Former F1 Chief Says Schumacher Faced Stiffer Competition Than Hamilton

From L) Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel (2nd), Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (1st) and Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen (3rd) celebrate on the podium after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. AFP

Former Formula 1 (F1) chief, Flavio Briatore, has expressed his belief that the difference between Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher’s achievements is the level of competition each had to beat in order to secure their respective titles.

Concise News reports that Hamilton is looking to equal Schumacher’s record of seven titles this year.

Speaking on Formula 1’s official podcast, Beyond The Grid, Briatore – who orchestrated Schumacher’s first two world championships in 1994 and 1995 as Benetton Team Principal – compared Formula 1 in Schumacher’s time to today.

“Michael was fighting with big guys,” he said.

“You need to recognise that, when Michael arrived [in F1], the climate was tough. You’re talking about Nigel Mansell, you’re talking about [Ayrton] Senna. Now it’s less, the competition. You have two drivers, three drivers… Nobody puts the pressure [on Hamilton].

“If he was driving like a taxi driver with a hand outside of the car, [he’d still be] winning everything because he’s a super driver, he’s fantastic.”

Briatore, who has developed a diverse portfolio of business interests outside Formula 1, went on to argue his belief that there are only two outstanding drivers active in the sport today – with one more waiting in the wings.

“There’s only two stars in Formula 1 – Hamilton and [Max] Verstappen.

“[Charles] Leclerc is young, big balls, which he’s demonstrating. I believe, if I was Ferrari, I’d have put Leclerc two years ago into the place of [Kimi] Raikkonen, because you know, with Raikkonen you’re going nowhere, you’ll never win anything with him… I’d [have taken] the risk to put Leclerc.

“Leclerc is a really, really strong guy. But Leclerc is not recognisable now. Verstappen for me is the more incredible driver. He’s fantastic in the way of overtaking.”

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