Felipe Massa thinks Lewis Hamilton will fully deserve his place among the true F1 greats if he wins a fourth world championship.
Although he starts Sunday’s US grand prix from pole, Mercedes’ Hamilton thinks it’s "unlikely" another win will be enough to wrap up the title with a full three races to go.
But if it does happen on Sunday, F1 veteran Massa says the Briton will deserve it.
"Lewis is definitely one of the best drivers in formula one history," the Brazilian is quoted by Kolner Express newspaper.
"He is on a level with Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna," added Massa, who was Schumacher’s teammate at Ferrari in 2006.
Hamilton’s former McLaren teammate, Jenson Button, agrees with Massa that Hamilton deserves the 2017 title.
"He deserves it totally," he is quoted by France’s L’Equipe.
"Ferrari has had some problems and made some mistakes, so it’s a shame for Vettel, but Lewis has been doing a great job for a number of seasons."