Hamilton's win sparks GOAT verdict
Watching Lewis Hamilton take a record-extending 106th career win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – the first of his Ferrari career – Nico Rosberg had nothing but praise. Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, he said: "This is a fantastic day for the sport. It's historic. He's the greatest of all time. It's great that he turned things around, because last year looked so dark and bleak."
Rosberg added: "He was practically on his way home, could have said at any moment: I'm quitting. But he persevered, now feels comfortable in the car, and you can see a positive momentum everywhere."
Racing alongside both legends
The 41-year-old raced with Michael Schumacher at Mercedes from 2010 to 2012, during the German's comeback. Hamilton then replaced Schumacher when he retired for good. Rosberg spent two extra years with Hamilton and has followed the Briton's career since leaving F1 in 2016. Hamilton's success since taking Schumacher's seat has sparked a debate over which driver has made the greatest impact on the sport.
Presenter Peter Hardenacke noted that Rosberg's verdict was delivered while standing next to Michael's brother, Ralf Schumacher. Rosberg joked he was trying to create a wedge between the two pundits.
Ralf Schumacher's rival view
Ralf has previously insisted Hamilton would never reach his brother's heights, describing Michael as "light years" ahead. On Formel1.de's YouTube channel, he said: "I have to say quite honestly and not because he is my brother, maybe Max [Verstappen] can change that in his career if he really continues driving like this, but for me, it's always what Michael brought with him. There's no one else like him; Lewis Hamilton will never come within light years, not from my point of view."
Two championship dynasties
Schumacher won five consecutive titles with Ferrari in the early 2000s, competing against Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Hamilton, meanwhile, left McLaren in 2012 and went on to win four straight championships from 2017 to 2020.
Max Verstappen then ended Hamilton's dominant run, and the Briton gradually fell out of title contention in the early 2020s. Now just 50 points behind current F1 leader Kimi Antonelli, Hamilton might still be in reach of a record-breaking eighth title.
