World Champion!

[Paul Jeffrey]

Lewis Hamilton joins in the illustrious company of Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel as a 4 times + World Champion in Mexico.

Thanks to a somewhat fraught ninth place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon AMG Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wrapped up his third World Championship in four years, joining German Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel and retired great Alain Prost as a four times World Champion, only one and three title victories behind Formula One greats Fangio and Schumacher respectively.

Hamilton would make life hard for himself in Mexico after a scruffy race that started with contact and a delaminated tyre on the opening lap, however the 32-year-old Englishman would eventually do enough to secure the championship after main rival Vettel failed to secure a finish high enough to take the title battle on to the final rounds of what has been an often intense season.

Having now becoming the Drivers World Champion for the fourth time, Hamilton has cemented himself in the history books as one of the most successful Grand Prix drivers of all time, easily surpassing the British record for race victories, Pole Positions and fastest laps and is well on the way to becoming the most successful driver of his generation.

Admittedly Ferrari have done a good job of throwing the title away this year through mistakes and reliability, however take nothing away from Hamilton, the Englishman has been on superb form as he looked to bounce back from his bitter defeat at the hands of teammate Rosberg in 2016.

With 4 championships to his name, is it now time to acknowledge Hamilton as one of the all-time greatest drivers in Formula One history?


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Do you think Hamilton has done enough to deserve being spoken about in the same breath as Fangio / Prost / Senna / Schumacher? Has the title gone to the most deserving person in 2017? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Monstro]

"Do you think Hamilton has done enough to deserve being spoken about in the same breath as Fangio / Prost / Senna / Schumacher?"

No, sir, and by far.

Forza Ferrari.

 

[DND]

Congrats to LH the record says it all, I guess. Schumacher and Vettel had their fair share of superior equipment on their string of championships and if until such time the governing bodies decide these rules are as ridiculous as they appear to some, and the 'show' must go on with more gimmicks and Taylor Swift or New Direction as a side show, I suspect next season will be decided early on as well. I have no rooting interest in any particular driver or team, each GP I just hope it has some decent racing.

 

[LeSunTzu]

This year Hamilton was driving like Senna on Saturdays and like Prost on Sundays. He is among the greatest for sure.

 

[Tobiman]

If we are being honest, Ferrari has had more consistent performance from track to track and were on route to win this if not for the incidents during and shortly after Singapore.

 

[Kjell Eilertsen]

Yes, there's no doubt in my mind that he is among the greatest drivers of all time and deserves a place among those ranks.
Tbh have we ever before had a grid with this many truly great drivers?
Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen, Alonso, Ricciardo and historically Raikkonen, though his performance of late has been lackluster sadly. Then there's exciting talent like Hulkenberg, Sainz, Ocon, Hulkenberg and to some extent Perez.
It's a high profile grid for sure!
Now let's hope for more parity between teams/engine performance and we could be in for some cracking years of racing.

 

[LeSunTzu]

Tbh have we ever before had a grid with this many truly great drivers?

1984?

 

[danracer2000]

i would prefer all the pilots with the same cars and engines...and then we will see if hamilton and sebas could be so fast hahahha. yeah they have earn world championships but the dont deserve to be between the REAL ones! just a humble opinion.

 

[CC]

i would prefer all the pilots with the same cars and engines...and then we will see if hamilton and sebas could be so fast hahahha. yeah they have earn world championships but the dont deserve to be between the REAL ones! just a humble opinion.

Like he did in GP2 when he won the championship ?
or when he was in karts and dominated ?
how much more proof do you need this guy is the best admit it

 

[Erik Springelkamp]

Like he did in GP2 when he won the championship ?
or when he was in karts and dominated ?
how much more proof do you need this guy is the best admit it

That is just a prerequisite to become a driver in any top team.
With that standard there is a new best every year.

 

[ronniej]

Congrats young lad!.. Now I've noticed that you took the time to make sure you had your country's flag and favorite shades all ready for the photo-op, yet we can only assume you've had one too many visits to the big apple as I see you've selected an American flag cap.

 

[Carlo Meller]

well done Lewis!!
what a great season,simply perfect since spa.

 

[BlindDeadMacSlow]

Vettel yesterday:

 

[Scottt]

i would prefer all the pilots with the same cars and engines...and then we will see if hamilton and sebas could be so fast hahahha. yeah they have earn world championships but the dont deserve to be between the REAL ones! just a humble opinion.

The machines today are far more similar than they were in years past. Engineers continue to get closer and closer to the perfect car that the rules allow, resulting in greater similarity.

 

[apex11]

Like he did in GP2 when he won the championship ?
or when he was in karts and dominated ?
how much more proof do you need this guy is the best admit it

So surely that must make Nico and Bottas up there also then? Bottas has beat Lewis this year.

Like he did in GP2 when he won the championship ?
or when he was in karts and dominated ?
how much more proof do you need this guy is the best admit it

Fair enough, but would you agree that had Alonso been in the Merc agaisnt Nico and Bottas he'd of been at least on 4 WDC now and bust loads of records.... and if Lewis had been in the McLaren he'd not even have won a race in 4 odd seasons...
F1 like most motorsport is mainly about the car.
I don't think wining a WDC in a car that should be wining the WDC is much special, now what Merc engineers and designers have done..now that is special...

 

[CobraCat]

Congrats young lad!.. Now I've noticed that you took the time to make sure you had your country's flag and favorite shades all ready for the photo-op, yet we can only assume you've had one too many visits to the big apple as I see you've selected an American flag cap.

Its a Mercedes hat he is wearing ! Good try tho, keep drinking that haterade son !

 

[Steve Worrell]

Lewis is the best I have ever seen. He is easily on par with Senna.

I'm guessing people will hate on this comment but I don't mind. He's a racer first like Senna, a clinical operator like Prost, a ruthless winner like Schumacher.

They do not come much better than Lewis.

 

[Rob Every]

I think we might look back on this era with not a huge amount of nostalgia.

F1 right now leaves me cold, and I cannot warm to Lewis that much, I could initially as he was a breath of fresh air, but for some reason I find him a bit false and stage managed. I understand why and that it is necessary in this era, he is learning how to play the crowd and say the right things.

I simply think when drivers are in dominant cars I don't rate them as much, sorry to say that, but I simply do not, no basis for that assumption really. So Schuey, Vettel, Lewis's last few don't mean as much to me as Villeneuve or Rosberg winning one. Silly really but cant help my feeling.

 

[Steve Worrell]

If we are being honest, Ferrari has had more consistent performance from track to track and were on route to win this if not for the incidents during and shortly after Singapore.

If we're being honest them Lewis should have won last season but for an engine failure. Just applying your logic there. See how ridiculous it sounds?

 

[Tobiman]

If we're being honest them Lewis should have won last season but for an engine failure. Just applying your logic there. See how ridiculous it sounds?

I wasn't trying to state what would have been. I was just highlighting how Ferrari/Vettel were really on track to winning this year but threw it away. This season wasn't a push over for the mercs like it was in 2014-2016.