Brawn has also Briton George Russell, who stood in at Mercedes for Lewis Hamilton while the seven-times world champion was recovering from COVID-19, for an exceptional performance.

“I always thought he was a good Grand Prix driver,” said the former Mercedes team boss.

“But you never know if he has that last little bit of speed that marks you out as a brilliant driver. George demonstrated that he has got that extra little bit and a star is born. There is now no doubt that he’s F1 world champion material.”