Why 2021 Could Cement Lewis Hamilton’s Legacy as F1’s Undisputed GOAT

The 2021 Formula One season has officially begun and Red Bull have drawn first blood. At the season-opener at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Max Verstappen snatched pole position. Behind him are the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas respectively. However, Hamilton went on to win the race ahead of Verstappen in a titanic dogfight.

Admittedly, Red Bull look like the favorites, especially considering their pace in pre-season testing. If Lewis Hamilton manages to win the race or even take a record-breaking 8th title, he will truly be the greatest. For a long time, nobody would have thought that Michael Schumacher’s 7 world championships would be equalled.

Sebastian Vettel gave it a good shot when he racked up four world championships on the trot. Then in 2013, the Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes partnership began and it slowly started to bear fruit. Then from 2014 onwards until 2020, the Mercedes team simply ran riot, no two ways about it.

How does this solidify Lewis Hamilton as the greatest?

Barring a minor hiccup called the 2016 world championship, Lewis Hamilton triumphed every year. The British driver kept adding to his tally that began with the 2008 world championship. Before long, he had tied with the late great Ayrton Senna after wrapping up the 2015 world championship.

In 2017, he defeated Senna and drew level with Alain Prost and with his rival Sebastian Vettel. A year later, he went one step further and was two away from the Red Baron. Since then, he went on to wrap up the 2019 and 2020 championships to draw level with Michael Schumacher.

Already, many are considering Hamilton as one of the greatest drivers of all time. However, if he did manage to win the 2021 Formula 1 title, he will have certainly secured it from a statistical standpoint. Admittedly, the Mercedes team have been struggling a little bit in the buildup to the current season.

It was advantage Red Bull during the pre-season tests, and again at the 2021 Bahrain GP qualifying. Without a doubt, Max Verstappen  has officially unveiled himself as a serious title threat. Previously, it was Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari, until the German faded off. Since then, Verstappen and Red Bull have been slowly succeeding him. Although Red Bull looks strong now, if Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes defy the odds and beat then, he will truly be the greatest driver of all time.

READ MORE: ‘Gave it Everything I had’- Lewis Hamilton Affirms Mercedes’ Struggles After Losing Pole Position by 0.3 Seconds