Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon have a fun debate about whether Lewis Hamilton is the greatest F1 driver ever.
Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher are tied as the most successful Formula 1 drivers ever, each winning seven World Championships. Meanwhile, young drivers like Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon are still dreaming of winning their first title.
These two legends are often mentioned when people debate the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in F1, along with names like Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Ayrton Senna.
Recently, Bearman and Ocon shared their thoughts on this GOAT question in an exclusive chat with SPORTbible. The British and French drivers didn’t quite agree on who takes the crown.
Ocon said, “No one has done what Lewis Hamilton has done, so he’s definitely one of the best. But it’s hard to compare drivers from different eras. I grew up watching Michael Schumacher, who inspired my love for the sport. Comparing Lewis and Michael is tough because they raced at different times with different cars. So, Lewis is definitely one of the greatest and the best of the modern era.”
Bearman agreed Hamilton is incredible, but he also mentioned other legends who could claim the title, including one many fans may not have seen race.
He said, “I agree with Esteban—you can’t really compare eras. You have Fangio from way back who dominated then, Senna who many call the best, plus Schumacher, Hamilton, Vettel, and Verstappen now. Each was the best in their own time. Fangio, for example, probably wouldn’t keep up in today’s cars, but we wouldn’t come close to driving his car either. He was the best of his era for sure.”