David Coulthard explains why Lewis Hamilton is the ‘anomaly’ among F1’s greatest drivers

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton is one of the most distinguished figures in Formula 1 history, and he has the numbers to back it up.

Potentially, he will go down as the greatest driver of all time, particularly if he manages to win an eighth world title with Ferrari.

His legacy is one that includes winning the highest honours with two different teams, forged by moves that he made by doing his talking on the track.

Talking of on-track exploits, many of the greatest drivers have been involved in regular incidents – but somehow that fate has always avoided Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton is an ‘anomaly’ in avoiding incidents

Thinking back to Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and more recently Max Verstappen, they’ve all been involved in their fair share of incidents.

Senna and Prost in a championship finale at Suzuka, Schumacher and Villeneuve at Jerez, and Verstappen on multiple occasions with many of his rivals.

Looking back on Hamilton’s career though, David Coulthard has been largely impressed with his ability to avoid incidents.

“I’ve seen from Lewis he’s a very clean racer,” he told The Red Flags Podcast. “He manages to keep out of a lot of controversy through his career. He’s the sort of anomaly in that group of villains.

“I think there was a comfortable period there where they had car advantage, and he’s an exceptional driver.

“It doesn’t diminish the results he’s had, but of course, when he has gone wheel to wheel with Max, normally Max has come out in front.”

Can Hamilton enjoy more success in the future?

Next year, Hamilton faces an entirely new challenge to what he has faced before in his career as he switches teams and moves to Italy.

Taking on a new language, car and team, he faces a teammate who has been in the system for six seasons and knows everything inside out.

He has to overcome so many hurdles to win an eighth – which he might retire after achieving, setting himself apart from anyone else.

READ MORE: F1 fans are all making the same joke after seeing Sauber’s ‘Hot Wheels’ Las Vegas Grand Prix livery

Tying with Schumacher won’t bother him too much, but he has shown signs of some decline in 2024 in his swansong season with Mercedes.

The feeling is that he needs another dominant or very good car and some luck to compete with the likes of Verstappen, Leclerc or Norris in 2025 and beyond.