Former team owner Eddie Jordan claims Lewis Hamilton is ‘in a different league’ from Michael Schumacher due to his lack of politics.
Last weekend saw the Briton move to within one of the German legend’s tally of seven Formula 1 championships by claiming his sixth at the US Grand Prix.
But when asked to compare the relative achievements of the two most successful drivers in history, Jordan claims the way Hamilton has reached that total is more genuine than how Schumacher reached his.
“Everyone has their own view on this, but I am of the view he’s already surpassed Michael,” he told British radio station talkSPORT.
“Michael started with me so there is a love affair there, but there is a situation some people may not fully grasp.
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“At the time I handled people like [Rubens] Barrichello, [Eddie] Irvine, [Giancarlo] Fisichella and [Jean] Alesi, and every time we went to sign a contract with Michael Schumacher or Ferrari it always had conditions in it, where what we saw in Austin wouldn’t have been allowed to happen.
“Lewis, if he had in his contract the same things, he would have had to be able to pass [Valtteri] Bottas [to win the race].
“You can’t have that in a competitive sport, where one part of the team dictates to the other. For me, that is a flaw factor for Michael.
“Seven world championships… how many would he have won if he hadn’t had the influence and support of the other people in the team?
“And I’m not just talking about team members – I’m talking about the drivers.
“Lewis is already in a different league, in my opinion. He’s done it on his own,” the Irishman added. “What he has done has brought great pride to his family and his people, and he can be justifiably proud.”
For many though, Hamilton won’t be considered on Schumacher’s level until he too becomes a seven-time champion, but Michael’s brother Ralf believes that is inevitable.
“Both of them achieved something incredible,” he told Auto Bild. “I think Lewis can break Michael’s records now.
“He always gets the maximum from the opportunities. Everything fits together with him.
“He has the experience, he has a crazy natural talent, he knows when to attack and when to sit back, and he feels extremely comfortable in his team. He knows he is the absolute number one.
“That creates trust and is very good for a driver. He probably doesn’t make many mistakes because of that.”