doubt, because he’s already a seven-time champion.’ That I would absolutely not say. Until George is in a championship-winning position, we don’t know if he’s got the head to cope with it.”

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Brundle shared that the three-time World Champion was booed by those in attendance at the Yas Marina Circuit when he went to the traditional drivers group photo, which is taken at the end of every campaign.

Verstappen typically has a lot of supporters at the Abu Dhabi GP, has hundreds of Dutch fans have made the trip over recent years.

The poor reception he received does, as mentioned, happen occasionally, with him having been booed and jeered very loudly after winning the United States Grand Prix.

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On that occasion in the latter stages of the recently completed season, the booing came from supporters of Sergio Perez, who’d made the relatively short trip from Mexico to Austin, Texas.

“Max didn’t get everything right, for example when the drivers walked out to the grid for the traditional end of season group photograph there were some boos as he emerged, as we’ve heard at some other tracks too,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column after the season finale.

Whilst it’s a disappointing reception to receive, being booed and jeered just doesn’t seem to bother Verstappen, as proven by the fact that he was victorious at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The 26-year-old won the final round of the year by almost 18 seconds, in what was a perfect way to secure his 19th win of 2023.

He’s been accused of making F1 boring because he’s been so dominant, claims he’s labelled as being effectively rubbish.

Nobody can dismiss the fact that Verstappen has been sensational this year, with him having broken countless records.

READ: Toto Wolff delivers huge Lewis Hamilton boost

Verstappen in 2023 shattered the records for most wins in a season (19), most consecutive wins (10), most points scored (575) and highest percentage of wins in a campaign (86.4 per cent).

The last of those records had been held by Alberto Ascari since 1952, with Verstappen having finally eclipsed it.

He undoubtedly deserves a holiday after the season he’s had; however, he won’t have long given that the 2024 season-opener in Bahrain starts at the end of February.

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Hamilton accused Alonso of brake testing him mid-race, after the Spaniard exited the pits directly ahead of Hamilton following his second and final pit-stop.

The seven-time World Champion was right on Alonso’s gearbox as they approached Turn 5, where the DRS detection line is situated just before.

In an attempt to deny Hamilton DRS and gain it himself, Alonso suddenly pulled to the right of the racing line and suddenly braked, prior to the braking zone for the corner.

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Hamilton was forced to brake as a result, leading to complaints that he was brake tested.

“He just brake tested me. I got brake tested. Like way before the braking zone,” Hamilton said over the radio to race engineer Peter Bonnington.

Hamilton continued to stress to the media after the race that Alonso’s antics were not on.

“We were flat out, 400 metres, 300 metres before the corner,” Hamilton said. “I was doing 180 miles an hour and the guy all of a sudden slowed down massively.”

Alonso’s antics were investigated by the stewards, who looked into whether it was ‘erratic driving’ or not by the Aston Martin driver.

No penalty was ultimately awarded, with Alonso having brushed off the incident after the race.

Alonso went onto finish the race in seventh which secured him fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, whilst Hamilton had to settle for P9.

Had he been slapped with a five-second time penalty, then he would’ve been demoted to ninth, which would’ve secured Charles Leclerc fourth in the standings.

READ: Toto Wolff delivers huge Lewis Hamilton boost

Brundle reviewed Alonso’s incident with Hamilton and acknowledged that the 42-year-old did “heavily brake”, in what was a “sketchy” moment.

“There was a strange incident when Fernando Alonso emerged from the pits and appeared to heavily brake test Lewis, which caught him off guard,” he said in his Sky Sports column.

“Fernando was hoping to let Lewis through the DRS detection point first ready for the long straights, but it all looked rather sketchy, to say the least.”

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It’s no secret that Verstappen’s isn’t afraid to say exactly what he’s thinking, something which has often gone down badly.

Ahead of the recent Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was promoted by the sport themselves, Verstappen was highly critical of the event and how it was “99% show, 1% sporting event”.

His father spoke to him in Sin City to get him to watch what he’s saying, as his comments could have a negative impact on the championship based on the fact he is the reigning World Champion.

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Brundle is actually a fan of the 26-year-old saying his thoughts and believes it’s actually “very refreshing” but perhaps needs to be reined in slightly to protect the “legacy he will leave”.

“[Verstappen] had a very vocal downer on Las Vegas, which didn’t make a whole lot of sense to express in that way, although he warmed up to the event on race day after yet another victory,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column.

“I like that Max speaks his mind and I’ve always found him very refreshing to interview, and also simply to chat to in the paddock. He’s very direct and honest, what you see is what you get, and he clearly doesn’t care all that much what others think.

“I can’t help but feel that a little more diplomacy and balance would be more fitting to the legacy he will leave, and after all, we are all only guardians of this great sport as we pass through.”

Whether it’s because of his personal views or not but Verstappen is often on the receiving end of boos, with the season finale in Abu Dhabi having been no different.

Verstappen was booed by the crowd at the Yas Marina Circuit during a group photograph, which takes place at the end of every season.

The three-time World Champion does seem to have a “villian” status, something Brundle personally doesn’t understand.

