The biggest star in Formula One, the driver of his generation, the Ayrton Senna of his era. Now he has realised his dream, what next for Lewis Hamilton?
Before turning to the future, it cannot be emphasised how significant a moment this is in Lewis’s life. He has always spoken of equalling Senna, his childhood hero. Being able to match Senna’s benchmark of three world championships will have a significant effect on Lewis.
To my mind there are plenty of similarities. They are both spiritual people and both have that inherent speed. You know when it comes to a qualifying lap, or they are behind someone on the track, then something special is about to happen.
They both make some mistakes under extreme competitive pressure, too. At the restart in Silverstone this year, Lewis did not need to go for it, but he cannot help himself.
Senna was exactly the same. Taking out Alain Prost in Suzuka, or some of the other aggressive moves he pulled, were not as elegant as some people on the sporting side of this business wanted. But that was the DNA that makes both of them respected, drivers no one wants to mess with.
The difference is that while Senna feared Prost, just as Prost feared Senna, there is no one out there who Lewis fears. He has all the bases covered. Both Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso are exceptional drivers, but Lewis is comfortable in the knowledge that he can beat them both. The same goes for Nico Rosberg. I do not think Nico has been worse this year, I just think Lewis has corrected the strange situation of last year where his qualifying form was not up to scratch.