Ralf Schumacher explains why Michael Schumacher will always be ‘light years’ ahead of Lewis Hamilton

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One of the biggest arguments that rages among Formula 1 fans is who is the greatest driver of all time.

The likes of Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Juan Manuel Fangio and even Max Verstappen are all part of the conversation.

However, judging by simply the number of world championships each driver has won, two names rise to the top: Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

Both drivers enjoyed periods of domination with one team following a fantastic debut title elsewhere.

Hamilton nearly won his debut season with McLaren in 2007, before winning the championship the following year and then going on to win six titles with Mercedes.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Meanwhile, Schumacher won back-to-back championships with Benetton before helping Ferrari dominate the sport in the early 2000s.

However, speaking to Formel1.de’s YouTube channel, Michael’s brother Ralf Schumacher has had his say on both drivers’ legacies.

Schumacher has already had his say on who is more talented between Hamilton and Verstappen and now has explained why his brother will always be ‘light years’ ahead of the Brit in his opinion.

It would have been a surprise for the six-time race winner not to choose his brother in this scenario.

However, to dismiss that it’s even a competition highlights how strongly he feels about the debate.

Ralf Schumacher chooses Michael Schumacher over Lewis Hamilton in F1’s greatest debate

Talking about the legacy of his brother, Schumacher said: “I have to say quite honestly and not because he is my brother, maybe Max [Verstappen] can change that in his career if he really continues driving like this, but for me, it’s always what Michael brought with him.

“There’s no one else like him; Lewis Hamilton will never come within light years, not from my point of view.

“You have to be able to build a team from scratch.

“If I read the comments today, you hear from Toto Wolff who says, our drivers have said something about the car, we went in the wrong direction again.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage

“Our drivers actually have no say in how they should build the car and drive, to put it that way.

“You can see the difference between someone like Michael, who goes to Ferrari with Jean Todt, brings the right people with him, Ross Brawn and so on.

“Even today, the comments from the engineers who worked with him, I haven’t heard that from any other driver.”

Jean Todt provides Michael Schumacher warning ahead of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari

Hamilton and Schumacher weren’t expected to overlap when it came to their Formula 1 careers.

Schumacher announced his retirement in 2006 before Hamilton joined McLaren, but his three-year stint at Mercedes when they returned to the grid allowed the pair to race each other.

Hamilton and Schumacher did compete in a karting race much earlier in their careers, but the pair rarely competed against each other during their time in F1.

Legendary team principal Jean Todt has sent a warning to Hamilton regarding Schumacher’s time with Ferrari that he should heed before joining the team next year.

If Hamilton can secure his eighth world title with the Scuderia, then he will immediately be considered one of the team’s most important drivers.

However, in Ralf Schumacher’s eyes, he’ll never be at the same level as his brother without building up a team around him, and already Hamilton’s right-hand man has already confirmed he won’t be following him from Mercedes.