The Brazilian Grand Prix saw seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton struggle in the wet conditions. His old title adversary Max Verstappen produced a masterclass in the rain. In the rain-soaked weekend, Hamilton could only muster fourteenth in qualifying and only recovered to tenth. In contrast, Verstappen came through the field to win the race from the back.
Question marks were raised about Hamilton during the race. British TV presenter and journalist Jeremy Clarkson believes Hamilton is past his best, while the Flying Dutchman, Max Verstappen, could be the “greatest driver we’ve ever seen.”
Jeremy Clarkson claims Lewis Hamilton is no longer at his peak
Lewis Hamilton struggled in Brazil, compared to his teammate. George Russell qualified second and was unlucky not to get on the podium. A poor strategy call saw him pit for fresh tires as the rain worsened and a red flag was shown. However, he still outperformed his more illustrious teammate.
Hamilton’s struggles in Brazil saw former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson criticize the Brit, saying: “Lewis Hamilton is past his prime. Of course, it’s possible that because Lewis is moving to Ferrari, the team is filling the fuel tank with lemon barley water instead of petrol. But that seems unlikely.”
Hamilton has struggled this season, only picking up two wins and four podiums. However, compared to him, Russell has only won one race and three podiums. The 39-year-old also sits just two points behind Russell in the championship. With both drivers so close, it does show maybe it is the car struggling, more for the seven-time world champion.
Jeremy Clarkson believes Max Verstappen is an “all-time great”
While piling on Lewis Hamilton, Clarkson had nothing but praise for Max Verstappen. The Dutchman was imperious in Brazil and despite not having the fastest car this season, he looks to wrap up his fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas next time out. Clarkson said: “Max Verstappen is one of the all-time greats. He may even be the greatest driver we’ve ever seen.”
Verstappen has shown that when he has the fastest car, no one can get near his level. He has also shown that he doesn’t need to have the fastest car over a season. This year, the McLaren has been superior to the Red Bull from Miami onwards. While in 2021, the Red Bull and Mercedes kept swapping who was quickest.
With Verstappen’s Masterclass in the rain, he has a firm grip on the World Driver’s championship!
Can he claim the jackpot in a couple weeks time in Las Vegas though?
86 points left on the table!#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/M7FsxZz9hG
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) November 5, 2024
However, the three-time world champion has been criticized for some of his aggressive driving. He received two penalties in Mexico for tangling with Lando Norris and has previous with Hamilton. But looking back over the sport’s history, many of the greats were aggressive when they needed to be.
If Verstappen can get his fourth championship over the line, he will be considered a great champion. He is currently in his prime and will continue to push on over the coming seasons. But is he the greatest of all time? Leave your comments below.
