Mercedes technical director compares Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to Michael Schumacher

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes technical director compares Hamilton to Schumacher

'All the truly great champions probably have more in common than they have differences'

Sam Hall

Friday 21 February 2020 12:08 Updated: 12:26

Mercedes technical director James Allison has compared Lewis Hamilton to Michael Schumacher in respect of their drive and desire to keep winning championships over an extended period.

Allison worked with seven-time world champion Schumacher in each of his championship years and subsequently, there is no-one better qualified to compare the current dominant force in F1 to the German.

"All the truly great champions probably have more in common than they have differences, in that they are all unusually determined," said Allison.

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"The fact Lewis still cares about winning championships with the same ardour that he had when he was an 18-year-old boy, is what sets him, Michael and the other great champions apart from people who are just really good drivers.

"It feels to me like they all have that inner burning desire that burns more strongly than the rank-and-file F1 drivers, and clearly near the front of the queue when God was handing out physical gifts.

"Then they just differ a little bit in the very, very fine details, which is what makes the parlour game of who was best of all of those guys so much fun."

Allison added that it was impossible to say who was the better driver, stating:

"Unless they actually run alongside one another in a car, then you can't properly tell."

With tyres difficult to master in modern F1, Allison believes that Hamilton's control of the Pirelli rubber is what sets him apart from the rest of the current crop of drivers.

He concluded: "The two things that stand out with Lewis, to my mind, ares the statistic which is the pole record - that is a very telling one - and the way in which, over the last several seasons, Lewis has been able to completely master the tyres to the point where he can drive a really fast, really long stint.

"That, probably, shades him ahead of the others."