Lewis Hamilton is bidding to win a file eighth title within the 2025 season – however Jacques Villeneuve has insisted it’s not doable to think about the British star or any driver as the best within the sport as a result of “you may’t examine eras”
Lewis Hamilton has been warned he can by no means be thought-about the GOAT of System One as a result of it is too troublesome to match modern-day vehicles to the earlier era, based on former champion Jacques Villeneuve.
Hamilton is taken into account one of many best F1 drivers of all time after equalling Michael Schumacher’s file of seven world title wins with each McLaren and Mercedes.
The 40-year-old, who now drives for Ferrari after ending his 12-year spell with Mercedes, is bidding to interrupt the file within the 2025 season whereas sporting pink colors.
However Villeneuve, who gained the F1 world title win Williams in 1997, believes no driver can go down as the best driver ever as a result of there’s “an excessive amount of evolution” of vehicles and races all through historical past, stating that the numbers are “skewered”.
“There’s by no means the best of all time,” he informed Motion Community. “There’s an excessive amount of evolution with the vehicles, it is too totally different.
“If you happen to take somebody like Jackie Stewart, he is spectacular as a result of he gained three championships within the day the place he had two, three or 5 drivers would die a yr or get actually damage and with vehicles that will break down in half of the races.
“But he nonetheless managed to win lots. Identical factor with Fittipaldi and so forth. In a approach three championships then might be extra spectacular than 5 – 6 now.
“Additionally, while you get a superior automobile now, you find yourself successful nearly 24 races as an alternative of 15 as a result of there’s 10 extra races within the calendar than there was once. So, the numbers are skewered as effectively. The general variety of factors you get; a win is 25 factors. It was once 8, then 9, then 10. In order that skewers it as effectively. You may’t examine eras.”
Hamilton was unveiled by Ferrari at their Maranello base this week, with the British driver claiming he had “the very best emotions of my life” after making his check debut for the brand new group.
He mentioned: “I’ve been fortunate sufficient to have many firsts in my profession, from the primary check to the primary race, podium, win and championship, so I wasn’t positive what number of extra firsts I might have, however driving a Ferrari automobile for the primary time this morning was probably the greatest emotions of my life,” mentioned Hamilton, who made his F1 debut in 2007.
“Once I began the automobile up and drove by means of that storage door, I had the largest smile on my face. It jogged my memory of the very first time I examined a System One automobile. It was such an thrilling and particular second and right here I’m, nearly 20 years later, feeling these feelings once more.”
