He is one of the most controversial drivers of the current grid, loved and hated by many. But that is always the case when it comes to famous athletes that are always under media's attention. There are numerous arguments for and against Hamilton's greatness, but having won 3 of the last 10 championship titles he surely has something in his pocket to defend his position as a legend in this sport. Sports Fan Spot will look more closely at his record to decide whether he really if one of the all-time greats.
Track Record
With his 3 titles, 67 poles, 57 wins, and 110 podiums out of 198 races, it is really something to be impressed with. Well, he might have had the best car that basically won every race for the last 3 seasons (2014-2016) in which there were not any major problems for the team. But it is also true that the most successful F1 driver, Michael Schumacher did have a car that was similarly at another level compared to the others for some of his seasons at Ferrari. So did Vettel at Red Bull, again for only some of his seasons.
Considering that he won two of his titles with the best car, it would probably be a good idea to look back on the seasons when he did not have it. And again, prior to Mercedes, he has outscored any of his teammates without Button in the 2011 season. That was particularly impressive during the 2007 season when as a rookie he outscored the defending champion, Alonso, in the same car.
When Hamilton won the 2008 title, he certainly did not have the best car out there with Ferrari winning the constructor championship and Kovalainen, Hamilton's teammate, finishing the season as low as 7th. However, it is important to note here that in this season Massa had retired a total of 3 times with Hamilton only retiring from 1. Also Massa's Singapore race had been damaged by Renault's race fixing for which they were banned from the sport. So it is safe to say that Hamilton had a bit of luck to end up as a champion back then.
Great Cars Can Only be Developed with Great Drivers
As I already mentioned, there some other great drivers who have won many championships thanks to their team having the best car. However, the driver has a major influence on how the car is being developed. They are the ones who actually get to feel the car in real conditions and decide where there are some problems and how they could be fixed. That is why teams always want to have such experienced drivers to help with the car's development. Great drivers can always build a team around them, and that may be the case with Hamilton in Mercedes actually.
He Has Always Been Part of Top Teams
And having said that great teams are made up around great drivers, a striking thought comes to mind: Hamilton has only been employed by two teams, and both of them were always fighting for the championship while he was there. This to some extent proves the extent to which he is trusted in terms of driving and car development. So if teams with such ambitions have decided that he is the man to do the right job for them, then there really must be something special in him.
There might be different opinions about Hamilton. There are always reasons to support or oppose the claim that he is one of the best drivers the sport has seen. But one thing is certain: his titles, wins, poles, and basically every track record would stay in history as it is. And if someone, many years from now, was to look at those statistics, he would surely be impressed by them.
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