“Max didn’t get everything right, for example when the drivers walked out to the grid for the traditional end-of-season group photograph there were some boos as he emerged, as we’ve heard at some other tracks too,” Brundle added.

READ: Alain Prost reacts to ‘negative’ Max Verstappen claim

“Of course, he was feisty and a little wild as a teenager when first racing in F1, but he sorted that out and is mostly a model of calm out on track now, and as fair as anybody else when it comes to hard racing.

“I don’t understand why he’s still seen as the villain, but the fans will make up their own minds.”

Despite the boos at the start of the week, it was still the Dutchman who was victorious in the final race of 2023, taking hit total for the year to 19 victories.

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Brundle was conducting his traditional gridwalk for Sky Sports F1 at the Yas Marina Circuit when he came across Russell towards the end of the segment, where the Mercedes driver dropped the bombshell.

Russell explained to Brundle that he hadn’t spoken to him all season and that all he sees is the “memes on YouTube” of the ex-F1 driver “chatting with everyone”.

“I feel like you’ve not spoken to me all season,” Russell said to Brundle. “I feel left out. I always see the memes on YouTube of you chatting with everyone.”

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It was a comical interaction between the duo, with Brundle having apologised to Russell for leaving him out this season.

Brundle explained to the King’s Lynn-born driver that he thought he didn’t want people talking to him ahead of a race, something Russell denied.

The pundit admitted that he was “really sorry” for not speaking to the Mercedes driver this season, before Russell confirmed that they’ll talk more in 2024.

“Oh, I’m really sorry about that! I thought you were normally like: ‘No, I’m not talking to him’,” Brundle replied apologetically.

“No, no, no. We’ll do more next year,” said Russell.

Russell will probably be hoping that Brundle speaks to him more in 2024 given how well he went onto perform in the season finale, where he managed to secure Mercedes second in the Constructors’ Championship.

Starting from fourth, Russell actually fell to fifth on the opening lap after falling behind Lando Norris, who made a better start.

READ: F1 World Champion flew to races using EasyJet due to budget woes

However, Russell’s race pace was ultimately too strong for Norris and Oscar Piastri, as the 25-year-old progressed into third with ease as the race developed.

He was actually overtaken by Sergio Perez in the closing laps and crossed the finish line in P4, although he was promoted back into third as the Red Bull driver had a five-second time penalty.

With Charles Leclerc having finished second, Russell’s podium was enough to clinch second in the standings for Mercedes, by just three points.

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Being the final race of the year, the grid was full of A-listers, with Brundle having done his best to speak to as many as possible.

Key celebrities that the ex-F1 driver spoke to include Manchester City footballer Kevin de Bruyne, American rapper and songwriter Will.i.am, actor Chris Hemsworth and retired tennis legend Maria Sharapova.

It was Sharapova that Brundle spent the most time talking to, whilst he praised after their conversation how wonderful she is.

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The former Russian tennis player was at the race supporting Lewis Hamilton, someone she’s been friends with for many years.

Sharapova brought her glittering tennis career to a close in 2020, with her having won all four Grand Slam tournaments during her career.

Nowadays, she works for several brands, whilst she also continues to entertain her 4.6 million Instagram followers.

Prior to her retirement from professional tennis, Sharapova was named as the World’s hottest athlete by Maxim (a men’s magazine) in 2006, whilst People magazine named her amongst the 50 most beautiful celebrities in the world in 2005.

Her success has seen her become worth $180 million, according to Forbes, with £30 million of that figure being purely from tennis.

With her being friends with Hamilton, Sharapova would’ve likely been disappointed by the result of the Abu Dhabi GP, as the Mercedes driver could only salvage ninth.

The 38-year-old started the race in 11th and struggled to make any progress, something which wasn’t helped by a broken front-wing.

Hamilton completed the bulk of the race with a broken front-wing after driving into the back of Pierre Gasly, who locked-up ahead of him at the incredibly tight Turn 6.

READ: Famous Lewis Hamilton fan in awkward Max Verstappen interaction

Thankfully for Hamilton, George Russell was on hand to secure the Silver Arrows second in the Constructors’ Championship, after he finished third at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Despite Russell finishing the race in second, he still ended 2023 well behind Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.

Hamilton claimed P3 for 2023, whilst Russell had to settle for a woeful eighth.

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Piastri finished 10th in Sin City and also claimed the fastest lap, after what was a chaotic race for the young Australian driver.

His weekend got off to a rocky start after being eliminated in Q1, where he was joined by teammate Lando Norris.

Piastri and Norris both being dumped out in Q1 marked the first time since Miami earlier this season that neither McLaren driver progressed to Q2.

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The 22-year-old started the race in 18th but he miraculously made up six places on the opening lap alone.

He showed excellent race craft to avoid the first corner chaos, which was caused by Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz spinning.

After Norris crashed out heavily in the opening laps, Piastri settled into the race on the cusp of the top-10, with a points finish looking likely.

However, he soon had a recovering Lewis Hamilton on his tail, after the Mercedes driver tumbled down the order on the first lap.

