Lewis Hamilton's place in the history of Formula 1 as one of the best is undebatable. The Mercedes driver has achieved so much throughout a career that has spanned 15 years that not putting him alongside some of the best to ever do it almost sounds unfair. Having said that, one of the biggest debates around Hamilton is his status as the 'GOAT'.Having matched Michael Schumacher and even surpassed him in some statistics, many feel Lewis Hamilton should be considered the greatest driver to have ever raced in F1. Concurrently, however, others just don't agree with those claims.In this piece, we try to look at the reasons why Lewis Hamilton should be considered the greatest driver to ever race in F1. Then we look at the counterpoints of why the claims of him being the greatest driver ever are nothing more than just claims.Before we proceed further, let's get one thing out of the way. Lewis Hamilton is a Formula 1 legend. What he has achieved in his career is unprecedented and because of that, he will always go down as one of the greats. Is he the greatest, though? Let's find out.Why Lewis Hamilton could be considered the Formula 1 GOAT#1 That unprecedented recordSportskeeda F1@SportskeedaF1Lewis Hamilton Supremacy! #LewisHamilton #F1 #LH4412:49 PM · Apr 17, 20227Lewis Hamilton Supremacy! 🐐#LewisHamilton #F1 #LH44 https://t.co/VCkrsrLJKFLet's just go through some of these statistics that this man has accrued over the years. Joint highest world titles, most race wins, most pole positions, most podium finishes, most career points, and most laps led. It's a clean sweep for Lewis Hamilton when it came to F1 records.Hamilton is 37 years old right now, having started racing in F1 as a 22-year-old in 2007. That's more than 15 years of fighting at the top against some of the greats of the sport. From Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and now a new generation of drivers like Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell, Hamilton has seen it all. This kind of longevity is not common and this kind of performance at such a high level, year in and year out, you don't see too many drivers pulling that off.#2 All rounded skillsFormula 1@F1HAMILTON WINS IN BAHRAIN!!Verstappen chases him all the way to the line!What. A. Duel. ⚔️#BahrainGP #F110:10 AM · Mar 28, 2021496799269HAMILTON WINS IN BAHRAIN!!Verstappen chases him all the way to the line!What. A. Duel. ⚔️#BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #F1 https://t.co/TCtD3AYAjVWhen you talk about Lewis Hamilton, you talk about a driver that has a well-rounded driving style. You have a driver that is probably one of the best qualifiers ever in Formula 1. You have a driver that has shown racing acumen second to none throughout his career. Most importantly, you have a driver that does not show too many weaknesses.If you want someone to wring the lap time out of an F1 car while making their way through the field and scoring a podium or even a win, you look at Hamilton. If you want someone that can preserve their tires better than anyone else, while guaranteeing a strong performance in wet weather, you look at Hamilton.It doesn't matter what the conditions are. Lewis Hamilton has shown that he can thrive in any condition and score big points for the team. It's rare to find many drivers that tick all the boxes and the Briton seems to be one that certainly does that.Also Check Out :-Lewis Hamilton girlfriends#3 That fight against the oddsPETA UK@PETAUKLewis Hamilton is the first black driver to race in Formula 1 AND the most successful racing driver in British history AND an incredible champion for animals. #BlackVegansWhoInspire #BlackHistoryMonth @LewisHamilton @F17:54 AM · Oct 1, 20194919Lewis Hamilton is the first black driver to race in Formula 1 AND the most successful racing driver in British history AND an incredible champion for animals. #BlackVegansWhoInspire #BlackHistoryMonth @LewisHamilton @F1 https://t.co/s5ik3tuz5zLewis Hamilton has achieved immense success in F1. The kind of challenges a poor black kid living in Stevenage might have had to face while making his way to the sport, however, is often ignored in that success. What makes his success in this sport significant is because it is, even in its latest iteration, a rich kid's sport.Hamilton was a special talent even when he was competing in karts. He was, however, not the only special talent there. Every year, multiple talented kids compete in karts. Not everyone gets through. Not every kid at such a tender age has the drive to progress through the levels, and to be honest, not many have the work ethic either. Add to this the fact that you don't come from a resourceful family and you belong to a marginalized part of the community.There is a reason why F1 still does not have another established black driver on the grid right now despite Hamilton being there for the last 15 years. It's not easy! Yet, he did it. He made his dream come true despite having so many hurdles thrown at him.#4 Stand-out wins like German GP 2018 and British GP 2008Formula 1@F1BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton WINS a crazy #GermanGP He retakes the championship lead 8:16 AM · Jul 22, 201892254227BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton WINS a crazy #GermanGP 🇩🇪 He retakes the championship lead 👊 https://t.co/fHiceiyIQ1There are races in an F1 driver's career where no one can touch him. Where he finds himself on the back foot and with the enormity of his talent, he's able to dig himself out of that giant hole and succeed. Lewis Hamilton has done that multiple times in his career. One of the earliest occasions was his drive in the British GP, where he finished a wet race almost a lap ahead of every other driver on the grid.Even during his stint at Mercedes, there are multiple races where Hamilton was on a backfoot and Mercedes was all but counted out as a contender for the win. In the 2018 German GP, the way he went through the entire field to win the race was just magic on four wheels. Races like the 2020 Turkish GP 2020 or even the 2021 Brazilian GP are a true testament to the ability of a driver that just cannot be questioned. Hamilton has proven time and again what he can do behind the wheels of a Formula 1 car and these wins are just a testament to his abilities.#5 That debut seasonFormula 1@F1LEWIS HAMILTON: F1 RECORDS 🥇Consecutive Seasons With A Win Since Debut: 14Consecutive Seasons With A Pole Position: 14Consecutive Points Finishes: 45Consecutive Podiums From Debut: 9Consecutive Races Led: 18Consecutive Race Finishes: 45 #F1 @LewisHamilton10:47 AM · Oct 26, 20204383431LEWIS HAMILTON: F1 RECORDS 🥇Consecutive Seasons With A Win Since Debut: 14Consecutive Seasons With A Pole Position: 14Consecutive Points Finishes: 45Consecutive Podiums From Debut: 9Consecutive Races Led: 18Consecutive Race Finishes: 45 #F1 @LewisHamilton https://t.co/1wzlRatKNeWhen we talk about Lewis Hamilton's career, there's one specific aspect that does not get talked about enough: his debut. The Briton was handed his debut by McLaren in 2007. He was to partner the incoming two-time reigning world champion Fernando Alonso and was expected to play the supporting cast as often as he could.What happened that season, however, was unprecedented. Hamilton ended up beating Alonso in the drivers' championship and lost the title by just 1 point in the season finale. He beat the gold standard of racing in F1 in his debut year! Let that sink in.In F1, there aren't many drivers that are ready to win the title in their debut season. Ayrton Senna was not, nor was Alain Prost or Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton, however, was ready! Sadly though, with a career that spans more than 15 years, this aspect of his career tends to get ignored. When you talk about him, you talk about a driver that has proven himself on so many levels time and again and these factors are a true reflection of that.Having established why Hamilton could be considered the GOAT, let's take a look now at the factors that suggest otherwise.Also Check Out :-F1 Halo Cockpit