
A debate which has long rumbled, but has been raised once again, is whether Hamilton is the greatest ever Formula 1 driver after he was confirmed 2017 World Champion last Sunday.
Hamilton has some of the best statistics in Formula 1: he has the most pole positions of all-time, as well as most front row starts. Only Michael Schumacher has more race wins, and the same driver (Schumacher) only can boast more podium finishes (than Hamilton). Hamilton boasts a better win rate (wins to races ratio) than both Schumacher (albeit it is slightly misleading as Schumacher made a comeback in 2010 and didn't win any races in 3 years) and Ayrton Senna (admittedly Juan Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark have better win rates than Hamilton, but there used to be fewer races in a season back then and their rates are just ridiculous), which in my opinion demonstrates how good he is at controlling races (particularly when in the lead), even if he has been in a dominant (as well as ultra-reliable) car the last 4 years. Here are three aspects that I will be highlighting that define the greats.
Wet-weather racing One aspect which Hamilton boasts which sets many of the greats such as Schumacher and Senna apart (someone like Max Verstappen in this regard has definitely shown a potential future great, think back Brazil 2016) is his wet-weather driving skills. Hamilton's driving in the wet is just supreme and he is incredibly fast (in the wet we are talking of course (some stand-outs include Great Britain 2008, Brazil 2016, and him in qualifying in Monza this year (qualifying is different from a race, but it is still notable) which is something few manage. Regarding wet-weather driving, you could definitely make a case that Hamilton is the best of all-time, if not very close with Senna and Schumacher. (I have to admit that I was not lucky enough to see Senna or Schumacher driving at their peak, and Senna's wet-weather drives were awesome at times (think back (for older viewers) Monaco 1984 and Europe 1993) and Schumacher was also a great driver in the wet (think back to Spain 1996). Racecraft Another aspect the great drivers possess is racecraft. In the past, Hamilton used to make a lot of mistakes especially in wheel-to-wheel battles and often caused accidental collisions. However, he has now polished his racecraft and his wheel-to-wheel racing is possibly the best on the grid, and his battle with Alonso last time out demonstrated this. If you compare Hamilton to the other greats, he definitely is up there with Ayrton Senna (and Max Verstappen is another one who stands out for the future, some of the moves he makes are spectacular) as one of the most decisive wheel-to-wheel racers, as well as the aggression, though you could argue that Senna was slightly hot-headed. Schumacher was an extremely aggressive driver, particularly in combat, and was rather dirty and even unsporting at times (think Australia 1994 when he collided deliberately with rival Damon Hill for the World Championship). You would definitely have to argue that Hamilton is one of the best wheel-to-wheel racers and his racecraft surely stands out now as one of the best, to me what separates him (Hamilton) from Senna and Schumacher is that the latter both went for win at all costs, and this meant they made extremely controversial and sometimes dirty moves, whereas Hamilton is a fair driver on track and that for me makes him the best racer of all-time. (I will admit that I was not lucky enough to see any footage of Juan Manuel Fangio who is said to be one of the greatest ever Formula 1 drivers). Single-lap pace Another aspect that many greats possess is single-lap pace. Just looking at statistics alone, you'd say that Hamilton is the best. However, a deeper analysis is required. It's worth noting that Hamilton has the most pole positions of all-time, which is an impressive feat in itself undoubtedly, though his pole position rate (poles to no. of races ratio) is inferior to that of Senna but superior to Schumacher's. You cannot deny that Hamilton's single-lap pace is outstanding, and his commitment on a lap is impressive to see (think Belgium 2017), whilst he also has that outstanding ability to pull out a lap from nowhere (think Malaysia 2017, as well as Monza this year). What you also see with Hamilton is his smoothness on the steering wheel. However, you would have to say that the driver with the best single-lap pace is Senna, with Hamilton right up there. Conclusion You would argue that Hamilton is right up there amongst the greats of the sport. In my opinion, Senna maybe just edges him as the best, but I see Hamilton as a better driver than Schumacher and this year was the most complete I saw Hamilton.