Sporting superstar confident he'd be 'challenging Hamilton' around an F1 track

Lewis Hamilton's F1 dominance has come under attack from Max Verstappen in recent years, but he might have had more to contend with if another sporting star had chosen a different path.

Hamilton is the joint-record seven-time Formula 1 world champion, a number he shares with Michael Schumacher, and dominated the sport with Mercedes between 2014 and 2020.

READ MORE: F1 legend chides Hamilton for making 'excuses' in teammate battle

But he has had to watch on in recent seasons as Max Verstappen and Red Bull have raced off into the distance, with the Dutchman winning each of the last three world titles.

Mercedes have had difficulties with their car in that time, and Hamilton and Ferrari will both be hoping they can restore former glories when the Englishman moves to Maranello in 2025.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is also a seven-time world champion, in his case in snooker, and "The Rocket" has made a bold claim about what he might have achieved had he not pursued his chosen sport.

O'Sullivan: 'I'd be challenging Hamilton'

"I'd probably be challenging Lewis Hamilton round a Formula 1 track, probably give him a good run for his money as well - because I'm a bit nifty in a car," he told Eurosport.

"I think I was actually gifted to be a good driver. I'd have definitely been a world champion at some sort of motorsport. I've no doubt about that." Hamilton has had to overcome a lot in his career, from a relative lack of funds early in his journey to racism before and since - all topics he has been open about.

O'Sullivan, whilst claiming he might have challenged another great in an unrelated discipline, did at least put Hamilton in exalted company.

"I think you have to be a strong character to get through what I have had to get through off the table, on the table, being in a competitive sport…

"Lewis Hamilton, Tyson Fury, must have a strong character. Lionel Messi must have a strong character."

READ MORE: Verstappen and Hamilton video shows what the F1 stars REALLY think of each other

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