Paris (AFP)

Lewis Hamilton, incomparable genius or the lucky one behind the wheel of an unbeatable Mercedes?

Winner of his 100th Grand Prix on Sunday, the Briton arouses both admiration and criticism in the closed circle of his peers, F1 world champions.

"You realize you are looking at one of the most talented people to ever set foot on earth, don't you?"

Damon Hill, crowned in 1996, paid tribute to his compatriot at the time of his 100th pole position in May.

"It's a real phenomenon. One can only be in awe."

Like Hill, the supporters of the most victorious pilot in history are numerous, quick to congratulate him, as Niki Lauda did in 2018, a year before his death.

"He's the fastest driver right now, without a doubt for me," said the Austrian, who had convinced him to join Mercedes in 2013.

"He is a hard worker despite his natural talent," added the three-time world champion (1975, 1977, 1984).

"He's always trying to be better and he's upset if he's not at his level. Which encourages him to keep trying new things. I pushed really hard for it. recruit and thank goodness I succeeded. "

- "The greatest of our time" -

"If we are a fan of Hamilton, we want to watch him win and win a seventh title", attacked in the summer of 2020 the Canadian Jacques Villeneuve (crowned in 1997), which has since been granted since the Briton now intends to surpass Michael Schumacher with an eighth coronation.

"People want heroes and Hamilton is one."

The German Sebastian Vettel, quadruple world champion 2010-2013, dubbed him the same year, at the time of his seventh title (record shared with the German Michael Schumacher): "He is the greatest driver of our time" .

“Comparing Juan Manuel Fangio or Stirling Moss to our generation is impossible and even pointless. We would fuck each other over in their cars and maybe they would be bad in ours because they are too fast. Who knows? 'doesn't matter,' said the German pilot.

"Every era has its driver (s) and Lewis is ours. For me, emotionally, Michael (Schumacher) will always be the greatest, but there is no doubt that Lewis is the greatest in terms of results," concluded Vettel .

For the French Alain Prost, four world crowns on the clock (1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993), the recipe has proved its worth for the first black driver in F1: "a combination of driver-team-organization-management with incredible stability" and a "teammate (Valtteri Bottas, Editor's note) who is a help".

Lewis Hamilton winner of the Russian GP at the Sochi Autodrome, September 26, 2021 Alexander NEMENOV AFP

“Lewis is at the top of his game,” he estimated in 2020. “In this situation, you have a psychological peace of mind when it comes to driving that makes you stronger than you can think. You would like to slow down but the The lap times are still there. You are in a state of euphoria but with a lot of control and this is where Lewis has been very strong for a few years. He has total control. "

- "Unfair";

"too easy" -

A stranglehold that does not impress other champions, who call into question the record of Sir Lewis by his belonging to an ultra-dominant team.

Starting with the Englishman Jackie Stewart and his three world championship titles (1969, 1971 and 1973): "Lewis made a very good decision when he left McLaren and joined Mercedes-Benz", he judged in 2020. "I take my hat off to him for making that decision. But frankly the car and engine are so superior it's almost unfair to the rest of the field."

Lewis Hamilton crowned F1 world champion for the first time on the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, November 2, 2008 ANTONIO SCORZA AFP / Archives

"If Max (Verstappen) drove for Mercedes, I'm sure he would crush Hamilton," said another three-time champion, Brazilian Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983, 1987), in March.

"Max is more aggressive. He can make mistakes more frequently because of this aggressiveness but, in my opinion, he is better than Hamilton. Things are too easy for Hamilton with Bottas as second driver", assured Piquet, whose daughter Kelly is Verstappen's girlfriend.

The Dutchman may not have signed with Mercedes but, with the Red Bull of 2021, he finally has the weapon to be titled.

For Hamilton, 36, winning an unprecedented eighth coronation against an opponent at his level would be the key to enhancing his record.

And finally ?

- get everyone to agree.

© 2021 AFP