Lewis Hamilton – The Greatest of All Time or Right Place Right Time?

Sporting analytics have become a major factor in all of the sports, with its ability to be the great equalizer in comparing past heroes with present talent. Within Formula One, one man who is quickly breaking all statistical milestones before him is a 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Spanning over a 14-year career, Hamilton ranks within the elite in most categories including pole positions (1^st), wins (2^nd), and championships (1^st); finishing only behind F1 legends such as Michael Schumacher and Jack Villeneuve. So, if one was just to look at the numbers, there is no doubt that Lewis Hamilton is one of the (if not the) most dominating Formula One drivers of all time. However, if you probe a little deeper, Hamilton has never been one to battle it out at the back of the pack with the likes of Toro Rosso or Williams; scrambling for points as the runts of the field. Instead, even as a rookie, Hamilton has consistently been on the front row, competing with the best drivers the planet has to offer with often the best car on the grid.

 In 2006, a year before Hamilton’s arrival into F1, Renault was the team to beat with a seemingly unbeatable blend of an unmatched car and a very quick driver in Fernando Alonso. Unsurprisingly this brought them both the constructors and drivers world title in consecutive seasons, beating out big-name rivals such as Ferrari and McLaren. However, in 2007, McLaren became the team to beat and recruited the now two-time world champion Alonso, who looked set to compete for a 3^rd world title. Hamilton was brought in as the number two driver and here is where the real argument begins. Unlike most other drivers, Hamilton was placed straight into one of the most competitive cars on the grid, alongside a current world champion whom he could use as a mentor. This sort of luxury is extremely rare and in modern-day F1 is simply unheard of. Instead, rookie drivers are expected to earn their stripes at the back of the pack; picking up small amounts of points with the hope of gaining the respect and attention of the top teams. This was not the case for Hamilton, as in his first season for McLaren, he picked up a record-breaking 4 wins in his rookie year and finished 2^nd in the driver’s world championship; narrowly missing out to Kimi Räikkönen of Ferrari by a mere point. This winning trend spilled over into the 2008 season and saw Hamilton bring home his first and only world championship with McLaren; famously securing the title with a dramatic 5^th place finish in Brazil. 

 

The next 4 years of Hamilton’s career would mark his darkest days in Formula One; still competing for front row positions but missing out to a supreme Brawn team in 2009 and the utter domination of Red Bull from 2010-2013. Within these seasons, Hamilton was still competing at the front of the pack, with his lowest world championship finish being 5^th and winning 11 races with 14 pole positions. To most F1 drivers, these years would mark a rather stellar career in which both success and consistency can be found. However, with McLaren's performance dwindling, Hamilton needed to make a move elsewhere in order to stay in contention. This is a very common move in Formula One, as the most powerful cars often attract the talents of the quickest drivers; often resulting in a blossom of driver world champions and constructor’s world titles. In 2013, Hamilton made a then shocking move to Mercedes, who put him at the front of the grid once again; only to finish second by a huge margin to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. However, from 2014 onwards Hamilton would go on to win a further 5 world titles in 6 years with Mercedes; his closest competitor being his team-mate in either Nico Rosberg or Valtteri Bottas. 

There is no question that Lewis Hamilton is one of the most talented drivers in the field today; a point that is backed up by multiple world championships and a list of shattered records. Nevertheless, the way in which he has achieved these goals does not fit the rags to riches back story that most people associate with Hamilton’s journey to an F1 seat. Instead, he has been spoon-fed top of the line cars in which drivers such as Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, or Charles Leclerc would accomplish exactly the same feat. 

 

In conclusion, to call an athlete the greatest of all time in their respected sport is always going to cause some controversy. It can depend on a multitude of different scenarios from a person’s place in time to how the sport has changed. Formula One is one of the most difficult sports in which this conversation can take place due to the amount the sport has changed since its birth and the development of the technology within the cars themselves. With this in mind, Lewis Hamilton will go down in history as the most statistically impressive driver of all time but will never be regarded as the greatest. Every great sporting icon has achieved greatness through showcasing their talent with whatever tools they had to hand. Ayrton Senna started with Benneton. Lebron James started with Cleveland. Cristiano Ronaldo started with Sporting SP. The journey to greatness is a mountain and Lewis Hamilton took the lift.