Lewis Hamilton is a more naturally talented driver than Michael Schumacher, according to a man who has worked with both F1 greats. Hamilton and Schumacher are statistically the sport’s most successful drivers with seven drivers’ titles each.
Hamilton is ahead in terms of grand prix wins, 105 to 91, although he has competed in 368 races and counting, while Schumacher started 308 races and had a three-year break between his success-filled spell with Ferrari and his underwhelming comeback with Mercedes between 2010 and 2012. The debate over who is the greatest ever will run and run, but Williams team principal James Vowles nailed his colours to the mast when asked which one was the most naturally talented.
Vowels worked with both men at Mercedes as the team’s strategy guru before landing the top job at Williams in 2023. While Hamilton swept to six world titles with the Silver Arrows, Vowles didn’t see Schumacher at his best.
However, he believes he saw enough to label Hamilton the more naturally talented driver. During Hamilton’s final season at Mercedes, Vowles told the High Performance Podcast: “With Lewis, when he joined us [he] was, and still is today, the most – within my Mercedes career – the most naturally talented driver I’ve worked with, including Michael.
“Just so much natural talent. That journey we took him on was, ‘We’ll win Championships together.’
“Lewis just has oodles of natural talent. And, with him, he’s got these tendencies and traits where, when you go out in FP1, he’s like an octopus all over the wheel. He’ll change every setting on the wheel near enough and explore it. But it’s what makes him incredible.
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“At times you’ll see Lewis drop backwards and often when he jumps forwards again, it’s because he’s gone to a set-up that’s known and now he’s back on the money.
“But he’s able to do that and many drivers aren’t. He’s able to explore often, perhaps in the wrong place on set-up, but he’s learning from it. And that’s Lewis all over.”
While Schumacher perhaps didn’t possess Hamilton’s raw natural talent, he is widely regarded as having elevated driver standards in terms of his preparation, fitness levels and work rate away from the track.
Like Schumacher during his Mercedes days at the end of his career, Hamilton’s powers appear to be waning. Despite winning the British Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, he was generally outpaced by his team-mate, George Russell, last year, finishing behind him in the standings.
Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari has been a struggle too, with team-mate Charles Leclerc having the edge, particularly in qualifying. Ahead of round 19 in the United States next weekend, Hamilton is still looking for his first podium for the Italian team.
