F1 News: Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher GOAT battle judged by Aldo Costa

Michael Schumacher looks grimly in the direction of Lewis Hamilton — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Legends

Hamilton vs Schumacher GOAT battle judged by F1 veteran who worked with both

He believes that the pair are very evenly matched

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 16 February 2024 10:59 Updated: 12:35

Formula 1 veteran designer and engineer Aldo Costa has said that seven-time world champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher are more similar than first imagined, having worked with both of them.

Schumacher claimed five of his seven world championships with Ferrari, cementing himself in F1 history with some iconic performances in red.

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Hamilton, on the other hand, has more pole positions and race victories than Schumacher, and is also heading to Ferrari from 2025 to try and cement his legacy with the Maranello-based team.

German legend Schumacher came out of retirement in 2010, and raced in the sport until he was 43, a similar age to what Hamilton will likely be having signed this multi-year deal with Ferrari.

Michael Schumacher won five world championship titles with Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion

Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in 2025

Hamilton and Schumacher comparisons

Now Costa, who worked with both Hamilton and Schumacher during his time at Mercedes and Ferrari, has been comparing the pair's personalities.

Costa's 14 constructors' titles and 12 drivers' titles won with the two teams make him the most successful engineer and designer in F1 history.

“I want to say right away that Michael and Lewis are less far apart than you might imagine," he told QN Motori.

“Both have always had a very analytical approach to things on the track. They are meticulous, very professional. They know that at certain levels it is the details that shift the balance, that determine the outcome.

“Michael was very human in his working relationship. He would sit there with the engineers and calmly convey his feelings about the car he was driving. He was never obsessive, that’s all.

“[Hamilton is the] same thing. Lewis I got to know better, because in Mercedes I had a role that put me in more direct contact with the driver.

“He and I were symbiotic," Costa continued. "Hamilton, like Schumi, asks for trust and trusts you.

“[But] then, of course, they are also distinct and distant from each other. They belong to non-overlapping cultures. Can I give you an example?

“Schumacher was the last driver of an era when cars were developed on the track, through continuous testing on the asphalt, and in this he was formidable, unique I dare say.

“Lewis belongs to the time of the simulator. He has nothing to do with it, the rules have changed. In short: Michael was always behind the wheel, Hamilton almost never because he can’t.

“It’s no coincidence that when Schumi returned to racing in 2010, without circuit testing, he had a bad time, he really hated the simulator."

F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Michael Schumacher