Perhaps Lewis Hamilton has been listening to Nico Rosberg.

by Guy Stimpson

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The start of the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton lose two places on the first lap.

The ongoing discussion of the F1 GOAT (greatest of all time) is at times tiresome and at others deeply concerning. The attitudes that are brought forth in this debate perhaps reveal a truth about the wider world: that intolerance and disrespect are a part of our cultural fabric. Regardless of the bile and deep seated feelings which are directed towards him though, Lewis Hamilton has now achieved an undeniable feat, the most Formula One wins for a single driver. Whether one considers this an achievement solely of technology (the "It's just the car" brigade) or on the other end of the scale one lays heaps of praise only at Hamilton's feet, the numerical value of 92 wins is not something which can be denied.

To expect fans not to discuss the status of the GOAT would be naïve in the extreme, irrespective of the futility of the argument. Instead then, perhaps we can examine the current contender evidentially and begin to add some measured reasoning to the debate. 

Since his first race in 2007 many have been convinced of Hamilton's greatness; sometimes through analysis of his racing style but more often through what has colloquially become known as "fanboying". However, even at the start of his career it was clear that he was exceptional in terms of natural talent. Though their attitudes and driving styles are undeniably different, one can draw equivalences between a young Hamilton and his current truest rival, Max Verstappen. In both drivers at their earliest stages we saw flashes of true brilliance, yet both were hampered by immaturity and flashes of bad temper. In Hamilton's earlier campaigns a bad race would often translate into several sticky weekends as, presumably, the disappointment of failure hung over him like a dark cloud. This emotional weakness, or perhaps excess introspection, seemed to continue even after Hamilton parted professional company with his father Anthony in 2010 and into the beginning of the Hamilton/Mercedes era. 

Hamilton in 2007

Hamilton in 2020

Then though, something changed. Hamilton won titles in 2014 and 2015, cementing himself as one of the sport's true superstars. Few before had reached the levels of success he had, now with three World Drivers' titles, and only his rival Sebastian Vettel had done so at such a young age. Lewis was undoubtedly strong and in his ascendancy. Then though, in 2016, his teammate Nico Rosberg snatched the title from his grasp. Now many a Twitter battle has been waged on this subject. Was Lewis told to "let" Rosberg have a title? Certainly if it weren't for some reliability issues, the title fight may have ended differently. Conspiracy theories and petty squabbles aside though, one thing was clear: Hamilton could be beaten. Despite Rosberg's shock retirement at the end of the year, a change seemed to take place in Lewis. Gone was the sometimes stroppy reaction to bad results. A poor week was no longer followed by two or three lacklustre races. Instead, even after failing to finish or finishing badly, the following race Hamilton began to show up with all the determination and calculated aggression we have come to expect. Unlike in earlier years a poor qualification no longer resulted in a race spend languishing down the field. The newly matured Hamilton seemed to relish a scrap up the order from the back of the pack.

It is this indomitability, I think, which has so prevented his newer teammate from ever making inroads on him again. Nico Rosberg often speaks about how it was necessary to "get inside Lewis' mind", yet Valtteri Bottas seems unable to wage such psychological warfare. Even when Bottas takes a commanding win, demonstrating very convincingly that he is indeed fast and capable, the following event will see Hamilton returning stronger, calmer and even more formidable.

This is perhaps illustrated best in this somewhat bizarre season of 2020. Many times this year we've seen Valtteri arrive at the track and dominate through practice and even the first couple of qualifying sessions. Then in Q3, when it matters, Hamilton slaps Bottas down, putting in a masterful lap that makes the he Finn look almost amateurish by comparison and taking pole from his cowed opponent. By the race on Sunday then, Bottas is already wounded and Hamilton streaks to victory. It seems that someone has been listening to Rosberg, but it isn't Valtteri. Lewis, it appears, is the real psychological player here.

