Formula One: Greatest of all-time talk surrounds Lewis Hamilton
By Asher Fair
Talk of being the greatest Formula One driver of all-time is set to surround Lewis Hamilton this offseason heading into the 2018 season.
Lewis Hamilton, 32, had already secured his fourth career Formula One championship coming into the 2017 season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In fact, he had already locked up that title before the penultimate race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix.
That fourth career championship shot him up to a 3rd place tie from a 5th place tie on the all-time list. Hamilton is now tied with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel with four career titles, and he trails only Michael Schumacher, who won seven titles, and Juan Manuel Fangio, who won five.
There has been talk, especially as of late during his late-season surge, about Hamilton perhaps being the greatest Formula One driver of all-time. After all, he now trails just two drivers in career championships, and he is just 32 years old. With three titles won since 2014, Hamilton is clearly in his prime, so the all-time record is within his reach.
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Plus, his win total is also within reach of the all-time record, which is held by Michael Schumacher. With 62 career Formula One victories, Hamilton sits 2nd on the all-time list behind Schumacher, who won a whopping 91 races over the course of his career.
With there being almost four whole months off until the 2018 Formula One season starts with the Australian Grand Prix in March, expect that talk to really heat up in the near future, and deservedly so even though his numbers don’t quite stack up to Michael Schumacher’s right now.
While there is not enough evidence to suggest that Hamilton would be the greatest Formula One driver of all-time if he retired at this very moment, his recent history suggests that he will definitely be in the running within the next few seasons if he can continue on the pace he has been on over the last four seasons.
Next: Who is the greatest Formula One driver of all-time?
Is the talk of Lewis Hamilton being the greatest Formula One driver of all-time premature, or is it appropriate to start talking about possibilities given his recent rise up most of the all-time lists? For how much longer will he race in Formula One? Tune into the 2018 season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 25th to see how his 12th career season in the sport begins.