Yeah, I agree. There are ALOT of races plus Sprints nowadays. (year) (number of races) (champion's first race) 1991 16 (Michael Schumacher) (Mika Häkkinen) 1992 16 (Damon Hill) 1993 16 1994 16 1995 17 1996 16 (Jacques Villeneuve) 1997 17 1998 16 1999 16 2000 17 (Jenson Button) 2001 17 (Fernando Alonso) (Kimi Räikkönen) 2002 17 2003 16 2004 18 2005 19 2006 18 (Nico Rosberg) 2007 17 (Lewis Hamilton) (Sebastian Vettel) 2008 18 2009 17 2010 19 2011 19 2012 20 2013 19 2014 19 2015 19 (Max Verstappen) 2016 21 2017 20 2018 21 2019 21 2020 17 2021 22 + 3 Sprints 2022 22 + 3 Sprints 2023 22 + 6 Sprints 2024 24 + 6 Sprints 2025 24 + 6 Sprints "We Race for Money"
That being said i kinda like having back to back to back grand prix weekend... being in the USA the GP are at like 7 am, creates no drama in my household for me to watch and dont occupy too much of my days lol
Respect from Marko — But while Marko believes Red Bull hampered their own chances of winning, he feels Hamilton deserves praise for his win as he showed “what a master” he is on the track. “You can only congratulate Hamilton,” the 81-year-old said. “He held up well on a dry track. You then see his strength in terms of tyre management. “We could see that his tyres had already started to grain slightly. And we thought it would be OK, but that shows what a master he is, who can read a race and who challenges the tyres just right so that they don’t collapse.
Acquiring Ham was about massive branding value. He's still near the top of the drivers in terms of skill (although fading), but his branding value is unrivaled. Ham is not going to overcome shortcomings within the Ferrari team, but he'll attract mountains of cash. Ferrari has had plenty of great and highly paid driving talent for years, but they don't hold up their end, including race strategy.
Lmao you’re such bitter hater. Probably mad Leclerc bombed but don’t worry, Hamilton is coming soon to save Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton goat. Period. Let’s see 1. **Record-Breaking Wins**: Holds the record for the most Grand Prix wins, surpassing the previous record set by Michael Schumacher. 2. **World Championships**: He has won seven World Drivers' Championship titles, tying him with Schumacher for the most in history. Fully expect him to surpass this before his retires. 3. **Consistency and Longevity**: Hamilton has demonstrated remarkable consistency over his career, regularly finishing in top positions and maintaining a high level of performance for over a decade. 4. **Pole Positions and Podiums**: He also holds the record for the most pole positions and is among the leaders in podium finishes 5. **Adaptability**: Hamilton has proven his skill across different cars and regulations, adapting to changes in the sport and still performing at the highest level. 6. **Driving Skill and Racecraft**: His ability to make decisive overtakes, manage tire strategy, and perform under pressure has earned him respect among peers and experts. 7. **Influence and Legacy**: There is no bigger name in the sport. Lewis Hamilton is F1. Period.
Nice to see real expect between fierce rivals. I've seen many fans congratulate Lewis in the same fashion. Credit where it's due.
Hey slow down man, I'm the biggest Sir Lewis Hamilton fan here! Lol. You have some great points. Especially not overlooking #5 and 7. I've always stated Sir Lewis Hamilton is easly one of the greatest to ever drive in F1. My stance on goat is it's impossible to determine who is goat. Can't put them all in the same car.
I agree. Ferrari is all about branding and merch. Makes complete sense when viewed from that perspective. Ah, there’s that red flag “hater” I really have no dog in the fight as I don’t have a favorite amongst the current crop of drivers. I like Charles but if you search back you’ll see I’ve said time and again he doesn’t have “it”. I’m a Ferrari fan but not delusional. I actually think this past race was great. I’m no fan of parades and seeing some action was refreshing. I hope it continues even if Lewis does well again. As long as the racing is close and exciting I’m happy no matter who wins. I won’t however be cheering for him at Ferrari as that would make me a hypocrite. You’ll also see I’ve agreed Lewis is the best of his decade (not currently though). Of all time? That’s ludicrous and purely emotional as you can’t compare drivers across various decades with any degree of accuracy/fairness. Yes, you can quote all the stats and records but that also includes an asterisk as there are more races, etc. now than before. IMO he’s simply not the driver he once was. Watched the same process with Schumacher. I’d be shocked if he wins another WDC. So much so, I’ve made several bets that he won’t. If he does I’ll happily eat crow and take my lumps. It’s all part of sport trash talk to me and nothing but fun. He’s just a man, not the Messiah.
