7 years of Championship wins (compared)

[NathanOlder]

Michael's 7 and Lewis' 7 comparison

(I double checked all my numbers, if anyone spots a mistake, let me know and I will edit)

So with 7 titles each I wanted to have a better look at how the 2 of them compare when you really look at the numbers. The numbers compared to their teammates, and the strength of those team mates.

So I first looked at Michael's 7.

1994
Michael (wins - 8 (57%), podiums - 10 (71%) , pts - 92 (65%) )
Team mate(s)
JJ Lehto, Jos Verstappen ,Johnny Herbert (wins - 0 (0%), podiums - 2 (11%) , pts - 11 (6%) )
1995
Michael (wins - 9 (52%), podiums - 11 (64%) , pts - 102 (60%) )
Johnny Herbert (wins - 2 (11%), podiums - 4 (23%) , pts - 45 (26%) )
2000
Michael (wins - 9 (52%), podiums - 12 (70%) , pts - 108 (63%) )
Rubens Barrichello (wins - 1 (6%), podiums - 9 (52%) , pts - 62 (36%) )
2001
Michael (wins - 9 (52%), podiums - 14 (82%) , pts - 123 (72%) )
Rubens Barrichello (wins - 0 (0%), podiums - 10 (58%) , pts - 56 (33%) )
2002
Michael (wins - 11 (64%), podiums - 17 (100%) , pts - 144 (84%) )
Rubens Barrichello (wins - 4 (23%), podiums - 10 (58%) , pts - 77 (45%) )
2003
Michael (wins - 6 (37%), podiums - 8 (50%) , pts - 93 (58%) )
Rubens Barrichello (wins - 2 (12%), podiums - 8 (50%) , pts - 65 (40%) )
2004
Michael (wins - 13 (72%), podiums - 15 (83%) , pts - 148 (82%) )
Rubens Barrichello (wins - 2 (11%), podiums - 14 (77%) , pts - 114 (63%) )

Now for Lewis' 7 titles

2008
Lewis (wins - 5 (27%), podiums - 10 (55%) , pts - 98 (54%) )
Heikki Kovalainen (wins - 1 (5%), podiums - 3 (16%) , pts - 53 (29%) )
2014
Lewis (wins - 11 (57%), podiums - 16 (84%) , pts - 384 (76%) )
Nico Rosberg (wins - 5 (26%), podiums - 15 (78%) , pts - 317 (63%) )
2015
Lewis (wins - 10 (52%), podiums - 17 (89%) , pts - 381 (80%) )
Nico Rosberg (wins - 6 (31%), podiums - 15 (78%) , pts - 322 (67%) )
2017
Lewis (wins - 9 (45%), podiums - 13 (65%) , pts - 363 (72%) )
Valtteri Bottas (wins - 3 (15%), podiums - 13 (65%) , pts - 305 (61%) )
2018
Lewis (wins - 11 (52%), podiums - 17 (80%) , pts - 408 (77%) )
Valtteri Bottas (wins - 0 (0%), podiums - 7 (33%) , pts - 247 (47%) )
2019
Lewis (wins - 11 (52%), podiums - 17 (80%) , pts - 413 (75%) )
Valtteri Bottas (wins - 4 (19%), podiums - 15 (71%) , pts - 326 (59%) )
2020
Lewis (wins - 11 (64%), podiums - 14 (82%) , pts - 347 (78%) )
Valtteri Bottas (wins - 2 (11%), podiums - 11 (64%) , pts - 223 (50%) )

Now I looked at the full time team mates during the title years and their F1 careers to see how they stacked up against other drivers.

Schumacher teamed up with full time with

Johnny Herbert
beat- Alex Zanardi, Mika Salo.
lost- Mika Hakkinen, Heinz Harold Frentzen, Jean Alesi, Rubens Barrichello, Eddie Irvine.

Rubens Barrichello
beat- Eddie Irvine, Martin Brundle, Jan Magnussen, Johnny Herbert, Jenson Button, Nico Hulkenberg, Pastor Maldonado.
lost- Jenson Button x 2.

