A Red Bull star described Lewis Hamilton as the Formula 1 'GOAT' in comments that have recently resurfaced on social media.
Hamilton is a seven-time world champion in the sport and, when taking race wins, pole positions and podiums into account, is the most successful driver the sport has ever seen.
Hamilton is tied on seven world championships with German legend Michael Schumacher, with the Brit set to emulate Schumacher by driving with Ferrari from 2025.
Now, it has been revealed that a Red Bull star considers Hamilton to be the greatest F1 driver, despite being a member of a team that have boasted two four-time world champions in Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
Hadjar's Hamilton tribute
Following Liam Lawson's promotion up to the main Red Bull team in place of Sergio Perez for the 2025 season, Isack Hadjar has been given a full-time seat in F1 with VCARB.
Now, an interview from Hadjar's first season in F2 in 2023 has been circling on social media, where the French-Algerian told the official F2 website of his main racing influences.
"I grew up watching him [Hamilton]. Since I was three years old, I’ve always been a fan of him and rooting for him until he won seven titles," Hadjar said. "I was really happy to actually be supporting the guy who was winning everything and I think he’s the most complete driver out there.
"Since I started single-seater racing, I got interested in Formula 1 even more and it was clear to me that Lewis was the guy to beat and the reference for me, so I’ve always looked up to him as the GOAT. I really love the guy and he just inspires me so much in everything I do.
"When I got into single-seaters, I actually started to understand how good he was because you’re in go-karts and you watch F1, you don’t really know what it is like to drive a racing car. When I started looking at him properly and seriously, I was like this guy is way too good.
"There are a few races of his that stand out. One I think was when he was fighting Sebastian Vettel in 2018 and the pole lap he did in Singapore was quite special. Brazil 2021 - his race weekend was just outstanding, even though I was rooting a bit for Red Bull. He was just on another level that weekend, I would say it was his best weekend ever."