"I think he's the best racing car driver there's ever been": Lewis Hamilton showered with praise by Mercedes director

Lewis Hamilton has been termed the 'best racing car driver there's ever been' by Mercedes technical director James Allison. James made an appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast after the German squad's impressive run in Canada.

The line of questioning changed to Lewis Hamilton and the fact that he was leaving the team at the end of the year. James Allison himself has been part of Mercedes since 2017. Since joining the team, Lewis has been the lead driver and a common fixture in the squad.

Having said that, the driver is set to leave at the end of the season and the team is looking at options to partner George Russell. James was questioned about what he'd miss about Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, to which he said that the magic that he produced while driving. Anointing him the greatest racing driver ever, Allison said:

“The days where he would just produce total magic that would make you go, ‘oh my goodness’, putting a car on a road with such precision that just left all the other drivers around him with no option but to sort of surrender to what Lewis was doing on the road. The ability to make a tyre last and last and last, even while telling Bono it wouldn't.”

He added:

"The drama that goes along with having him as a teammate, but just the delivery of brilliant, brilliant performers. I've said before, I think he's the best racing car driver there's ever been, and I still believe it.”

Allison picks Lewis Hamilton over Michael Schumacher as the best

James Allison had also worked with Michael Schumacher earlier in his career when he was part of Ferrari. The technical director has also been with Lewis Hamilton since 2017 and has seen the driver perform at his best.

During the podcast, Allison was questioned on who he would pick as the best if he had to pick one of the two. The Mercedes ace went with Lewis over Michael, saying:

"If I've a gun against the head, had to choose the best person [between Schumacher], I would pick Lewis.”

Lewis Hamilton has had a fruitful run at Mercedes. The partnership has lasted for more than a decade, and he's won six world titles with them. The next phase of his journey at Ferrari is going to be very interesting.

The driver is tied with Michael Schumacher on seven world titles and is going to Ferrari, a place where the German built his legacy. It will be interesting to see if Lewis does end up getting the eighth title and cements himself as the greatest ever.