Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘best World Champion I know’ from legendary F1 career

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton selected Sebastian Vettel as “the best World Champion that I know” as he heaped praise on his former F1 rival.
And that verdict from Hamilton came as he picked out a major distinction which he sees in Vettel that separates him from the rest, that being Vettel “is the only other one that’s tried to utilise his platform for good”.
Lewis Hamilton places Sebastian Vettel at the pinnacle
Hamilton and Vettel were no strangers to each other on the race track and found themselves as title rivals in Formula 1. After Hamilton returned to World Championship-winning ways in 2014 as he ended Vettel’s four-season streak, the move from Red Bull to Ferrari saw Vettel return to the title picture as he challenged Hamilton – ultimately unsuccessfully – for the crown in 2017 and 2018.
But in the latter stages of Vettel’s career, he found himself joining Hamilton in using his F1 platform to speak out on matters close to his heart, particularly regarding environmental issues.
And Hamilton said Vettel is the only other driver to have taken that step, as he explained why he holds Vettel in such high regard.
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As Hamilton spoke about Vettel at a Petronas event before his Mercedes departure, the seven-time champion said: “He is the best world champion that I know because he’s far more than a driver. He’s someone with real passion, he’s empathetic and he cares for people.
“He actually is the only other one that’s tried to utilise his platform for good.
“I’ve met so many celebrities and so many people. There’s a lot of people that don’t take time for others. And I think for me, that… It doesn’t matter how good he drives, because he is so quick anyway, we had great races together, but I think, for me, we had the best races together.”
Vettel departed Ferrari after the 2020 campaign, with a two-season stint at Aston Martin bringing his Formula 1 career to a close.
Hamilton meanwhile has embarked on a fresh F1 challenge with Vettel’s former Ferrari team, Hamilton having activated a release clause to end his record-breaking Mercedes association in order to join Ferrari from F1 2025, where he partners Vettel’s former team-mate Charles Leclerc.
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