According to Daily Express - Sport, Lewis Hamilton described Senna as his pick for the greatest driver in the sport's history. In the same interview, he described Sebastian Vettel as the best driver he has ever raced against, praising Vettel's all-round qualities as a competitor and a person. Hamilton himself has won a joint-record seven world championships, claiming his first title with McLaren in 2008 before becoming a dominant force at Mercedes.
His career trajectory places him among the sport's elite, alongside other greats he referenced. Michael Schumacher forged a lasting legacy through early titles with Benetton, career-defining success at Ferrari, and a comeback with Mercedes. Max Verstappen has won four consecutive world championships and looked set to close in on seven titles.
Senna.
Ayrton Senna won three world titles before his tragic death at age 34 following a crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel is the youngest-ever Formula 1 champion and retired from the sport in 2022. It remains unknown whether other Formula 1 drivers or experts agree with Hamilton's assessment of Senna as the greatest of all time.
The specific criteria Hamilton used to determine Senna as the best driver over other champions like Schumacher or Verstappen is also unclear, as is the full context of the interview that prompted his responses.
That’s difficult, I’m going to say Sebastian [Vettel].
I have an amazing relationship with Sebastian. For me, I think out of all the drivers that I've come across in my career, he for me is the most all-round driver. And when I talk about an all-round driver, I mean as a human being, you know? Someone that has empathy. Someone that understands, that's super, super competitive. But [can] put that aside. He understands people. He understands that there's a much bigger picture than just us. And there's no 'me, me, me' with him. It's about bringing people together. And I love that he's utilising his platform.