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Ever since the fateful 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Lewis Hamilton's career has taken a turn for the worse. Until that day, the Mercedes driver was considered the best on the grid. In the turbo hybrid era, arguably one of the longest and most stable regulations in F1 history, Hamilton dominated.
From 2014 to 2020, he won six world titles. Not only him, but his team Mercedes ruled the sport, with only the 2017 and 2018 F1 seasons being the ones where the German team's second driver didn't finish P2 in the championship.
By the 2020 F1 season, Lewis Hamilton was touted by quite a few as the GOAT. This conversation became far too common in the F1 circles, and one of the arguments behind it was 'look at his numbers'. This argument was mentioned by detractors who questioned if statistics are the only thing that determines the 'greatest of all time'.
Since the title battle of the 2021 F1 season, success has dried down for Lewis Hamilton. So much so that he finds himself in P9 in the championship five races into the season.
A driver whose legacy in the eyes of many was built on his metronomic ability to achieve success has been going through a horrendous two-plus-year period where the results have eluded him.
What that has done is that it has brought under the spotlight one of the key talking points when it comes to anointing anyone the GOAT. One cannot do that by only citing 'statistics'.
Lewis Hamilton's statistical downfall
Before the start of the ground effect era, Lewis Hamilton's numbers were staggering. The driver had won a race every season he had competed in. He had a pole position every year he raced in. He had also never finished below P5 in a championship, and only twice he was outscored by his teammate.
Fast forward two years: not only have the results dried out, but the performances have suffered as well. Lewis Hamilton has not won a race since 2021, in terms of points, this is his worst start in a decade, he has not scored a podium in eight races. He hasn't had a pole position in close to a year, and he hasn't finished ahead of his teammate in a Grand Prix for the last six races.
Does any of this mean that Lewis Hamilton is not a great driver? No, it doesn't mean that. A part of his recent results can be put down to not having a competitive car under him, while the other can be put down to his teammate George Russell being the real deal.
Nevertheless, what it also shows is that statistics alone cannot be used to measure how good or bad a driver is.
F1 results are heavily dependent on the cars
The reality of F1 is that the results are a function of what car you're in. Throughout Lewis Hamilton's career, he has had a title-contending car in 11 seasons, out of which he won the title seven times. At the same time, his contemporaries Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso have had title-contending cars four times each, respectively.
That's what should give us an idea about the divergence in career statistics among these drivers. Lewis Hamilton has had the better car for a longer period and hence tends to have better statistics.
It's very difficult to equate success with driver ability, and that's where the perception goes wrong. Lewis Hamilton is a great driver, not because he has great statistics. He's a great driver, and the statistics are just an added validation of his talent.
What makes you the GOAT?
A question that's often asked in this situation is: what then makes you the GOAT? The answer to that is very subjective. In the eyes of some, having the most wins, podiums, titles, etc. is a metric they use to determine if a driver is the greatest or not.
However, is that even the right metric considering how dependent the results are on the machinery that a driver has? Does Niki Lauda deserve credit for leaving the sport and coming back after a few years to win the world title?
Does Alain Prost deserve credit for being the warhorse for McLaren as he took the team to multiple titles? What about Michael Schumacher, who first built Benetton to become a world champion, then did that with Ferrari, and finally made his unmistakable contribution to the rise of Mercedes?
Eventually, the 'GOAT' is a subjective topic. The answer to it varies from person to person. Nevertheless, picking someone to be the 'GOAT' just because of statistics is tricky in a sport where results are heavily dependent on the car you drive.
