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Although statistically F1’s most successful driver ever, Lewis Hamilton has not been able to escape the perception that he has had it easy — he has often driven the best car in the paddock. But against a hard-nosed, generational talent in Max Verstappen this season, the 36-year-old Briton has shown just what he can do in less-than-ideal machinery

Ever since his loss to then teammate Nico Rosberg in 2016, Lewis Hamilton has had a fairly easy path to four consecutive world championships. The last two, in particular, were largely uncontested, with the only man in possession of a car arguably as good as his — Mercedes stable-mate Valtteri Bottas — never really pushing him.

This has allowed Hamilton to rewrite pretty much every record, including racking up a staggering 100 Grand Prix wins — a first in Formula One history — and tying Michael Schumacher’s record of seven drivers’ titles.

On Sunday, Hamilton earned his 101st win in Interlagos in a nail-biter, pipping title-rival Max Verstappen in a weekend during which a series of penalties repeatedly put him on the back foot.