Yep. Just see the answer other drivers give, such as this one. If you have 40 minutes to spare, this is a great watch. He was still so raw here but it’s abundantly clear the talent he had at the time. Beating a reigning world champion in the same car the next year, then doing it again to another reigning champion in 2010. I think there’s too much recency bias going around. Since he went to Mercedes, he’s only honed himself further. He has addressed any driving weakness he had previously. Some of that is how the team operates, too. Lewis himself said (translated interview here ) that he tried to get McLaren to change how they approached things like tire temperatures/pressures/setup, but they didn’t really care to listen. Mercedes has a much more holistic approach to things, and are open to feedback that might directly go against what the computer says is best. Also, why do none of these arguments ever get applied to any other driver? Does Lewis not deserve any of what he’s worked toward? Any other driver could have won with Schumacher’s Ferraris, too. Does he not deserve those titles? I think time will be kind to Lewis, just as it has been to Michael.