Hamilton, Schumacher, Senna: Toto Wolff issues his verdict on F1 GOAT debate

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has offered his thoughts on the Formula 1 GOAT debate, with him offering up a pretty magnanimous answer.

It’s perhaps the most enduring discussion that there is in the sport; just who is the best driver to have ever taken part over the 72 years of the championship?

Certainly, what makes it such a complex debate that can never really be answered properly is that there are so many variables from era to era – Juan Manuel Fangio’s car was nothing like Lewis Hamilton’s for example.

Even so, it’s a fun debate to be had by petrol heads, and the best way to perhaps look at things is put up a driver from each era of the sport, rather than trying to narrow things down to just one on top of the rest.

That, then, is what Wolff has done when asked by Sport Bild for his three greatest racing drivers of all time.

Instead of just picking three and having done with, he instead picked one from a certain period in the sport, and the names are hardly surprising picks at all:

Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Ayrton Senna. Each in his own time,” answered Wolff, and few may disagree with that.

Schumacher dominated the 90s and 00s, particularly with Ferrari, on his way to 7 world championships, whilst Senna carries perhaps more mystique and evocative feeling around his name more than any other driver, with him winning 3 titles before his untimely death in 1994.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is the definition of a modern great with him continuing to set the benchmark at new heights for things like most poles and most race wins – with both at the 100+ mark for the Briton.

All three belong in the overall GOAT discussion, of course, but Wolff’s answer is perhaps the best way to tackle the debate when all is said and done.