written by Larry Cornwell
Does Lewis have to win 8 Formula One World Championships to be considered the greatest driver of all time? Before answering that question, we first need to address the silver Elephant in the room. Many distractors will quickly minimize Hamilton’s achievements by giving a majority of the credit to his cars. But by doing this, you would also have to discredit several other Formula One World Champions.
Formula One History is filled with dominant teams which produced seemingly unbeatable cars. These cars dominated the competition and rewrote Formula One history. McLaren and Honda constructed a car that put Ayrton Senna, and Alain Prost ahead of the field every race weekend. They were so dominant, that McLaren Honda almost completed a perfect season, winning 15 out of 16 races in 1988. This is something that even the mighty Mercedes AMG team has yet to achieve. The McLaren Honda MP4/4 is still considered the most dominant car in Formula One history.
Scuderia Ferrari and Michael Schumacher had a tight Rear-Naked-Choke hold on all of Formula One from 2000 through 2004. They also came close to a perfect season winning 15 of 17 races in 2002. This dominance produced 5 consecutive championships for Michael Schumacher, earning him a total of 7. And Red Bull Racing, along with Renault, produced a string of impressive wins between 2010 and 2013. This produced 4 consecutive championships for Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, and Renault during this time.
The stance that the “all-conquering” Mercedes AMG cars are the primary reason for Lewis’ Championship title run lacks depth. It also devalues the driving talents of Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Sebastian Vettel.
The most talented athletes with access to the best equipment, coaching, and management are not guaranteed success. Sporting history is filled with “Sure Win” teams which ultimately disappointed. The “Sure Bet” 2015/2016 Golden State Warriors failed to win the NBA title that season. A perfect 16 and 0 New England Patriots team featuring the Greatest Quarterback of All Time, did not guarantee them a Super Bowl victory. And the strong 1982 Brazilian Soccer team not only failed to win the World Cup but failed to reach the finals.
Do you truly think that Alex Yoong or Pastor Maldonado could win multiple Driver Championships in any of Lews’ Mercedes AMG’s? Umm, yeah, I didn’t think so.
Lewis entered the “League” with much fanfare as the next great “Hot-Shoe” in 2007. All of this attention was much deserved considering his success in the Junior categories. This was no different than the expectations placed on other drivers such as Max Verstappen, and currently Mick Schumacher.
Like Lewis, Max has not disappointed since his entry with the Scuderia Toro Rosso team in 2014. During this time, Max has had a revolving door of teammates. Verstappen’s dominance, along with the impressive Red Bull apparatus shook the confidence of these drivers from the start. It made for a pressure-rich environment that demanded immediate excellence from his teammates.
Max has 4 pole positions, 43 podiums, and 10 wins at the time this article was posted. Verstappen has also been in contention for the title with this season looking to be his best opportunity. Frankly put, most Formula One drivers simply would not survive being his teammate.
In considering how difficult that is, think back to Lewis’ rookie Formula One season. Hamilton was paired with one of the most talented, and tenacious drivers in Formula One history, Fernando Alonso.
Fernando is viewed as one of the best drivers to have competed in Formula One and is still considered with the same regard many seasons later. Unlike drivers who have faced Max Verstappen as a teammate, Lewis faced Fernando who had achieved far more. In 2007, Fernando was the reigning two-time Formula One champion! Now that is a pressure-rich environment, one in which Lewis came out on top. If it was not for a rookie mistake in China, Lewis would have won the title that year. I repeat, Lewis Hamilton could have won the Formula One world championship in his rookie season!
Lewis was also paired with another reigning Formula One World Champion in Jenson Button in 2010. Brawn Mercedes won both the constructors and drivers’ championships in 2009 with a car that was dominant in its own right. Although the case, Lewis had 4 poles, 5 podiums and won 2 races against the dominant Brawn Mercedes team.
Lewis continued to win even against the hard-charging Red Bull team between 2010 and 2013 in an inferior car. Lewis took pole positions, made podiums, and won races against the dominant Red Bull team in each of these four seasons. He also did not finish a season lower than 4th in the driver standings during this time of Red Bull’s dominance.
Back to the original question. Does Lewis need 8 to be great? No, he does not, because he already is great!
Tom Brady did not have to win a 7th Super Bowl title, because he was already the GOAT. Brady’s distractors minimized his achievements over the years as well. They said that his 6 Super Bowl victories were because he played for one of the best Football operations in all of the NFL, the New England Patriots. They also gave much credit for Brady’s success to genius Head Coach Bill Belichick, and the system he created. And they also point to a weak AFC East Division as another factor in Tom’s favor.
Brady’s 7th Super Bowl win in his 1st season with the Tampa Buccaneers, featuring a new Head Coach, and new teammates quelled most distractors. This latest Super Bowl victory clearly separated him from everyone else.
An 8th Formula Drivers Champion too will clearly separate Lewis from all others. Think what you will about Lewis, but like Tom Brady, at some point, one has to give Hamilton his props, properly. And if you can’t now, or if Lewis wins his 8th title, be honest, admit it’s personal, and say you just don’t like him. Otherwise, you are just “talking out the side of your neck”.
