“It Was Senna but…”: Lewis Hamilton Takes the Crown From His Hero as F1 Guru Dissects the Phenom’s Supremacy

Formula 1 as a sport is truly unique. Over the course of its existence since 1950, the sport has seen a wealth of talent. However, that also means that being really good at what you do isn’t enough to carve a niche out for yourself in this sport. To be able to be recognized as the best of the best, you have to be special. The debate over who is the greatest of all time in F1 has raged on for a long, long time. And no doubt, it will be there in the future, too. F1 fans and pundits around the world are really spoiled for choice. We’ve got Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, the list is endless! But, F1’s famed journalist, Will Buxton has now weighed in on this with his GOAT candidate.

The real question though is what metric should be used to determine the best out of all these legends? Is it race wins? Is it the number of titles? Or is it something more?

Will Buxton’s GOAT is more than just a driver

Will Buxton recently appeared on the BBC game show ‘Question of Sport’. While on the show, he was asked who was the GOAT of F1 in his eyes. The Brit replied, “Growing up it was Senna, but given what he’s achieved, Hamilton. He’s phenomenal. The way he consistently raises the bar, the way he looks inside himself to find some extraordinary new level every single weekend.”

But Lewis Hamilton’s on-track performance isn’t the only thing that makes him stand out for Buxton. “The person he is outside of the sport, and the icon he is becoming. The change that he is pushing through in the world. I think he extends far beyond the like insular, gated paddock community.”

Read More: “Lewis Is Marmite”: Max Verstappen Fanboy Christian Horner Once Reluctantly Bowed Down to “Ambassador” Hamilton’s Fame

Hamilton and Buxton do share an affinity towards each other, it would appear. But Buxton has been in Hamilton’s corner before, too.

Will Buxton publicly defends Lewis Hamilton after Mexican GP disgrace

Formula 1 can be a divisive sport. When your favorite drivers are going head-to-head for glory, it can be hard to like the ‘enemy’. But as is with any sport, respect is crucial. Between the driver and the fans as well. After the 2022 Mexican GP, Buxton took to Twitter to remind us all of this.

Hamilton was allegedly booed by the fans. And Buxton came to Twitter to defend the 7x champ. He tweeted, “The noise from the crowd today at the track was incredible. But I’m sad to learn some of that may not have been positive, that there were boos and worse for Lewis after the race. These guys are our heroes and deserve nothing but respect. Always.”

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Do you agree with Will Buxton? Is Lewis Hamilton really the greatest of all time in Formula 1?