F1 | Vettel Can't Respect Hamilton Enough With Tying Schumacher's Record
Sebastian Vettel, claiming that Michael Schumacher is his hero and F1's finest, can't show enough respect for Lewis Hamilton
After the Eifel GP, Lewis Hamilton matched Michael Schumacher's record of 91 Formula 1 race wins as he is also close to obtaining his iconic record of seven World Championships.
Scuderia Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel admitted he can't find enough appreciation for the accomplishments of Hamilton, saying that Schumacher will always be his hero for him and that he's still yet to see that extra flare from any driver including Hamilton.
Vettel tells Crash.net when in talks of Hamilton's achievement, "I think I can't respect his efforts enough". To continue, "it's been the number in my head that I thought would never be beaten or equalled. I think we can be quite certain he will exceed this number. Nevertheless, I have to say that Michael will always be my hero. And I think Michael had something about him that I haven't seen in another driver so far."
💬 "I can’t respect Lewis’ efforts enough. 91 wins is a number I thought would never be equalled."
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 17, 2020
Class from Seb. ❤️ #DrivenByEachOther pic.twitter.com/MjpWPGXPaA
Retired F1 three-time World Championship Sir Jackie Stewart had words for Hamilton's recent achievement, "I am not trying to diminish Lewis Hamilton and I hold his performances with incredible respect, he is the best driver of the present time. I am not knocking him down and I am disappointed he thinks that way. What do I have to gain from that? I am 81 years of age. I was asked what did I think about Lewis becoming the most winning driver of all time and if that made him the greatest there has been. I said it is very difficult to say that. The greatest I believe there has been is Juan Manue Fangio, followed by Jim Clark. But even then, is it correct to say someone is the best? Is Lionel Messi better than Pele or Sir Stanley Matthews, who was the greatest of all time when I was a child? Is Roger Federer better than Rod Laver? THey are different eras. You can say Lewis is the best of his time and that is not in any way demeaning towards him. He is doing one hell of a job, and he is his own man, which is different to Niki Lauda, different to Jackie Stewart, different to Jim Clark and different to Graham Hill."
Based on the beginning statement of Sir Jackie Stewart above, he was forced to explain that after saying that he didn't see the Brit as one of F1's greatest because his Mercedes car is so dominant that the other drivers have no reasonable shot. In other words, he's not trying to undermine Hamilton's achievements.
