Lewis Hamilton singled out as 'least controversial' F1 champion

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton singled out as 'least controversial' F1 champion

Hamilton's legend was compared to Senna, Schumacher and Verstappen

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 9 January 2026 16:44

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Lewis Hamilton has been named the 'least controversial' F1 champion in a comparison with Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Max Verstappen.

The seven-time world champion often finds himself included in the debate over the 'greatest F1 driver of all time', and on The Red Flags podcast, McLaren race winner David Coulthard was asked to identify his choice for the honour.

In the end, the Scot chose three-time world champion and Brazilian racing legend Ayrton Senna, but also claimed the driver wasn't without his controversies.

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"Senna [is the GOAT], and the reason I say that is because, if I’m not mistaken, I’ve even heard Max acknowledge his admiration for what he achieved in that era and his single minded approach," Coulthard explained.

“If he believed in something, he was not swayed from that. And Senna was not without controversy, as was Schumacher, as of Max.

“Of the four, Schumacher, Hamilton, Senna, Verstappen, arguably Lewis is the least controversial on track, which should be acknowledged of course.

”But having worked with Senna, having the experience of being in a room of people and the room falling silent because Ayrton’s come in from a back door and slowly but surely you felt his presence.”

Even F1 champions have their moments

For all their accolades and legend, the likes of Schumacher and Senna are also remembered for their more controversial moments.

Any fan of Damon Hill can attest to this, particularly in the wake of the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, where Schumacher appeared to intentionally veer into Hill, causing them both to DNF which menat the German won the world title by a single point.

Senna too, at the 1990 Japanese GP, refused to yield to team-mate Alain Prost into Turn 1, with the pair both crashing and the Brazilian winning the title.

Of course, Hamilton himself hasn't always been an angel, particularly if you ask Verstappen fans, with the pair's coming together at the 2021 British GP evidenced by Coulthard as one of the moments where Hamilton was less than a paragon of virtue.

F1 Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Michael Schumacher David Coulthard