Williams team principal James Vowles has described Lewis Hamilton as being the “most naturally talented driver” he’s ever worked with, a list which includes Michael Schumacher.
Schumacher is still regarded by many as the greatest Formula 1 driver of all-time; however, when it comes to the statistics, that accolade is Hamilton’s.
Whilst they’ve both claimed seven world titles, Hamilton leads the way in F1 when it comes to victories and pole positions.
The 39-year-old has 103 victories and 104 pole positions to his name, putting him clear of everybody.
It should be noted, though, that he hasn’t won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
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In terms of race wins, Schumacher is second on the list, courtesy of winning 91 races during his F1 career.
For Vowles, Hamilton just has “so much natural talent”, with him having previously had the mentality of “I’m going to win the race”.
His mentality has been forced to change since Mercedes were toppled from the top spot by Red Bull; however, Vowles has insisted that the Stevenage-born driver has adjusted superbly.
Vowles revealed that Hamilton has accepted that not every race is winnable and that he is always working with the team and helping improve them on their bad days.
“Lewis [Hamilton] when he joined us, was and still is today, within my Mercedes career, the most naturally talented driver that I had worked with including Michael [Schumacher],” Vowles said on the High Performance Podcast.
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“Just so much natural talent. The journey we took him on was it isn’t we’ll win championships together.
“His mentality at the time when he joined was a brilliant one, I can see why he’s successful but it was I’m going to win every race at all costs, I don’t care what the cost is, I’m going to win that race.
“If you speak to him today, it’s migrated to he accepts that the second-places and the third-places are how you win the championship and building and working with the team on the days when you can’t win the race will give you far more reward than pushing everyone away in order to win that single race out of it.”