Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Pole to pole, Lew is off the planet
MARK WEBBER has paid pole king Lewis Hamilton the ultimate tribute by hailing him as the best one-lap driver since Ayrton Senna.
The 32-year-old Brit race ace recently moved clear of Michael Schumacher at the top of the pole position charts and now stands on 71, three more than the German.
Senna lies third on 65, although he would undoubtedly have recorded more had he not lost his life at the age of 34 while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Webber (right), who recorded 13 poles during his racing days, sees no reason why Hamilton can’t become the first driver to reach the 100 mark.
The Channel 4 pundit said: “It’s totally possible, but he will need longevity. He needs to do everything he can to keep his motivation high because he can go on to something in another stratosphere.
“He’s on that path now where he’s going into the stratosphere on his own — not in terms of world championships, Michael has that — but in terms of Saturday afternoons.”
Schumacher holds the record for drivers’ championships won with an incredible seven, two ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio and four ahead of Hamilton, who is tied on three with five others, including Senna.
But Hamilton is on the brink of joining Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and the retired Alain Prost on four.
And should the Mercedes man, who is 59 points clear of Vettel with four races to go, win at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, next Sunday he will be all but home and hosed. Webber added: “Two non-wins from Hamilton and it’s back on, but it’s extremely unlikely and the odds are totally in his favour — he has put together an insane season.”
So does Webber see a time when Hamilton will be bracketed alongside Schumacher as the greatest ever?
He said: “He has the talent and he has the skill but he and Michael are very different characters.
“Michael was an engineering machine, Lewis is about feel.
“It’s just longevity for Lewis and the results will pull him towards the greatness.”