Lewis Hamiton and Jenson Button will struggle during the 2011 season, that’s the view of Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone.
The F1 supremo cast doubt over the English duo’s pace, not because of their own skill, which he highly regards, but the disappointing MP4-26 which hasn’t been competitive during pre-season testing.
“Lewis and Jenson are going to have a bit of a struggle this year I think,” he told the BBC, “but having said that, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and any of the other top guys will have a problem.
“It won’t be easy, I don’t think anyone is going to walk away with it. A lot of these things depend on the car.
“I have no doubt in my mind that both Jenson and Lewis will perform very, very well, if the car is capable of doing that. As drivers they are both capable of winning the championship and they have done in the past.”
Despite their experience, he didn’t name the duo as likely winners, instead opting to choose current champion Sebastian Vettel, team-mate Mark Webber and Ferrari favourite Fernando Alonso.
“Looking at it now you would have to say one of the Red Bull guys will be champion or Alonso but as I said, it won’t be easy,” he added. “You’ve got three guys there who could maybe do it. You never know about our English drivers but there’s a big question mark over them.”
