MOTORSPORT: Scott McLaughlin better than Hamilton!

Bathurst 1000 winner Scott McLaughlin would beat five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton if they raced head-to-head in Formula One.

That’s the incredible praise heaped on the 26-year old Kiwi by his DJR Team Penske Shell V-Power Bathurst co-driver Alex Premat, who was also a team-mate and rival of Hamilton’s when they were both aspiring F1 drivers last decade.

“Honestly, Scotty is top level,” Premat told Auto Action magazine after the pair’s Supercheap 1000 victory on Sunday.

“He is at the same level as [Lewis] Hamilton or maybe even better.

“I am sure if you put Scotty in Formula One, he would beat Lewis Hamilton.”

Premat raced against Hamilton in Formula Renault and Formula 3 and was his team-mate in GP2 in 2006.

Premat was also McLaughlin’s team-mate in his rookie Supercars season in 2013 and has partnered him in the enduro season five of the six seasons since.

Last Sunday, the Frenchman watched on as the McLaughlin and his Ford Mustang held off fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen in his factory Holden Commodore ZB in a final-lap sprint to the chequered flag.

It was the first win for McLaughlin and Premat in the great race, as well as team owner Roger Penske, who also heaped praise on his star driver.

“He’s a guy who knows how to win, knows how to go fast and he has a great commercial savvy, which is so important to us in today’s world,” the billionaire US racing scion stated.

Penske compared McLaughlin – not for the first time – with one of his favourite drivers, four-times Indy 500 winner, Rick Mears.

“He could always dig deeper and get it done for us and I knew that [Scott would dig deep],” Penske said.

McLaughlin and Premat and the rest of the Supercars field race on the Gold Coast next week, where McLaughlin could wrap up his second consecutive driver’s championship.