Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel called Lewis Hamilton the GOAT of F1 after the Briton won his 104th race at Silverstone last weekend. Following Hamilton’s record ninth British GP victory, now even 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill has referred to the 39-year-old as the GOAT.
Taking to X, Hill wrote, “I think that confirms the literal definition of GOAT“. Hill wrote this in response to ESPN F1’s post that contained all the statistical achievements of Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton is the only F1 driver to:
Win more than 100 races
⚡ Achieve more than 100 poles
Win races in 16 different seasons
Stand on podiums in 18 seasons
Lead over 150 races
Win the same Grand Prix 9 times
⏳ Claim a win after 300 races
Stand on the same… pic.twitter.com/lWScnia5ad— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 9, 2024
With 104 race wins and pole positions, Hamilton is the only driver in F1 history to register more than 100 victories and poles. Moreover, he has won at least a race in 16 different seasons, including in his debut campaign for McLaren back in 2007.
Furthermore, Hamilton has also finished on the podium in each of his 18 F1 seasons. And that’s not it.
With him having won a Grand Prix in his 344th race, he is also the only driver in F1 history to win after competing in more than 300 races. Considering that Hamilton won his 104th race at the age of 39, he is undoubtedly still a force to reckon with.
“There has never been a driver like me“: Hamilton
With over 100 wins and pole positions, it comes as no surprise that Hamilton is extremely confident in his abilities. Therefore, when told that he is the first driver to win a Grand Prix after competing in over 300 races, his response was assertive.
“There has never been a driver like me,” was Hamilton’s short but emphatic reply. While Hamilton did issue such a reply immediately after he won his 104th race, he did admit in another interview that he too had moments of doubt in his abilities at some stage.
In his post-race interview with Jenson Button, Hamilton said, “There were so many moments [where I] didn’t think it would happen again“. However, with Hamilton now having finally won a race again, he could prove to be the difference maker for Mercedes for the rest of the 2024 season. Mercedes are currently fourth in the championship with 221 points.
Although they are 74 points behind third-placed McLaren and another seven points behind second-placed Ferrari, the way the Silver Arrows are performing, they are still in the fight for at least second in the championship. And if Hamilton is able to carry on this level of form in the races ahead, he could be a huge threat to both McLaren and Ferrari.
