Lewis Hamilton is world champion again – and now he’s one of the greats
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Lewis Hamilton became Formula One World Champion for the fourth time on Sunday.
And in doing so the boy from Stevenage joined an incredibly exclusive club.
Before the weekend only four men had won four or more F1 titles. Hamilton now joins Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio.
It’s an elite list, and one Hamilton fully deserves to be a part of.
And with the Mercedes ace still only 32-years-old, he could yet match or beat Fangio’s five titles and Schumacher’s seven before he calls time on a glittering career.
The Englishman is an exceptional talent, one which was evident from his very first Grand Prix back in 2007.
Since making his debut in Australia that year, Hamilton has racked up some incredible statistics.
He sits in second in the all-time list with 62 race wins, and could yet overhaul Schumacher’s record of 91. Hamilton’s race-winning percentage is also greater than the legendary German.
And Lewis has already set new heights when it comes to pole positions.
Schumacher’s tally of 68 had stood for 11 years, until Hamilton took his 69th at the Italian Grand Prix this September.
Regarded as the truest test of speed, Hamilton’s qualifying prowess speaks volumes for his raw ability.
And in 2017, he’s shown expert racecraft to go with it.
It was Vettel who drove into him in Azerbaijan. And it was the German who also hit Hamilton in Mexico.
In terms of race errors, the 32-year-old has been faultless this season and has firmly eradicated his past tendency for on-track incidents.
Having reached new levels of performance this season, Hamilton has dealt with everything his rivals have thrown at him.
The man himself said winning the title this year was far harder than his championships in 2008, 2014 and 2015.
Now a four-time champion and at the peak of his powers, Hamilton appears tougher to beat than ever before.
He’ll head off to the Brazilian Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time as the Evens favourite, while 15/8 says he wins a fifth world championship next season.
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