Hamilton branded GREATEST F1 talent in surprise rival admission

One of Lewis Hamilton's former championship rivals has made a surprise admission about the 39-year-old's talent.

Hamilton is a seven-time world champion and, when taking race victories, pole positions and podiums into account, is the most successful driver in Formula 1 history.

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The only other driver in history to have reached seven world titles is Michael Schumacher, who achieved five of those seven titles in a stunning dominant era with Ferrari between 2000-2004.

Hamilton will follow in the German legend's footsteps next season, when he teams up with Ferrari in an attempt to claim an unprecedented eighth world championship title.

Hamilton's Mercedes legacy

Hamilton raced in his final grand prix with Mercedes last weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, once again showcasing his sublime racecraft to cut through the field and finish fourth, having started all the way down in 16th.

The partnership between Hamilton and Mercedes has eclipsed that of Ferrari and Schumacher as the most successful driver-team combination in the history of the sport, with six drivers' championships and eight constructors' titles being achieved in the 12-season spell.

Hamilton's first four seasons at Mercedes were spent alongside Nico Rosberg, who shocked the world when he beat Hamilton to the 2016 drivers' championship title, having previously been beaten in two championship battles against the Brit in 2014 and 2015.

Now, his old championship rival has suggested that Hamilton has the 'greatest' natural talent that the sport has ever seen.

"He certainly has one of, or maybe the greatest natural talent the sport has ever seen. It's just unbelievable," Rosberg told Sky Sports.

"And there's so many occasions where we have the same car, we go out, we come in and you look at the data of what he's done with that car, and it's just like 'that's not even human. What is that?'

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"And I was a decent driver as well, so there were so many occasions where I was just like, 'this is insane'.

"It's great also how he managed to build his life around the success, because we've seen so many times someone very talented win one championship, but to do seven, you have to have a whole life control, your personal life, everything needs to be focused towards racing - and he's managed to do that as well.

"Through all the difficulties, there's been ups and downs but that's also huge respect for that. Because it's not easy, with his background, everything, it's not easy. It's a crazy world and he managed to do that fantastically."

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