Yet it cannot be denied that Hamilton has skill on track, not only inside the helmet of his rivals. This was evidenced to a somewhat shocking degree at this weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix at the Portimão circuit. 

After a qualifying session just as described above, Hamilton began on pole. Struggling to warm his tyres on the green track though, he was soon overtaken not only by Bottas but the delightfully flying Carlos Sainz, a circumstance nobody expected. Sainz drove a fantastic few laps in the lead of the race, giving even the most die hard of Mercedes fans a thrilling ride. For a moment we all dreamt of a McLaren victory, I'm sure. The fairytale was sadly short lived though. It wasn't long before both Mercedes were up to speed and Sainz, running the faster but less durable soft tyre, became beleaguered and was passed by both Mercedes in short order. As Sainz fell down the field though, it was Bottas leading the race, apparently in control. Hamilton kept on his heels but seemed unable to make progress, the gap between the two black suited drivers remaining steadily around the two second mark. 

Hamilton then did something that we have come to recognise as a sign of something big on the horizon. Over team radio he told his engineers that his tyres were in bad condition. Now if you're not a regular fan of F1, perhaps this comment is unremarkable. To many of us though, this means one of two things. Either Lewis is in a bit of a strop and he's going to whine for the rest of the race, or he's about to unleash something special. In Portugal this weekend, it was certainly the latter. 

What happened next was an extraordinary demonstration of Hamilton's ability as, using the same machinery, he closed down Bottas' advantage within two or three laps, passed him at the first opportunity and disappeared off into the sunset, eventually beating the Finn by an eye watering 25 seconds in an equal car. Regardless of one's opinions of Hamilton as a person, as a racer, one has to acknowledge the devastating blow this must've represented in terms of Bottas' confidence. To show up at a track, be the fastest car but then be beaten to pole and being so summarily pummelled on track cannot be an easy thing to bear. With such performances unleashed like punches to the face on such regular occasion, it's not hard to see why Valtteri feels threatened and resorts to "f**k you" type responses when he does prevail. Bottas, one has to admit, is a man besieged. One comment I would make to Bottas' critics is this: look at the man he is fighting with. This weekend's event at Portimão just goes to show that Bottas can do everything right and still be convincingly beaten. His opponent is Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver ever in terms of race wins and surely soon to be the joint most successful driver in terms of world championships. Though I imagine it's of little comfort to Bottas, it's better to be beaten by one of the best if you have to be beaten at all.

Perhaps Valtteri Bottas is easier to understand when referenced against his teammate.

Of course there will be those who denigrate Hamilton's achievements. Their cries of bitter chagrin can be dismissed as easily as those who sycophantically scream "GOAT" every time Hamilton cruises unopposed to victory in clearly superior equipment. What is incontrovertible though, as mentioned by driver after driver, is Hamilton's relentless consistency. Week after week, year after year he turns up and makes the best use of the best equipment. Like him or loathe him, Lewis Hamilton has cemented himself in the annals of racing history, an achievement which will remain undiminished until it is beaten, if it ever is.

And to those many fans, myself included, who are crying out for a more competitive and tightly contested sport, be wary. Once Hamilton wraps up title number seven he will have nothing left to prove, no more records to break, no doubts to overcome. Don't be surprised if, such milestones achieved, Lewis Hamilton becomes even more formidable. For Lewis, it may transpire, retirement will be the only opponent who can stop him.

The GOAT debate is, at its root, a pointless endeavour. Different drivers from different eras driving fundamentally different machinery cannot be reliably compared, recent AI simulations notwithstanding. What is clear though is that such a debate, no matter how pointless, will be held, and further to have that debate without Hamilton as a contender is foolish in the extreme. Like it or not, Hamilton’s name will be forever mentioned in the same sentence as Senna, Schumacher, Fangio  and doubtless others who come before and after. This is an inescapable truth and it is perhaps enough. That Hamilton and his peers have membership of the exclusive club of possible GOATS may be an answer in itself.