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IIt is impossible to compare drivers from different eras of motorsport, they can only be truly judged from their era. But what I can say without hesitation about Lewis Hamilton now that he has secured his seventh world championship is that he is, by a million miles, the best driver of his generation and it can be argued that he will remain the best Formula One driver in the world. weather.
So far the biggest one for me was Juan Manuel Fangio because I was a kid at that time and Fangio won five championships when they killed pilots and he did it with four different manufacturers. That was an exceptional record, no one thought it could be beaten. Then Michael Schumacher came along and took seven and a matchup that seemed unrealistic. Now Lewis not only equals Michael, but is in every position to improve as the most successful driver in F1. There could easily be an eighth and a ninth championship and at this point it’s hard not to imagine because his talent and the engineering expertise Mercedes has demonstrated is mind-boggling.
No one imagined Lewis would go this far, but the attributes that got him to this point have been clear since he was a child. I first heard about him at the Autosport Awards in 1995. It was when, when he was young in karting, he approached McLaren team principal Ron Dennis and said, “I want to drive for you one day.” Here was a boy who had the courage to walk up to Ron, who was a fearsome figure in some ways, and Lewis was only 10 at the time. It made it stand out. Everything that followed has seemed to confirm this ambition and determination. He has combined it with a natural talent that has only sharpened over the years and a desire to win that has become such a powerful and powerful package.
When he started in F1, Lewis undoubtedly had a lot of skill. He had incredible speed and could push him to the limit, all the things a young man entering a higher team needed. He made it impossible to ignore in his first season. I’m a huge fan of Fernando Alonso and he went to McLaren in 2007 as double world champion, but Lewis was immediately phenomenal.
Facing Alonso showed his bravery. If I had a partner of Alonso’s quality and reputation, you would remain in his shadow until you established yourself. Lewis got in the car and drove, he didn’t care. He was determined to do his best and if in the process he was beating his teammate, he didn’t think twice. For Lewis, Alonso was there as the target, the benchmark, and Lewis was willing to beat him.
What’s also very impressive is that he was growing up in public, a daunting task for anyone. After his first title in 2008, it was a time when he had to be in the right team at the right time and in 2012 he began to rebel, to feel the constraints that McLaren imposed on him. Lewis recognized that to fulfill his additional ambitions he needed more space, more freedom, and that was offered to him by Mercedes, whom he joined in 2013.
It was a brave move, but Lewis was becoming his own person. Leaving McLaren was a risk, but ultimately a racing driver has to seek what is best for him. With six titles now for Mercedes, his judgment has proven to be correct.
What he has done since then is extraordinary. He’s been in the dominant car, but even then you have to be able to go out and deliver repeatedly, to win, win, win. When you start to win at the level that he has, you don’t think about anything else, you put yourself at the height of a great prize and you think you’re going to win. You think you are the best. Lewis has shown that he is.
He has also become a very important role model. Motorsports was considered a sport for whites, but Lewis had overcome that and proved that a young man from Stevenage with no motorsports history can do it. However, what Lewis represents is not only important to the black community, it is an illustration to any child that it doesn’t matter what their background or ethnicity is. If you have a dream and confidence in yourself, then you can go out and follow it.
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Perhaps what has pleased me the most is how you have made it look easy. It’s hard to express how good Lewis is because of the control he exhibits. In the car it never seems long. Some drivers who can be seen as soon as they are out of the car are mentally and physically wrecked, but Lewis always seems completely serene.
That is why it is at the top of the sport. A driver can get there and be faster in a single lap, but that’s not what makes you a seven-time world champion. It’s about doing it metronomically and year after year. That’s very, very difficult, but he has done it and Lewis makes it look sublime.
John Watson drove in Formula One since 1973-1985