You're proven wrong again. Last race at BGP was -in many driver's view- 'a bit tougher'. Sir Lewis just won Silverstone AND set a record for number of victories at same track. As Martin said, "a Racer's race." Sure, a good car, team and strategy help (darn SF got it wrong again), but all the top teams were asking the drivers when to change tires. Sir Lewis's experience made the correctly timed call and he managed his tires so well he received accolades from Marko and Min. The best Racer won.
Only a fool (or a dreamy-eyed fanboy) believes it’s possible to identify a “greatest of all time” in a sport in which teams, regulations, equipment (that would be the cars, tires, etc), venues, teammates, owners, season lengths, etc.,…..every meaningful component of the sport changes constantly. Besides, mere statistics don’t really determine greatness. I never considered Schumacher the greatest based upon his championships and I certainly don’t consider Hamilton to be, either. In no way does Hamilton approach the “greatness” of a Senna or a Lauda, a Clark or a Nuvolari, regardless of races won, points scored, pole positions, fastest laps or any other statistical measure alone. Most modern fans have no historical perspective and don’t seem interested in the history of the sport at all.
I see no value in historically comparing one driver against another, especially since so much changes during a driver's career. In a season or a race, comparing makes sense. Comparing them in the last race and the best driver in the best car, on that day, won. Hamilton has deserved the respect he has received over the years. But he doesn't deserve any more than that. He's earned what he's got...but he is not a god...he worked hard and got some good breaks. Period.
Definitely the best team/driver won. And i'm not wrong. Go and watch back so many many races where he tried to throw the towel. Stop kidding yourself. It has happened and you know it. The last race, he was in a winning position the entire weekend.
Lewis Hamilton is an outstanding driver. He is one of the best I’ve ever seen. However, he is not better than Schumacher, Senna, or Lauda (to compare him to the likes of Ascari and Fangio is silly). He did however benefit from much longer seasons and ridiculous reliability and car dominance. Max is equally gifted, and in similarly comparable equipment and on pace to eclipse records. The sport has just changed a lot so driver comparisons get harder and harder.
In general now its more car than driver. Previous Lauda era etc the drivers had more impact. The F1 engineers say its 90% car. Its almost impossible to drive around 'baked in' issues inherent in current F1 cars. Max and kerbs were a recent example of that. At some point the drivers' gift runs into the physics of the car.
Its interesting you say he is not better than Schumacher etc. and a moment later say its hard to compare drivers becuse the sport changed. But you have your favorites as who is better than who, nothing wrong with that. We all do. My view is Sir Lewis Hamilton is just as great or greater than most of those guys, they had flaws too. But Sir Lewis Hamilton as a figure is beyond that at this point. For many including myself, he transcends motorsports. The F1 goat talk is even beneath him, and putting him in a box at this point.
It's like comparing great chefs from different eras. Maybe fun to do but ultimately they had much different tools, training, and ingredients to work with so ultimately who was actually a better chef/race driver can never be proven. If for whatever reason there was any doubt, Lewis' latest British GP win should put to rest any talk about him not being one the Greats. If only for the shear length of time he's maintained top-tier level ability, fitness and focus.
You bring valid points but do you not see your own biased idolization of Lewis? You must. I get the whole “Sir” thing as used as a passive aggressive jab here but you talk and defend him as though you believe he is the F1 Messiah and not just another champion amongst many. Lol, I love the passion but it’s borderline cult like behavior. Dare I say it reminds me of the current emotion based politics? Regardless, rest assured I’ll be here to keep you grounded!
Its ok if you feel that way. F1 is a passion for me. I am fan with passion. I follow the sport, I have favorite drivers. I don't engage as a casual fan. I've seen fans with drivers tattoos, drivers memorabillia stacked through out there homes. Made sacrfices to get a drivers picture or autograph. I have none of those things. I don't see why you use words like cult to describe me. I do have one of his books and some clothing, but thats it. Some Senna fans are so passionate, much worse than me.
Well I watched Lauda in his prime, I watched every one of Senna’s races, and I watched every one of Michael’s races from F3 to his ultimate retirement. For context I’ve also watched Hamilton’s entire career, so I’m basing my opinion on individual achievement and experience not records. When you have the fastest car that is virtually unbreakable for 12 years, numeric records mean not so much. You simply need to watch a Senna in car qualifying lap at Monaco, or Ross Brawn ask Michael to perform 58 qualifying laps on worn tires in a race, to know there are better drivers. Hamilton is an excellent driver, and belongs in the discussion of greats, but not at the top.
