Carlos Sainz Jr, McLaren Formula 1 driver, applauded Lewis Hamilton as one of the greatest drivers.He believes only a few drivers would be able to beat the Brit if provided the same car.
At Turkish Grand Prix, Hamilton secured his seventh Formula 1 World Championship title. He remained dominant through out the season with 10 victories, 12 podiums and 9 poles positions.
Mercedes remained dominant in the V6 hybrid era and Hamilton fetched six world titles with Mercedes in same era. This sparked a debate on true potential of both the car and driver himself during these 6 championship titles.
Paddy Lowe, Hamilton’s technical aide at Mercedes and McLaren, believes that the success belongs to his driving. He also praised his aptitude through out his career.
Sainz believes “90% [of the grid] would not beat Hamilton at Mercedes”. But provided with same car any driver would win if he is not on the grid.
“As team-mates, with that car, very few people would be able to beat Hamilton during a 20-race season,” the McLaren driver said. “But if you remove Hamilton from the grid, any of the current F1 drivers would win with the Mercedes.
“That describes a lot what happens with current F1. But even if he has the best car, is one of the best or the best for a long time.”
Read More: Brawn equates Hamilton with Schumacher
Sainz praised Hamilton’s capacity to perform when needed, which sets him apart.
“I look closely at how Hamilton performs under pressure,” Sainz explained.
“How in Q3 he always manages to do all the sectors well and take pole, even if it is by a small margin against Bottas.
“In Austria in the rain he took a second and a half from his team-mate. He has things that you don’t see everyone do.”
Sainz added that to truly understand Hamilton, it would require him to be his partner.
“Without driving the same car, it is impossible for a driver to know how good another [driver] really is,” he added.
“Hamilton seems to me to be one of the best drivers in history, and I know that without having been his team-mate.
“I am very curious to know what it [would have been] like to have [Ayrton] Senna as a team-mate, or [Michael] Schumacher, to learn from them, to know what they do to be so good.”
