Who is the greatest Formula One driver of all time? It’s a question that has divided fans for decades. Is it the legendary Michael Schumacher, with his incredible tally of seven world titles? Is it the late Ayrton Senna, arguably the most naturally-gifted driver of all time? Or is it the “godfather” of Formula One, Juan Manuel Fangio, whose record of five world titles stood firm for an extraordinary 47 years?
Well, love him or hate him, Lewis Hamilton now has to be considered in that argument. He may well divide opinion amongst the F1 fanbase, but any driver that accumulates six world titles throughout his career has to be in the discussion for greatest of all time. Let’s not forget either that, not only is he only the second driver to achieve such a feat, but at the age of 34 still has plenty of time to surpass Schumacher’s records of 91 wins and seven world championships. Much of this of course depends on the pecking order after the extensive rules refresh for the 2021 season but, given Mercedes’ success at the last two major rule changes in 2014 and 2017, very few would bet against the Silver Arrows making another fast start under the new regulations. Hamilton has also recently claimed that he wants to be something of a “pioneer” of the new regulations, so it would seem he has no intention of hanging up his helmet any time soon.
His extravagent lifestyle and social media activity may not endear him to everyone, but there is no denying his enthusiasm for those things that he is most passionate about. And that includes his determination to consistently improve himself, both on and off-track. Arguably driving better than at any time since he entered F1 as a fresh-faced 22-year-old more than twelve years ago, there is no sign of the Briton slowing down, literally nor figuratively. It’s quite conceivable that not only could he equal Schumacher’s record, but he could go on to win eight, nine, or even ten world championships. Time is most definitely on his side.
Some would argue that winning more world championships than any other driver is not the only barometer for measuring success, and perhaps they are right. Win percentage, total career points, pole positions, podium finishes and grand slams are also factors that could contribute to measuring a driver’s “greatness”, but Hamilton is in the top three in all of those categories too, and in the top two in all but one of them. His knack for pulling spectacular qualifying laps out of the bag to steal pole position has been something that he has been known for throughout his entire Formula One career, but his recent demonstrations of race and tyre management are proof that he is continually expanding his arsenal in his quest for perfection.
Most would agree that Hamilton is the most gifted driver of his generation. The statistics certainly back that up, and you only have to look at how rarely he has actually been beaten in wheel-to-wheel combat on-track as evidence of how hard a racer he is. Think back to that infamous battle with Nico Rosberg in the Bahrain Grand Prix of 2014 for proof of that. Further back still to his GP2 days for evidence of his overtaking prowess – the pair of overtakes at the Maggots/Becketts complex at Silverstone particularly stand out, as does his comeback drive from 18th at Istanbul Park to finish second. Also remember that only twice has Hamilton been beaten by his team-mate over the course of an entire season – by Jenson Button in 2011, and Nico Rosberg in his own championship-winning season of 2016 – the latter of which could have been a very different story if it wasn’t for that heartbreaking, albeit spectacular, engine failure in Malaysia.
This post is not and was never intended to be a fanboy tribute to the most successful British racing driver of all time, but simply to lay out evidence. The argument over who is the greatest of all time is one that can never and will never be settled. But no matter what your opinion of him, no one can deny that Lewis Hamilton is right up there with the best ever to grace our sport. And his story is not finished yet…
RaceRamblings 