Last week, Lewis Hamilton joined up with Sir Stirling Moss in Monza. There they took the Mercedes cars from Moss’ era, 60 years ago, around the famous banking. Afterwards, Moss was interviewed about Hamilton. He was clearly impressed by Hamilton’s talent, as he went on to say that “Lewis would be one of the guys who would love to have raced back in the days, because he definitely is a very fast driver,” and “I’m sure (Hamilton) would have been at the top whatever year.” He did add, though, that he didn’t think Hamilton could be considered one of the great F1 drivers yet. In this article, we will look at how is greatness in a racing driver is measured, and ask is Lewis Hamilton one of the greats.
How is a driver defined as one of the greats? It an argument that fans of the sport have been debating for many years. I think what is safe to say is, to be considered one of the greats, comes down to the number of titles that have been won. A good driver will win one title, and special driver will win two titles, while if you win three or more, then you must be considered one of the greats of the sport. Only nine drivers have ever won three or more titles, and all of them, with the exception of one, is considered one of the greats of the sport. The exception to the rule is Sebastian Vettel. A certain portion of fans don’t value him in same way as they do Senna, Prost, and all the other great drivers. It seems insane that a driver, who has won four titles, a feat only achieved by three other drivers, is not considered one of the greats. There is probably one significant reason for this. He is still an active racing driver. Even though Michael Schumacher was lauded over, it wasn’t until he retired, in 2006, that people really realised his contribution to the sport. It will be the same for Vettel, as it won’t be until he hangs up his gloves and helmet, that his value to the sport will be properly calculated, and only then can he considered one of the greats.
What about those drivers who haven’t won three or more titles? I think it tougher for a driver to have only win two titles, and be considered one of the greats. It is a grey area, and really comes done to public opinion, and how a driver’s legacy is viewed. Fernando Alonso is considered the greatest driver of this generation by many critics. However, he hasn’t won a title since 2006, so why does he have this title put upon him. In F1, to win the title, it not just about the driver, but the ability of the car too. Alonso hasn’t had the fastest car since 2007. It is his ability to get the best out of the machine he has in front of him that has adhered him to many supporters of the sport. Seen in 2010 and 2012, he narrowly lost the title, with having a significant performance deficit in the car to his rivals. Like Vettel, he still an active racing driver, and his true worth won’t be properly judged until he leaves the sport. Mika Hakkinen won two championships, and he doesn’t seem to be mentioned as a great. I think this is fair, as he achieved his titles in a short space of time, in 1998 and 1999, and in arguably the fastest car. He did it however under the challenge of Schumacher and Ferrari, so it should be not discounted how impressive and special those title wins were.
Jim Clark is the best example of a driver who can be considered a great, without winning three titles. How is that? As Moss said in the same interview, when comparing Hamilton and the Scotsman, “what Clark did to get to the same stage is different .” What does Moss mean by that? First of all, you have to look at Clark’s statistics. In just 72 races, he won 25 of them, with 33 pole positions. He also has the highest percentage of laps lead in a season, and has the record of the most grand slams. A grand slam is pole position, the win, the fastest lap, and leading every lap in same race. Not only were his statistics impressive, but so was his driving. He was known to be able to win in any conditions in any car. This was highlighted in his success at Indy 500, where he stands as the only driver to win both that race and the F1 title in the same year. Even though he only has the two titles to his name, he was extremely unfortunate not to have doubled that, and is considered by many as the greatest driver ever.
Can Hamilton be considered a great yet? As I pointed out earlier, since he is an active driver, then it is tougher to judge his value to the sport until he retires. So lets take the scenario he retires today. At two titles won, it comes down to personal opinion. Many may point to his stats of 36 wins and 42 pole positions, and make the argument that he is already there. As impressive as they may be, he has achieved 14 of those wins were achieved in a short space of time. They came from the beginning of the 2014 season, and given the nature of how dominant the Mercedes is, then a resemblance to Hakkinen emerges. In the years following his first title win, Hamilton has displayed moments of utter brilliance, but never until last year did it really come together for him into a consistent charge. Hamilton will need to win a third title to be truly considered a great.
What has impressed though is the development of Hamilton. When he arrived on the scene as a rookie in 2007 for McLaren, he immediately impressed everyone with his raw speed and fearless overtaking. With his maverick attitude to racing, and his many scrapes with other drivers in the following years, many questioned if he could add to his sole title in 2008. He seemed a driver who wore his heart on his sleeve too much, and where it made his racing exciting, it also seem to be hurting his legacy in the sport. He was just seen as a really fast driver, who could pull off some decent overtakes, but with not much else to offer. With F1 going into the era of efficiently, and needing to be able to manage the tyres and fuel, many doubted that Hamilton would be able to adapt. But adapt he has. With his move to Mercedes in 2013, Hamilton was finally able to add to his raw talent. In a season where he faced many trials and tribulations, which in the past would have put him in a bad mood, and result in possibly a race incident, Hamilton was able to rise above it and put in some mesmerising drives. One example was his drive in Hungary from last on the grid to finish on the podium, ahead of his team-mate.
If his title win, and the manner of it was impressive, then this year has been even more so. He has raised his level even higher, and his wins in China highlighted the new Hamilton. In that race, he was able to go at effectively a very controlled pace, and only needed to push when necessary. Many called it boring. Even though it was dull to watch, it was also equally as impressive. Hamilton had done what Fangio used to do, and win at the slowest speed possible. Gone are the niggling doubts that Hamilton can only win one way, with raw speed, and he is now showing that he can win in various circumstances, kind of like Clark used to do.
With a 20 point lead, and 14 races still to go, there is still a very long way in this championship. If Hamilton was to go on and win it, then he would be rightly considered one of the greats. In fact, people would then start to question if he could be on the way to be one of the greatest ever.
