And so we are finally there. Lewis Hamilton’s gallop through the record books has finally taken him to the very head of one of the most exclusive lists in world sport.
Win number 92 is one more than the mighty Michael Schumacher – and close to five entire seasons of winning.
There is some perspective to be had when you consider he has won as many races as the men fourth and fifth on the all-time list, combined: Ayrton Senna (51) and Alain Prost (41).
Interestingly his 92 wins exactly equals the combined career tallies of Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart and Stirling Moss. Few would argue all of those names sit comfortably with the moniker of 'legend'.
There are those who would argue one or other of them is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). Hamilton has the same win total as the lot.
But how to compare Hamilton’s high-tech achievements with those of men racing 50 years before in open-faced helmets made of cork and shirt sleeves?
In those days there were less races in a season and the price of a mistake was usually far higher, if not fatal.
But for those who want to argue the case for Hamilton, the statistics are certainly there. He is only 10 wins short of the rest of the grid put together.
Barring disaster he will win this year’s championship to equal Schumacher’s seven and is favourite to be the first to make eight given car design is largely unchanged in 2021.
But ‘greatness’ is subjective. A win total is a matter of fact but what is ‘great’ to you may not be so to others.
I have long argued statistics are no automatic measure of greatness. Success, yes, but greatness? No.
I have always refused to consider Schumacher for inclusion in my top five GOAT, or perhaps even top 10 because of the manner of his dominance.
He won in the best car, a car shared with one other driver who was contractually not given the same chance. And sometimes told to lose.
So Schumacher is champion of the ‘people called Michael Schumacher driving in a Ferrari’ championship. A one-man championship. Is that your measure of greatness?
There is a case to be put, though, that Schumacher is the best of all time He had remarkable skill and won races his cars should not have won.
Winning in the best car is certainly not one of my parameters of greatness.
Is Hamilton better than Schumacher? He has more wins, poles and championships but I doubt die-hard Schumacher fans would agree. Then again, he has less fastest race laps. So is he less of a race day technician? I doubt Hamilton’s legions would concede that.
But there are individual races that have the stamp of greatness. Schumacher finishing second at Spain in 1994 with only one gear was unquestionably one of them.
Hamilton’s victory in the rain from fourth at Silverstone in 2008, too. He lapped the entire field up to the two men on the podium. That it was done in lashing rain, the great equaliser, only amplifies the achievement.
Then there was his 2014 Bahrain duel with Nico Rosberg or another wet weather triumph from 14th in Germany two years ago.
But for me there are intangibles to being the greatest. There is no question about his talent but does that make him better than Stewart, racing in an era when at least nine of his colleagues died at the wheel? A man who put his own career on the line to improve the safety of the entire sport. Who got unsafe races cancelled, made the sport swap hay bales for crash barriers, insisted on ambulances at every race. And driven only by drivers who knew where the hospital was! Isn’t that greatness?
For most of his career Hamilton has avoided doing anything on safety unless cajoled by his peers but, like his hero Ayrton Senna, he must be admired for backing children's charities, pushing the vegetarian and environment agendas.
I am far from convinced that beating Valtteri Bottas (the only man with the same equipment) weekend after weekend is any measure of greatness, but Hamilton outdoing Fernando Alonso in his very first season says mountains more.
For me, like Hamilton, the GOAT is Senna. His ability, his humanity, his work for charity, the causes he led with passion, his demands for better safety in F1. I worked with the man in 1987 and covered his his entire career and no-one in F1 comes close. The driver was great but the man even greater.
If you want me to be honest there is a Hamilton who deserves greatness but it’s not Lewis - it’s his father, Anthony. To finance his son’s racing career in karting he held down four jobs at the same time. For years he would get the train home from work after dark, walk miles, post ‘For Sale’ signs outside people’s houses for the local estate agents to earn the crumbs to afford one new tyre. Or the price of a tank of fuel.
To me, that’s greatness.
MATCH INFO
CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
Tuesday:
Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)
Second legs:
October 23
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
READ MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
