F1: ‘greatest British racer ever’ Lewis Hamilton deserves more credit, says Damon Hill
Charles Leclerc feels lucky to have Sebastian Vettel as his team-mate at Ferrari
Hill: Hamilton deserves more credit
Lewis Hamilton may be on the verge of winning a sixth Formula 1 world championship but the British ace does not get the credit he deserves.
That’s the opinion of Damon Hill, himself an F1 world champion with Williams in 1996, who also says that Hamilton is the best racer the UK has ever produced.
Hamilton currently leads by 64 points in 2019 drivers’ standings ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. The duo are now the only drivers who can win the title after helping the Silver Arrows secure a record sixth successive constructors’ championship last weekend in Japan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In an interview with the Daily Mail Hill praised Hamilton for his success in F1. He said: “It should be self-evident that Lewis is the greatest racer we’ve ever produced. One more [title] to go after this one and he has equalled [seven-time winner Michael] Schumacher, which was considered to be almost unreachable.
“Year-in and year-out, he has delivered against all comers in all situations and he has got this down to a fine art now, the way he goes about it. He has matured in every respect. He is properly formidable as a competitor. He is probably at the height of his powers and he knows it and he is relaxed about it.”
Hill added: “Perhaps he doesn’t get the wider credit he deserves but that is a problem with our sport. I don’t think it’s Lewis’s fault. I wonder if it’s the sport itself that has drifted away from the centre of attention.
“The fanbase is still there in the UK but the viewership globally, a lot of people moved away from it when Michael was winning everything.”
Leclerc ‘very lucky’ to be team-mates with Vettel
Planet F1 reports that Charles Leclerc feels “very lucky” to have team-mate Sebastian Vettel next to him at Ferrari.
Lerclerc has been tipped to become Ferrari’s No.1 driver in 2020 ahead of Vettel, who is a four-time world champion from his days at Red Bull.
However, when asked about Ferrari’s plans for next season the 21-year-old Leclerc said: “I’ve got no idea, but Sebastian has won four world championships, I haven’t won any.
“I believe he has a lot of experience. He’s very quick, very strong, I’m learning a lot from him and then at the end [of the season] we will see, it’s not me making the decision who is number one or number two.
“At the moment I am happy like this and very lucky to have Seb next to me.”
Mexico up next
The next race will be the F1 Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday 27 October at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.
There are only four races left in the 2019 season:
- 27 October: Mexican GP (7.10pm start UK time)
- 3 November: United States GP (7.10pm)
- 17 November: Brazilian GP (5.10pm)
- 1 December: Abu Dhabi GP (1.10pm)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Ecuador's cloud forest has legal rights – and maybe a song credit
Under the Radar In a world first, 'rights of nature' project petitions copyright office to recognise Los Cedros forest as song co-creator
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - November 3, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - presidential pitching, wavering convictions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Christian Horner and the Red Bull saga that refuses to go away
Why everyone's talking about 'Too dizzy-making' even for the 'merry-go-round world of F1'
By The Week UK Published
-
Max Verstappen: F1’s record-breaking world champion
Why Everyone’s Talking About Red Bull star has surpassed records set by Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton
By Mike Starling Published
-
F1 ‘silly season’ hits top speed as 2023 grid takes shape
Under the Radar Twitter explodes with news of driver moves, denials and rumours
By Mike Starling Published
-
Lewis Hamilton on his F1 future: ‘I have plenty of fuel in the tank’
Under the Radar Seven-time world champion finished second on his 300th grand prix start
By Mike Starling Published
-
F1: a bumpy start to the season for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
Under the Radar Only four races in and Mercedes already look off the pace
By The Week Staff Published
-
F1 Bahrain GP reactions: Ferrari ‘back with a bang’ as Leclerc ‘tames the beast’
feature The Tifosi celebrate a stunning one-two for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
By Mike Starling Published
-
F1 2022 season guide: race calendar, championship standings and 2023 grid
feature Max Verstappen has now won 14 of this season’s 20 grands prix
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published