Whether you love him or you hate him, there is no denying the fact that Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One.
One thing that is the case across all sports is the fact that the most popular athletes are those who are the most successful. However, that also means in many cases that they are the most hated and envied. Formula One is no exception to that, as four-time champion Lewis Hamilton, 32, is one of the sport’s most popular drivers, but he is also one of the sport’s most hated drivers.
But whether you love him or you hate him, one thing is undeniable: Lewis Hamilton is one of the all-time greatest drivers in Formula One history.
Hamilton just secured his fourth career Formula One championship in last Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix. The 32-year-old has been driving in the sport since the 2007 season and won his first career title in the 2008 season. His fourth career title is his third in the last four seasons.
Now with four career championships to his name, Lewis Hamilton trails only Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio on the all-time titles list. Schumacher won seven career championships, while Fangio won five. Hamilton is tied with Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, who have also won four titles, on the list as well.
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With three of his four championships coming in the last four seasons, Hamilton looks like he may not be slowing down. However, championships aren’t the only reason he is one of the all-time greats. After all, while Juan Manuel Fangio won five career championships, he only actually drove in 51 career races, winning 24 of them, so it’s hard to really make a strong case for him as one of Formula One’s elite drivers.
Hamilton has won 62 races in 206 starts, with both of those numbers continuing to increase at a rapid pace. His 62 victories put him 2nd on the all-time wins list behind only Michael Schumacher, whose 91 wins make him the record holder in the career Formula One victory department by far — but Hamilton is definitely closing the gap.
With nine victories so far this season, one more win will give Hamilton his fourth straight season of double-digit victories. No other driver in Formula One history has even gone back-to-back seasons winning double-digit races, yet Hamilton is one win away from doing it for four straight years dating back to the 2014 season.
Hamilton also has 72 career poles to his name, which is already an all-time record. The previous record of 68 was held by Michael Schumacher, but Hamilton tied and broke that record this season, and he looks like he may be able to continue to make that new record an even higher total given his sheer speed on pretty much every track.
Next: Looking back at Lewis Hamilton's record-setting accomplishment
We know that Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all-time; there is no denying that fact. But where does he and will he rank in relation to other all-time greats such as Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Juan Manuel Fangio? Only time will tell.