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Oscar Piastri has been asked to name the greatest Formula 1 driver in history, and he has given a considered answer that does not shy away from controversy or complexity. Hamilton is his choice, but the reasoning is more nuanced than a simple points table.
A Question With No Clean Answer
Piastri spoke to Sky Sports journalist Rachel Brookes for her book F1 Racing Drive. He acknowledged upfront that the question may be genuinely unanswerable given the different eras and circumstances involved. "In the end I think we will probably never know for certain, because of the different generations. But I think there are absolutely drivers who stand out."
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Senna is the emotional touchstone for many. "For a lot of people Senna is the most important, and I count myself among them." He was also careful to acknowledge the difficulty of assessing a career that ended when Senna was still in his prime. Prost was described as incredibly impressive. Schumacher, he said, is impossible to ignore given everything he won.
Hamilton Edges It, but Verstappen Is Closing
When pushed toward a single name, Piastri landed on Hamilton. "Both purely statistically and beyond that, the number of victories and championships Lewis Hamilton has achieved is not just remarkable." But the reasoning went beyond numbers. "Also the way he has done it. He has always been very clean on the circuit. He has also made an enormous difference in the world by using Formula 1 as a platform." The combination of on-track performance and broader societal impact is what separates Hamilton in Piastri's analysis.
He was also clear that the conversation around Verstappen is not settled. "I still race against Lewis and Max, but I think Max will ultimately also go down in history as one of the greatest of all time." Coming from a competitor who races against Verstappen every weekend, that assessment carries genuine weight.
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