Hamilton teamed up with

Heikki Kovalainen
beat- Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli.
lost- Jarno Trulli, Vitaly Petrov.

Nico Rosberg
beat- Alex Wurz, Kazuki Nakajima x 2, Michael Schumacher x 3.
lost- Mark Webber

Valtteri Bottas
beat- Pastor Maldonado, Felipe Massa x 3
lost- none.

After looking at the 5 drivers above, its clear Herbert looks the weakest of the 5. I didnt realise that Heikki beat both of Alonso's championship team mates. Bottas isn't as bad as people want us to belive. Rubens was good but not at Buttons level and Rosberg wasn't a fast starter in his career with being beaten by Webber in his rookie year but was only beat by Lewis after that year.

Wins in a car that either Michael or Lewis won a title.

Nico - 11 (28%)
Rubens - 9 (10%)
Valterri - 9 (11%)
Herbert - 2 (10%)
Kovalainen - 1 (5%)
Jos/JJ Lehto - 0 (0%)

Nico Rosberg was clearly the best of the team mates, by quite some distance. Then Rubens, Bottas and Herbert all look very closely matched.
Average throughout the 7yrs

Michael (wins - 65 (55%), podiums - 87 (74%) , points available - (69%) )
Lewis (wins - 68 (49%), podiums - 104 (76%) , points available - (73%) )

I was surprised just how close these numbers were. Percentages tell a more detailed story, and they were very very close indeed.

Michael's Team mate (wins - 11 (9%), podiums - 57 (47%) , points available - (35%) )
Lewis' Team mate (wins - 21 (15%), podiums - 79 (57%) , points available - (53%) )

Michael and Team mate winning percentage 64% !
Lewis and Team mate winning percentage 64% !

Conclusion

Both Lewis and Michael dominated over a period like no other driver has done before. The largest gap in percentages between the 2 over the 7 years was 6% and that was Michael winning 6% more races than Lewis. So one could argue Michael won more often and therfore the era we are currently in , is no more 'boring' than the Ferrari era in 2000's. Michael and his team mate won 64% of the races during his championship years, which is exactly the same percentage as Lewis and his team mate in his championship years. One small difference I see is when Michael had more battles from other teams, Lewis had more battles from within the team. One thing I'm not sur on is how many team mates Michael had that were allowed to actually try and beat him. I remember hearing Coulthard say he didnt want to join Ferrari in 96 to play number 2 and Herbert has mentioned a few times he wasnt allowed to beat Michael from day 1, how true this is I dont know. Kovalainen and Bottas have been made to look very bad, but one example is Kovalainen in his rookie year beat his team mate Fisichella. He also drew in his 2 years next to Trulli, both drivers who were team mates to Alonso in Renaults winning years. So Kovalainen wasn't as weak as he looked against Lewis. Rubens also had a very good record away from Michael. Rubens was only beaten by Michael and Jenson in his F1 career. Bottas came in as a rookie and beat Maldonado and then beat Massa 3yrs running. No bad driver would be able to do this. Bottas has now had a beating for 4yrs running and probably needs a team change. Like Felipe, he had to get out and start fresh.

So to me it seems the 2 drivers are very similar, if people are bored of the current era, then they must have been bored of the Ferrari era or they simply didnt watch the Ferrari era. Both sets of fans would have loved watching their team/driver dominate but for the neutrals unfortunately not so much. Keep looking forward to 2022, because once the new rules and regulations come in to play I can see a big mix up in the order and some intense close battling, and hopefully the world will be back to a more normal routine!

Hope these numbers are an interesting read for you guys, it has certainly raised a few surprises for me, and also gone some way to confirm to myself that the 2 drivers in question have a very similar story on the race track.

[Just_a_fan]

So to me it seems the 2 drivers are very similar, if people are bored of the current era, then they must have been bored of the Ferrari era or they simply didnt watch the Ferrari era. Both sets of fans would have loved watching their team/driver dominate but for the neutrals unfortunately not so much. Keep looking forward to 2022, because once the new rules and regulations come in to play I can see a big mix up in the order and some intense close battling, and hopefully the world will be back to a more normal routine!

