Many feel that it is only a matter of time before Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton will surpass Michael Schumacher’s records for the most F1 wins and titles. This has encouraged some to suggest that Lewis Hamilton is in contention for the moniker of greatest driver ever. Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart does not agree with this notion and during the ‘In the Fast Lane’ podcast, he has now explained why Link to poll:
0:00 - Difficult To Justify Lewis As The Greatest
2:33 - Fast Feed
I'm your host Dillon Shelley and first up on Formula World:
Difficult To Justify Lewis As The Greatest
Stewart began by revealing his picks for the greatest drivers ever
“Juan Manuel Fangio is in my mind the greatest driver that ever lived, with Jim Clark as the second greatest, even ahead of [Ayrton] Senna”
He then compared the drivers from the past to the current drivers
“Those people sometimes only ran maybe six, eight or nine races a year in the Formula 1. They drove sports cars, GTs, etc., but in the world championships now, Lewis Hamilton, or any of the other top contenders today are doing 22 races or 21 races but only in F1. It is not the same playground”
He reiterated that he is not looking down on Lewis’ accomplishments but added how Mercedes’ dominance has played a big role in his success
"Lewis drives extremely well, make no mistake. I am in no way diminishing his skills. Lewis made a very good decision when he left McLaren at that time and went to Mercedes-Benz. Hats off to him for making that decision but frankly, the car and engine are now so superior that it is almost unfair on the rest of the field”
“It’s not quite the same as being able to do it in a less than the best car and that's where there sometimes was a difference between the very, very great drivers and the ones that were very successful”
“It is difficult to say that about Lewis, not being as good as say Fangio was in my mind and a lot of people will find fault in that, but I have been watching motor racing since I was a little boy. I saw some of the best racing drivers in the world”
He then compared Lewis to Michael Schumacher and reiterated why it would be difficult to justify Lewis as the greatest against all these drivers
“Schumacher made Ferrari buy the best engineers, the best designers, the best aerodynamicist. He really was a giant in thinking apart from his driving. To say that Lewis is the greatest driver of all time would be difficult for me to justify [against] the sheer power of what the other drivers were doing”
He signed off by pointing out the one thing that was different in his era which makes gauging the greatness of a current driver difficult
“During my time, everybody had a Ford Cosworth except Ferrari. There was a level playing field that simply doesn't exist today. So, it is difficult to identify who really are the very very best racing drivers just behind the steering wheel”
Fast Feed
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl accepts that “the integration of the Mercedes power unit is like an open-heart surgery but” he’s “confident it will work”
Future Renault driver Fernando Alonso “would like to say yes” to the possibility of a third world title but he knows “the limitations, especially in 2021”
He also feels that “in 2022” “nobody knows for sure what is going to happen and” he doesn't want to set the “goal” of a third world title “on this return to F1“
Former Bridgestone tire expert Kees van de Grint feels that “Red Bull Racing has a problem, because they have nowhere else to go but Renault”
Honda F1 managing director Masashi Yamamoto has stated that their “aim is now to exit the sport without making big [negative] changes in the sport”
He also added that “next year” they “we will try to fight for the championship and have a good ending to” their “story”
He also confirmed that they “will not reduce any people from” the F1 “project” and that they “are going to develop more”
He further reiterated that they “will make the biggest effort in order to win as much as possible” and that they “will just keep pushing till the end”
He also affirmed that they are ready “to support AlphaTauri and Red Bull for their program after 2021 in any way” and that they’re “happy to cooperate”
Williams’ stand-in team principal Simon Roberts has admitted the he “really” enjoys “it and hopefully” he “can continue to do it for longer, but” confirmed that they “haven’t even discussed it” yet
Pirelli boss Mario Isola has pointed out that “probably the biggest factor will be the weather, with low temperatures and rain quite likely at this time of year” at the Nurburgring
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz is “sure the last race” with McLaren “will be emotional and the goodbye will be different from the last time” he “said goodbye to a team”
If Lewis Hamilton takes the records for most F1 wins and titles will he be the greatest driver of all time?
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