Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher are undoubtedly two of the finest stalwarts of Formula 1. With both of them being seven-time world champions, they are the drivers who are regarded as benchmarks for others to follow.
Even though the duo were unstoppable in their prime and are regarded as F1 GOATs, Hamilton has an edge over Schumacher as per James Vowles. Former Mercedes engineer and current Williams Team Principal Vowles, who worked with both of them in his career, recently revealed the one difference he spotted between the two drivers.
Vowles has been a former Mercedes engineer who worked with both Hamilton and Schumacher. The British engineer arrived at the Brackley-based team in 2010 and it was the year when Schumacher came out of his retirement to race for the Silver Arrows.
The German driver then retired at the end of the 2012 season, and he was replaced by a young Hamilton next season, who has now completed a decade with the team. All in all, Vowles has experience with the former Ferrari star and the Briton, respectively.
Vowles reveals the key difference between Hamilton and Schumacher
Speaking about the difference, between two of the greatest drivers Formula 1 has ever seen, in the recent F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast, Vowles stated, “The one that impresses me year and year is Lewis [Hamilton.]”
“[It’s] because he can pick himself up and literally change a lot about himself. It doesn’t matter if he’s training hard or changing his diet or changing how you’re doing things psychologically,” further asserted the 44-year-old engineer.
On This Day in 2012, Michael’s first podium with our Team in Valencia. 🏆🤍 pic.twitter.com/LnisCu7hsq
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 24, 2023
Following this, the current Williams boss emphasized how Hamilton can adapt to the situation really quickly and wasn’t satisfied even after the sixth or seventh world championship.
It has never been a number game to the Mercedes star, it was about pushing himself more and more. Furthermore, Vowles also credited Hamilton for bringing the culture that helped Mercedes win eight back-to-back constructors’ championships.
Was the comparison between Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton fair?
Even though the Briton is known for his undying attitude and never giving up mentality, the comparison doesn’t seem to have done citing their prime days.
Admittedly, the German former driver joined the Brackley-based team long after he spent his prime with Ferrari. And Vowles clearly didn’t work with him in those years.
Keeping that aside, Lewis Hamilton has come back after the last-lap loss to Max Verstappen in 2021 and is still in the hunt for his eighth world championship. This speaks volumes of the characteristic that James Vowles mentioned.
