Lewis Hamilton has made history by equalising the record number of world titles of the legendary Michael Schumacher.
Motorsports fans are now debating whether he is the greatest driver in Formula 1 history after he crossed the finish line at the Istanbul Park ring and won his seventh F1 World Championship title.
In the 2020 season, Hamilton has not only won his fourth title in a row but has also become the driver with the most wins (92), most pole positions (97) and most career points. But do these numbers qualify him to be named the greatest of all time?
Lewis Hamilton celebrating a victory. (Image credit: Creative Commons)
Many of the Formula 1 pundits believe that the style of Lewis Hamilton’s driving is something that no one has ever seen before.
Oubay Zakkar, editor at AutosportME, said: “We are lucky to be witnessing the era of Lewis Hamilton.”
Hamilton’s ability to take risks on the ring is unique in Zakkar’s opinion. “Even in the last race in Turkey, he shows how much of quality he has and his ability to take the right decision is unmatchable.”
He also added: “ People would say the car he is driving is the reason behind his success, but other drivers in his team have driven the same car he drives over the last decade and yet he still proved he is the main man behind the success it has achieved.”
But some, on the other hand, believe it was not only Hamilton’s talent and the technology of the Mercedes car that led to these record-breaking numbers. It is also the weaker competition that they are facing.
Firas El Echi, a sports journalist at France24, believes that the decline many Formula 1 superpowers have faced over the last year has paved the way to Hamilton’s domination.
“Ferrari is no longer the Ferrari we used to know, Mclaren are past their prime and didn’t move on after parting ways with Mercedes, and Redbull struggled to find someone that could win them titles like Sebastian Vettel did. Mercedes and Hamilton is a great partnership that no one could match now,” El Echi said.
El Echi, though, believes Hamilton is one of the greatest of all time without naming one driver as the best.
“It is really tough to choose between the likes of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. Comparing champions of different eras is something that is really tricky in sports in general.” he added.
The debate will always be open between the lovers of speed on who is the greatest of all time. However, at 35 years old, Hamilton has already earned his pole position in Formula One as the icon of this era.
An eighth title in the world championship is not far away from his reach.
With the same drive and energy he shows on the ring it could only be a matter of time before he becomes the undisputed champion of Formula 1 history.