“No, not at all” – Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes Lewis Hamilton will not be the GOAT even if he wins an eighth world title next season.
The Formula 1 Greatest of All Time debate has been going on ever since Lewis Hamilton won his seventh title last season and equaled the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton could win his eighth if he can overcome the eight-point advantage Red Bull star Max Verstappen currently enjoys. But even if he does so, it will not propel him as the GOAT of the sport, reckons former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.
“No, not at all.
“In fact, I’m surprised Lewis didn’t say at the beginning of the year ‘I’m stepping down, I don’t want to win more races or World Championships than Michael’.”
Bernie Ecclestone on the Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen title fight
Ecclestone is delighted at the level of competition for the title fight this season. Both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles are yet to be decided, with Mercedes and Red Bull showing incredible fighting capacity, on and off the race track.
Saudi Arabia this weekend and Abu Dhabi next will crown the champion between Hamilton and Verstappen, with millions expected to witness the spectacle.
“It’s a fight we’ve been waiting for seven or eight years, finally a competition again.
“This is what people want when they watch Formula 1, or any sport for that matter. They want competition.
”They [Verstappen and Hamilton] are both very competitive in their own way. They have a different style, a different way of dealing with things and then that suits the races.”