I did find the Schumacher/Ferrari period boring at the time, and I have found bits of the current era boring too. Generally, it's the other stuff going on in the field that makes the races interesting. In the early 2000s the coverage away from the front end was often pretty dire. I remember lap after lap of seeing Michael/Rubens circulating with little idea of what was going on further back. Today, the coverage is much better in that regard and we often have periods where you could forget who was at the front as the coverage is of battles further back. The only way you know who's leading is by the leader board stripe at the side of the screen. And those who have access to the full F1 TV package get huge amounts of stuff that adds to the enjoyment - well, it would for me if I was allowed to have it and it wasn't blocked in the UK by Sky's contract.

Having sat through the early 2000s, defended F1 against claims that it's boring "because everyone knows Schumacher will win", etc., I can certainly sympathise with those who find the current situation hard to swallow. I can certainly agree that more racing at the front would make for a more interesting sport all round. I'd love to see more races like Hungary 2019 where two drivers take different approaches and we see a good period of "will he, won't he?", edge of the seat stuff. Great driving by two drivers at the top of their game. And if Hamilton is beaten by Max or Charles etc., then so be it.

[Starscreamer]

I love the Ferrari 2000-2004 time
I hate the Mercedes 2014-2020 time

Maybe because I like Ferrari/Schumacher

So in my opinion Schumacher is the better one.
2x wc Benneton
5x wc Ferrari
1997 & 1998 almost wc in a worse car compare to the champioen that year
He works harder to get Ferrari to the top.

[PlatinumZealot]

Ok. I dont understand what the percentages are for in the OP

[Just_a_fan]

I love the Ferrari 2000-2004 time
I hate the Mercedes 2014-2020 time

Maybe because I like Ferrari/Schumacher

So in my opinion Schumacher is the better one.
2x wc Benneton
5x wc Ferrari
1997 & 1998 almost wc in a worse car compare to the champioen that year
He works harder to get Ferrari to the top.

That's the problem with any of these comparisons. There is always a subjective view and this is the one that is argued over. The idea that one driver worked harder, the other doesn't etc. No one outside of the teams knows the reality of each driver, and almost none will be able to compare both at their height in each team from first hand experience. So we get fans arguing that one is better than the other "because of...".

The OP is a statistical comparison and thus should be applauded even though some will say the statistics are wrong "because...".

[El Scorchio]

I love the Ferrari 2000-2004 time
I hate the Mercedes 2014-2020 time

Maybe because I like Ferrari/Schumacher

So in my opinion Schumacher is the better one.
2x wc Benneton
5x wc Ferrari
1997 & 1998 almost wc in a worse car compare to the champioen that year
He works harder to get Ferrari to the top.

That's the problem with any of these comparisons. There is always a subjective view and this is the one that is argued over. The idea that one driver worked harder, the other doesn't etc. No one outside of the teams knows the reality of each driver, and almost none will be able to compare both at their height in each team from first hand experience. So we get fans arguing that one is better than the other "because of...".

The OP is a statistical comparison and thus should be applauded even though some will say the statistics are wrong "because...".

Well, kudos to Starscreamer for being honest right away about his point of view though and why he's not likely to feel objective about it. I think if more people had that level of honesty there would be a lot less hostility and more understanding on these sorts of threads.

[dans79]

Well, kudos to Starscreamer for being honest right away about his point of view though and why he's not likely to feel objective about it. I think if more people had that level of honesty there would be a lot less hostility and more understanding on these sorts of threads.

I concur!

[Just_a_fan]

Well, kudos to Starscreamer for being honest right away about his point of view though and why he's not likely to feel objective about it. I think if more people had that level of honesty there would be a lot less hostility and more understanding on these sorts of threads.

Oh, indeed so. I agree with you entirely. My point wasn't aimed at Starscreamer but rather about the subjective nature of these discussions in general. My apologies to Starscreamer if it came across as a dig at him/her.

