Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn claims if Lewis Hamilton matches Michael Schumacher's record of seven titles, it "won't be because of luck".
The Briton goes into the 2020 season just one behind the great German and based on pre-season testing, his Mercedes team again look likely to set the pace in Australia.
However, the dominance of the Brackley-based outfit has often led some to downplay Hamilton's achievement versus Schumacher because he was simply in the right place at the right time.
"It's a bit frustrating for me because it's a record Michael holds, but if he [Hamilton] continues like this, he will deserve the seventh title,” Brawn, who engineered all of Schumacher's titles told German newspaper Bild.
“If he wins it won't be because of luck, but because he's a fantastic driver.”
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Naturally, with their records being so similar, there is also a lot of debate as to whether Hamilton or Schumacher is the better driver, perhaps even extending to the status of F1's G.O.A.T., but Brawn doesn't think there can be a clear answer.
"We're talking about completely different periods, cars and they have completely different personalities,” he added.
“Lewis has an incredible level of professionalism and he works hard, but Michael had an understanding of the details of his car that Lewis no longer needs these days.”
