Lewis Hamilton's seven F1 world championship titles ranked

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton's seven F1 world championship titles ranked

GPFans rates Hamilton's world championship successes

Sam Hall

Monday 16 November 2020 07:15

Lewis Hamilton has made Formula 1 history by becoming only the second driver to claim seven drivers' world titles. But which of his successes ranks as the greatest?

Michael Schumacher's record looked to be unreachable when he crossed the line at the 2004 French Grand Prix to secure what would be the last of his seven.

But with Hamilton matching that, it is time for a stroll down memory lane as GPFans ranks the Briton's titles from seven to one.

7. Three in a row, six in total, 2019

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7. Three in a row, six in total, 2019

This may be lowest in the rankings, but it doesn't mean we don't rate the title-winning performance.

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So often Hamilton has dominated the latter stages of the year, but 2019 saw things flip around as the Mercedes driver won seven of the opening 10 races.

Of the closing 11 rounds, Hamilton would 'only' win on a further four occasions, but with the victories spread between himself, Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen, no one driver emerged as a serious championship rival.

6. Ferrari flatter to decieve, 2017

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6. Ferrari flatter to decieve, 2017

After Nico Rosberg retired from the sport as the 2016 champion, Bottas became his new team-mate and life has arguably never been simpler for the Briton.

For the first time with Mercedes, the threat did not come from within, but instead from Vettel and Ferrari. The flashpoint came in Azerbaijan where Vettel drove into the side of Hamilton ahead of a safety car restart. That moment aside, Hamilton was scarcely threatened.

A championship-winning margin of just 46 points makes the battle seem a lot closer than it was, with Hamilton securing the title in Mexico with two races to spare.

5. Covid reshuffle, 2020

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5. Covid reshuffle, 2020

Hamilton's current title triumph ranks in at number five on this list. To date, he has won 10 of the 14 races and secured nine pole positions.

Yes, the Mercedes W11 is likely to go down as one of the greatest F1 cars of all time such has been its dominance, but what makes this title special is more his off-track activities than his efforts on it.

Hamilton has never been afraid to be his own man, but this year he has been a catalyst for change and for equality. In launching the Hamilton Commission, he is actively seeking to increase diversity in what is, sadly, a white male-dominated environment.

Throughout, and especially in success, Hamilton has pressed home his message for change. F1 and the world have been listening.

4. Hamilton versus Rosberg, part two, 2015

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4. Hamilton versus Rosberg, part two, 2015

As was the case in 2015, Mercedes was utterly dominant. Vettel claimed victory on three occasions, but the other 16 races were shared between the two Mercedes drivers, and with Hamilton hammering Rosberg 10-6.

Hamilton secured the title with three races in hand at the United States GP, crushing the dreams of his team-mate who had pushed him all the way just one year earlier.

The only blip on the report card was a run of three defeats to Rosberg at the end of the year as Hamilton took his foot off the gas, allowing the German driver momentum he carried into 2016 when he finally hit back.

3. Hamilton versus Rosberg, part one, 2014

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3. Hamilton versus Rosberg, part one, 2014

When Hamilton joined Mercedes, many questioned the logic of such a move. Mercedes, while growing in competitiveness, was not the championship-winning outfit it is today, and walking away from McLaren seemed like career suicide.

It is safe to say Hamilton has had the last laugh here, and in Rosberg, Hamilton had a team-mate as close to an equal as it was possible to imagine.

Mercedes had benefited greatly from the changed engine regulations with V6 turbo-hybrid power units replacing the V8s, and while races were often a two-horse affair, Rosberg kept Hamilton honest.

With double points controversially on offer in the final race, the title went down to the wire and Hamilton became a champion for the second time in his F1 career.

2. Mercedes under threat, 2018

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2. Mercedes under threat, 2018

Ferrari had threatened to challenge in 2017, but in 2018 Red Bull hit the ground running as well. After six races, Hamilton, Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo each had two wins to their name and a season-long battle appeared inevitable.

Hamilton made sure this was not the case.

Leaving the Hungarian GP and heading into the summer break, Hamilton enjoyed a 24-point margin over second-placed Vettel, a comfortable but not considerable margin. The Briton, however, then piled up six wins in the final nine races to pummel the opposition into submission.

With an 88-point gap back to Vettel at the end of the year, Hamilton defeated the German in the 'Fight for Five' and delivered a blow the Ferrari driver has never truly recovered from.

1. Title number one, 2008

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1. Title number one, 2008

Hamilton faced more competition for a title than he has since. Robert Kubica led the championship after the Canadian GP and Kimi Raikkonen was a clear and obvious threat ahead of a mid-season slump, but Hamilton's chief rival was Felipe Massa.

Indeed, when Massa crossed the line to win the season-ending Brazilian GP, Hamilton was sixth, a place lower than he needed to be to secure the title.

Then came those immortal words. "Is that Glock?" Yes, it was the German Toyota driver, and yes Hamilton passed him on the final corner of the last lap to ensure that his first championship triumph is still Hamilton's greatest.

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