Pedro de la Rosa has joined Max Mosley in playing down the significance of Lewis Hamilton’s rookie performance in 2007.
The Spaniard, who is the primary test and reserve driver at McLaren, praised Hamilton’s widely lauded run to second place this season but observed that the 22-year-old “had the best tools” at his disposal to do so.
FIA president Mosley on Wednesday said there has recently been “a tendency to exaggerate” Hamilton’s impact on formula one, adding that “there is always somebody new” to motivate sporting hype.
De la Rosa, meanwhile, told Spain’s Radio Marca that while Hamilton “is a great driver”, he thinks he also “could have done just as well” with the Mercedes-powered MP4-22.
The 36-year-old also said he doesn’t know “anything about the future” of his countryman Fernando Alonso at the Woking team.
