Ex-F1 Boss Names Driver Who Made Lewis Hamilton Best Racer In The World

Former Formula One boss Paddy Lowe recalled the time he witnessed how then-Mercedes superstar Nico Rosberg made Lewis Hamilton the best racer in the world.

Hamilton has been dominating the sport and is on the verge of breaking Michael Schumacher’s all-time record this year. Some speculate that breaking Schumacher’s incredible feat would cement Hamilton’s name as the greatest driver in history, but for Lowe, it already happened a few years ago when Rosberg defeated the six-time world champion.

In a recent talk with “At the Controls” podcast, the ex-Mercedes executive director dubbed Rosberg the man responsible for making Hamilton “unbeatable.” According to Lowe, his 2016 Formula One World Championship loss to Rosberg was the “turning point” in the six-time world champion’s career.

“I thought (2016 World Championship loss to Rosberg) that was a very significant moment in Lewis’ career,” Lowe recalled. “None of us are perfect and whilst Lewis is an absolutely amazing, unique driver, of course he has his weaknesses. But I saw a turning point at the end of 2016 where he closed down one of those weaknesses in a very significant way.”

“He [Hamilton] lost in 2016 against Nico [Rosberg],” he explained. “Nico is a terrific driver and very deserving of that World Championship actually. He is the best match Lewis has seen. But I think the thing Lewis has learned from that was that he absolutely needed to be consistent and leave nothing to chance at all. And what I’ve seen since he lost to Nico in 2016 is that he now leaves nothing on the table at all at any race. That’s really made him unbeatable.”

Lowe also pointed out that before losing to Rosberg, there were times when Hamilton wouldn’t focus on how to tactfully beat his opponents and just relied on his abilities.

“Up to that time he had been a little reliant on his talent. There was the odd race where you could tell he wasn’t 100% in the game,” the former Formula One executive said of Hamilton.

Cars play a huge role in Formula One. Some believe Hamilton wins because he’s been driving the best cars his entire career. But for Lowe, the fact that the 35-year-old is still behind Schumacher, who has a total of 91 Grand Prix wins, could also be his motivator.

“Well you hear a lot of chat about Lewis being in the best car,” he pointed out. “There is the other point of staying consistent and staying motivated. Just the sheer workload of achieving 91 victories is a feat in itself.”