In Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton is the man of the year. Or even the man of the decade, given that he’s claimed six of the 12 titles that have been up for grabs between 2008 and the recently-concluded 2019 season. Now he embarks on the pursuit of a record-breaking seventh title, which would propel him to the top of the all-time standings together with Michael Schumacher. Will he become the ‘#GOAT’, as he puts it on social media – the Greatest Of All Time – or is he the GOAT already?
These are typical questions asked during every sporting era: whether you’re talking about Pele or Eddy Merckx, Fangio or Carl Lewis, Maradona, the late great Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, or whoever. Are they great, universal champions to go down in history, or simply the number one practitioners of their respective chosen disciplines? So now, the year of truth comes for Hamilton as he steps onto the threshold of history. Here are five reasons why he is on course to become the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time.