Lewis Hamilton beats Sebastian Vettel… in the Top Gear ranking!
Guest of Jeremy Clarkson on the British show Top Gear, the 2008 world champion took the top spot in the Formula 1 driver rankings driving a "reasonably priced" car, right under the nose of Sebastian Vettel.
An essential meeting for enthusiasts of beautiful mechanics and powerful engines, the show Top Gear, broadcast on BBC 2, regularly invites celebrities to take on the challenge of the stopwatch behind the wheel of a “cheap” car. The first Formula 1 driver to get behind the wheel of the Suzuki Liana, Damon Hill inaugurated the specific ranking of Formula 1 drivers, which has since included Nigel Mansell, Rubens Barrichello, and Sebastian Vettel.
Lewis Hamilton had already participated in the show in December 2007, completing an excellent lap in 1:44.7 on a wet and slightly oily track. However, being a competitor at heart, the Briton asked to return to the show in order to make another attempt on a dry track. The best time of 1:44.0 set by Sebastian Vettel in July 2011 only increased his determination to tackle the now-famous Top Gear track again: « [Sebastian] has had the best car for a few years and he’s also the fastest in Top Gear, so I’m sure all the drivers [would be annoyed]. I remember when Rubens Barrichello set the best time, we went to the driver’s briefing at the German Grand Prix, and he was wearing a t-shirt that said, “I beat the Stig [the show’s iconic driver, ed.],” and he gave us ones that said: “The Stig beat me! »
Finally, Lewis Hamilton got his way, and after recording his lap a few months ago, he finally discovered that he had beaten Sebastian Vettel’s best time by achieving a remarkable time of 1:42.9 on this 2.82km-long circuit: « I am really surprised! I’ve been waiting for months, and you didn’t want to tell me. I would have been really disappointed in myself if I hadn’t set a good time. »
Questioned by Jeremy Clarkson, one of the three hosts of the show, the Brit also discussed the reasons for his move to Mercedes after six years spent in the McLaren fold: « It’s a big change for me, obviously, but I’m very excited. Everyone criticized [this choice], everyone formed an opinion but, for me… I’ve been with McLaren since I was 13, it’s a long time: I wanted to change, I’m someone who takes risks. »
If he confirmed that he would do significantly fewer promotional days with Mercedes than with McLaren, he primarily claims to have taken on a challenge: There are so many good things in the opportunity to join a team experiencing difficulties and, hopefully, to be part of something great. Michael [Schumacher] did it a few years ago with Ferrari, and there’s no other driver who has really done that, so I want to do something like that.
Lucid about his short-term chances, Lewis Hamilton is not overly optimistic when Jeremy Clarkson asks him if we can expect to see him leading the field from pole position this season: « No, we shouldn’t expect that this year! » Until that happens, the Stevenage native can always console himself with his brilliantly achieved number one spot on the Top Gear leaderboard.
Top Gear Ranking of Formula 1 Drivers:
| Pos | Driver | Time | Conditions | Broadcast |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:42.9 | Dry track | 18/02/2012 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | 1:44.0 | Dry track | 10/07/2011 |
| 3 | Rubens Barrichello | 1:44.3 | Dry track | 11/07/2010 |
| 4 | Nigel Mansell | 1:44.6 | Dry track | 11/12/2005 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:44.7 | Wet and oily track | 02/12/2007 |
| 6 | Jenson Button | 1:44.7 | Dry track | 30/07/2006 |
| 7 | Jenson Button | 1.44.9 | Wet and snowy track | 20/12/2009 |
| 8 | Kimi Räikkönen | 1:46.1 | Very wet track | 11/03/2012 |
| 9 | Damon Hill | 1:46.3 | Dry track | 26/06/2005 |
| 10 | Mark Webber | 1:47.1 | Extremely wet track | 31/07/2005 |
| 11 | Michael Schumacher | No time | Lost his way | 21/06/2009 |
