While most of us never got to watch Fangio, Clark, etc race, our generation (I think most of us here are about the same age and not too far apart) get to see some of the greatest F1 winners still. Lauda, Prost, Senna, Schumacher, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton and now Max. We also get to see how they carry themselves on and off track.
Lauda and Prost are the methodical ones that always calculate a few moves ahead, Prost on top is the little schemer that's always trying to scheme up something. he knew exactly what would happen 3 moves before he even do it.
Senna is the one that's single minded in his pursuit of speed, passionate about it, a bit rough in his style, but he never forgets when he is crossed.
Schumacher is a blend of all three. He carries grudges, he is passionate, he is ruthless, he is calculated, and he also schemes like Prost.
Alonso has the talent, he is passionate, but in the begging of his career, he is also a bit naive but he is also brash. He is finally humbled after his second stint at Mclaren, but he is a more complete racer at Alpine now than he ever was. I would love to see him win another WDC before he retires, of all drivers currently on the grid, he is the one most deserved to win. Skill wise, he never really lost a step compared to his Renault days, heck, he got better racing in the rain, which was never his strong suit to begin with.
I can safely group Vettel and Max together. Max is pretty much following Vettel's footsteps coming up the Red Bull system. I believe the Red Bull system encouraged and developed them to be entitled and selfish. They both have the natural talent from the beginning. Red Bull had identified them early to see the greatness in them, they were not wrong. They just didn't polish up the rough diamond correctly. Vettel carried that attitude to Ferrari and only now at Aston that he basically 'matured'. But he is already past his prime. Max started off at RB at a very young age, the RB influence is very strong, that's the only thing he know. But even now he is still young, and he is a fast learner, I hope he wakes up early enough to change. He is missing a few pieces but the raw talent is there for him to follow Hamilton's greatness.
Hamilton. There is really nothing else to be said about him. Everything he has now he earned it fair and square. Nothing was spoon fed to him. The raw talent, the hunger, the perfect blend of methodical and ruthlessness. Even luck. There isn't a 'complete' racer until him. But that's on track. Off track, he is even more impressive. He carried himself as a gentleman through and through. Now his off track endeavours might not be for everyone's taste, but he knew he is always on spotlight and had acted perfectly. Never ever once did he swears on the radio, he might question decisions or voiced annoyance about another driver or something, but he never go below the belt and swear at people. That's the greatest attribute of them all. he is the model every kid around the world should follow.
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