Ricciardo fighting for F1 title if he drove for Mercedes - Brawn

Ross Brawn is in no doubt Daniel Ricciardo would be fighting for the Formula 1 title alongside Lewis Hamilton this season if he was driving for Mercedes.

Ricciardo has emerged as one of this season's star performers that has culminated in the Australian securing two podium finishes in his last three races for the first time since 2017.

Further credit must be awarded to Ricciardo given he is giving his all for Renault despite deciding before the season had started to part ways with the team at the end of the campaign and sign for McLaren.

In the wake of his third place in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Ricciardo earned plaudits from F1's managing director motorsports Brawn, who feels he would be giving six-time F1 champion Hamilton a hard time if in the W11.

"Daniel Ricciardo is a brilliant driver, and one of the very best in Formula 1," wrote Brawn in his regular post-race column.

"His drive to another podium was very impressive. If he had a Mercedes, there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind he would be taking race wins and pole positions and challenging for the world championship.

"He’s doing a fantastic job right now and Renault will be sad to lose him, even if Fernando Alonso is the man who’ll be stepping in.

"I hope McLaren can give Daniel a car he deserves next season. He’s a great member of the F1 fraternity."

Hamilton's latest victory, his ninth of the season and 93rd of his F1 career, helped Mercedes secure its seventh consecutive constructors' championship and break the record previously held by Ferrari from 1999-2004 when Brawn was technical director with the Scuderia.

Laying claim to a small degree of credit as Mercedes was born from the takeover of Brawn GP at the end of 2009, Brawn added: "Mercedes are going through a stunning period since 2014 and on Sunday, they took away a record which I was personally involved in during my time at Ferrari. When you achieve those things, you know that one day it may be broken.

"The fact it has been broken by a group of people I know well, worked closely with and count as friends makes it more special. The core of the organisation is still the group that came through the Brawn GP phoenix.

"They deserve everything they have achieved. Congratulations to Toto for being such a great leader, their drivers for delivering and Mercedes for having the vision.

"Their challenge now is to maintain that consistency with the financial, sporting and technical changes that will be implemented over the next couple of years. These are not small changes and undoubtedly they have the potential to change the competitive landscape."

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