Hamilton dived up the inside of Piastri with ease, only for the rookie to turn into the seven-time World Champion.

It was an unnecessary incident which impacted both drivers, as both cars picked up a puncture as a result.

Piastri was able to pit seconds after the collision, whilst Hamilton was forced to complete an entire lap with the deflated tyre, as his didn’t go down until he’d passed pit-entry.

The 22-year-old recovered from the collision – which was judged as a racing incident by the stewards – beautifully, as he got himself into fourth.

However, fourth became 10th at the end of the race, as he had to pit in the closing laps to ensure that he used two different compounds.

READ: Lewis Hamilton proves his doubters wrong

P10 arguably didn’t represent how quick he was during the race, with Brundle noting that once his “judgement” improves and he avoids collisions “he’ll be mighty”.

“Oscar Piastri scored fastest lap and had a super-aggressive drive from his lowly grid position,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column.

“He perhaps gets involved in too many skirmishes, this time a racing incident with Hamilton, but when he adds better control and judgement to his speed given more experience, he’ll be mighty.”

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As per usual, the ex-F1 driver turned Sky Sports F1 pundit completed his traditional grid walk, which was filled with A-listers ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Ahead of the first F1 race in Las Vegas since 1982, Brundle spoke to a staggering 13 celebrities, although it would’ve been 14 had Shaq not been interested.

Brundle was clearly hopeful that a quick interview with the 7’11” basketball legend would be possible; however, Shaq had other ideas.

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The ex-F1 driver found Shaq on the grid with Red Bull, as he stopped for a photo with some of the side’s personnel and team principal Christian Horner.

When Brundle approached Shaq, he informed Sky Sports F1 viewers that he had an “extra-long cable” so that the microphone would reach the popular basketball icon.

Unfortunately for the nine-time F1 podium finisher, the 15-time NBA All-Star had no intention of talking to Brundle.

“Shaquille O’Neal, I’ve actually got an extra-long cable put on my microphone tonight in case I got somewhere near him,” Brundle said live on Sky Sports F1, “but yeah, let’s try and do that.”

When it dawned on Brundle that an interview with the NBA legend wouldn’t happen, he commented: “I don’t think he’s up for it. Wasted my long mic cable!”

Brundle attempted an interview one last time as he walked past him, although Shaq completely ignored what the ex-F1 driver was saying and simply stated three words.

“Lewis Hamilton, baby” Shaq said, whilst walking past Brundle, whom put a microphone in his face.

READ: Sergio Perez blames Red Bull

Hilariously, Brundle joked that Shaq’s few words would “cover it”, before he made fun of the fact that his TV career could be “over” following the embarrassing snub.

“Lewis Hamilton, baby. That’ll cover it,” Brundle laughed in response to Shaq’s comment, which was made next to Max Verstappen’s car.

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’ve had a great television career so, honestly, it doesn’t really matter, does it, if it’s over this evening?”

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The interview took place during Brundle’s traditional grid walk for Sky Sports F1, a feature which has become part of F1 folklore since the 1997 British Grand Prix.

You never quite know what to expect with Brundle’s grid walks, mostly because it often depends on who he bumps into.

He’s had some truly odd interviews on the grid over the years with various celebrities, with his chat last Sunday with Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) having been added to the awkward pile by fans.

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Brundle’s conversation with MGK was odd from the get-go, with the ex-F1 driver having been forced to repeat himself several times for most questions due to how loud the engines were.

The interview dragged on with music and F1 having been discussed, before MGK tried to get Brundle to do an air instrument duet with him live on camera.

“Can you give me your best air guitar?” MGK asked Brundle, who had no intention whatsoever of pretending to play an instrument.

The ex-F1 driver then pointed out to the musician that he used to play the piano, to which MGK insisted that Brundle plays an air piano instead.

“Give me your best air piano,” insisted MGK. “Let’s do an air guitar and air piano collaboration right now. Come on! 3, 2, 1. I need keys, I need keys!”

Brundle again had no interest in playing an air instrument and instead wrapped up the bizarre interview.

“I probably need to get on as there are some people I need to see,” Brundle said to MGK, who then walked away and showed a thumbs down to the camera.

“Something tells me I won’t be on his Christmas card list this year,” Brundle comically added.

After the interview, social media became full of posts criticising how strange the interview with MGK was.

Staggeringly, it was revealed during the Grand Prix that the musician had left mid-race, resulting in fans slamming MGK for being “the worst” and showing no interest in the sport.

The musician has since responded to his critics and explained why the “random interview” wasn’t so smooth and how he now hates “being in public”.

“My vibe is ‘the worst’ how?” MGK wrote on X (formerly Twitter) to his 1.5 million followers.

READ: Daniel Ricciardo reveals initial response to ‘frisbeeing’ tyre in opening lap carnage

“Because someone put a microphone in my face essentially forcing me to do a random interview when I was just trying to enjoy an event?

“Because car engines were so loud I couldn’t hear him? please tell me more about why I’m the worst.”

MGK later added: “My anxiety has won. I hate being in public.”

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