[hollus]

Nathan, impressive that you bothered to collect all those numbers in a cold distant way and even more amazing that the overall numbers look so equal! Think that any given random blown tire or spin gone 1 cm too far or front wing contact gone 1 cm too short to make damage, any 1st lap tangle from 8th, can change the season's result by 5% of its races...

I remember seeing the Schumi era as uber-predictable (at least the 2000s), and now thinking the same of many of the last seasons... now it is clear why!
Thanks for sharing.

[Manoah2u]

I love the Ferrari 2000-2004 time
I hate the Mercedes 2014-2020 time

i'll mention for a moment the 'obvious' that somehow isn't that 'obvious'.

The general public /F1 fans hated the 2000-2004 time.
Why? because Schumacher was "uber-dominant".

this is the same as to how the 'general public/F1 fans' right now 'dont' really enjoy F1 right now,
as you obviously state in your post.

It's because it's happening now. in 10, 15 years, people will look back and concider how
impressive the achievements are which Merc is wheeling in.

Likewise with Vettel & RedBull.
It was impressive, but at some point people didn't really like it anymore.

Either way, it's just how the dice rolls. If we're lucky, we get some 'in betweens' where a few different contenders are able to fight for the championship in different teams and cars without either being dominant.

This, for example, is why, in the recent times, 2005-2010 was so 'great'. you might include 2004 and 2011 with that.
Alonso broke Schumacher's stride, a new champion.
2006, Again Alonso, but it was still fun.

Now if 2007 also saw Alonso win that WDC, this would have been interesting because Alonso WAS NOT in a Benetton/Renault anymore. Instead, it was Kimi in the Ferrari that took home the crown.
Another driver champion!
And not just that, it was between Alonso, Raikkonen, Hamilton and Massa.

2008, despite it being a 4-way fight it really came down to Hamilton and Massa.
Meaning, we were going to get another NEW champion.

It turned out to be Lewis, and thanks to all these variables F1 could be concidered more 'fun' or 'exciting' at that time.

Then came 2009, rule revision, and surprise o surprise, it was not what was to be expected, it was BrawnGP and Button that took the crown, but it also brought in another new player into the mix: Vettel with RedBull.

so then came 2010, and unfortunately BrawnGP was 'gone' but transformed into Mercedes which had a lot of work cut out. I'll ignore Schumi's return.

However, Vettel and RedBull were strong, but suddenly there's also Alonso back in the mix with Ferrari, and more or less Hamilton with Mclaren. Exciting!

2011 however, despite having some interesting races and efforts, saw the combo Vettel-RedBull being dominant, and it became a 'predictable loop' fast.

2000-2004 was, with the exception of 2003 being a bit closer, a dominant Schumacher. It got predictable.
In no way does that undermine the efforts that Ferrari and Schumacher did though, but nobody 'noticed' that due to the 'predictability' of it.

Either way, Mercedes' dominance will eventually end.
Perhaps 2021 will be the last, and 2022 will see a return of 'change'.
With a bit of luck, we are going to get some 2005-2010 type of excitement with a bunch of new players in the mix.
I would not be shocked by such a scenario (i would be excited though), and i would also not be too shocked to then see 2026/2027 with a renewed engine format to see another team start 'dominating'.

The OP's post however is interesting as it shows how close Michael and Lewis are with their 'achievements'.

What to take from this is just how exciting it probably would be to take

Schumacher, in his prime, with his Benetton and Ferrari streaks,

and to then 'freeze him in time' essentially,

then take

Hamilton, in his prime (which is now) - with his Mclaren and Mercedes streaks,

and then, to 'unfreeze' Schumacher from time, and have him not aged one bit, but still in the same prime hamilton is in right now, and have Michael also drive a competitive Ferrari,

and put Schumacher in a Ferrari vs Hamilton in a Mercedes, and see how that bows out.

It will unfortunately never happen, for obvious reasons. And it's also the way things unfortunately go always.

Still, these stats were very interesting, so thanks OP.