Yeah...I know. He was proven wrong about the British demanding an "unnecessary" "additional" cockpit heater. He was proven wrong about the requirement for nose armour for the gearbox. He was proven wrong about the "useless" 30cals (which the USAAF didn't remove from many operational fighters in a combat zone). He was proven wrong about BoB fighters being hardly able to reach 30,000ft. He was proven wrong on his statement that Britain unnecessarily increased the weight of the P-400 to weasel out of the contract (Britain accepted the type despite a specially prepared airframe still failing to reach the minimum performance figures).
He refused to accept defeat on any of those topics so it's entirely unsurprising that he lacks the grace to admit he was wrong about the Spitfire's incredible (unprecedented) growth during it's lifetime.
Bear in mind that the Spit Mk 24 could reach 30,000 ft in about 8 mins despite that increase in weight compared to the earlier marks.