25/10/2017
NEWS STORY
Hardly a week seems to go by these days without Lewis Hamilton breaking one F1 record or another.
Then again, at a time, courtesy of the numerous changes to the points system, Valtteri Bottas heads Ayrton Senna, Sergio Perez edges out Niki Lauda and Mika Hakkinen, and Graham Hill and Emerson Fittipaldi trail Romain Grosjean, are some of the records all they're cracked up to be.
Nonetheless, cruising towards his fourth title, which in itself puts him level with 'arch-rival' Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton clearly deserves his place among the sport's greats.
His boss at Mercedes, Toto Wolff, however, ranks him higher than that, believing that the Briton can yet surpass the achievements of Juan-Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher to become the greatest.
"Lewis is about to break all records that have been set in Formula One," says the Austrian, "and it is just a matter of time before people will say he is on track to being the best driver that has ever existed.
"High performers often polarise because they have strong opinions and they express those," he added. "You don't want to be down the middle and boring, and in today's day and age if you polarise you stand out. Lewis stands out.
"Those sport icons that polarise eventually get the credit, but maybe after their career ends. This is the best Lewis, both on and off the track, that I have worked with since 2013," he insisted, in the wake of a string of convincing drives that have seen the title swing from Vettel's favour into an unassailable lead for the Stevenage Rocket.
Part of the reason for Hamilton's improved form this season, according to Wolff - and the man himself - is the post-season retirement last year of teammate Nico Rosberg.
"In hindsight all things happen for a reason," says Wolff. "There is a certain regret that we could not make it less controversial but it is down to the dynamics between the drivers and the personalities and maybe things we are not aware of.
"It was certainly a factor that they were both on the same level and competing for the world championship, but it was more a factor that there was also too much baggage from the past."