Lewis Hamilton names the F1 driver who was ‘second only’ to Michael Schumacher in terms of overtaking difficulty

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Lewis Hamilton is renowned for being one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time ahead of a headline switch to Ferrari.

He follows Michael Schumacher as the second seven-time champion to have raced in red following 11 years with Mercedes.

Hamilton has faced some formidable opposition in his time, with 2025 marking his 19th season in the sport.

Aiming to end his career on a high by managing a record eighth drivers’ championship would be an achievement for the history books and his legacy.

Hamilton may face one big problem at Ferrari as he looks to get over some qualifying woes that plagued him in his final years with the Silver Arrows.

It might be fixed by an entirely new concept of car though, with Ferrari facing additional obstacles for Hamilton’s 2025 car after opting to design a completely new chassis for his arrival.

Lewis Hamilton called Felipe Massa ‘second only’ to Michael Schumacher in overtaking difficulty

Hamilton has endured a few fierce rivalries across his career, including the likes of Max Verstappen, Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso.

One that is quite often forgotten about because it didn’t involve a title fight is his battle with Felipe Massa.

Although they faced each other in a race for the 2008 title, it wasn’t until 2011 that they began to produce fireworks on track, including incidents at Monaco, Silverstone and New Dehli.

READ MORE: Felipe Massa says Lewis Hamilton faces one problem at Ferrari that even Michael Schumacher couldn’t deal with

After clashing on multiple occasions, Hamilton paid his rival a compliment on The Buxton Blog after the campaign ended.

“[Laughs] I don’t know why it was always him,” he said.

“When you look at it, it was generally races where I’d put myself in an unfortunate position where I was seventh or eighth, and when I was ever in those unlucky positions the person I needed to get past to have a successful race, was Felipe.

“He is a fantastic driver and the toughest guy to overtake, second only to Michael Schumacher and that is really why.”

Why Lewis Hamilton should be able to compete with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025

Massa thinks Hamilton is in decline ahead of his Ferrari move after some struggles alongside George Russell in prior seasons.

The 39-year-old seems to have plenty of motivation left in the tank and hasn’t lost his edge on a Sunday yet.

Hamilton is working to address Leclerc’s big Ferrari advantage in tests and should be able to compete on a level playing field with the Monegasque driver not long after the season starts.

READ MORE: Piero Ferrari thinks Charles Leclerc faces ‘generational issue’ after Lewis Hamilton arrival

They have to wait a few more weeks for pre-season testing to begin at Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit before they are aware of how competitive they may be in 2025.

The quicker they start, as Red Bull showed last season, the quicker they can get to the finish and end a 17-year championship drought.