"There is no other way of explaining who the better driver is"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Kees van de Grint is, of course, known for being Bridgestone's tyre specialist at the time of the domination of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. In his younger years, however, he also worked with Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
With Schumacher, Van de Grint worked in Formula 3 and with Hamilton in karting. So he is one of the few people who can make a reasonable comparison between the two drivers. Yet he lets the statistics speak for themselves when he is asked in Formula 1 Café on Ziggo Sport who is the best of the two.
According to him Hamilton is the best for the simple reason that he has won more now. "There is no other way to explain who the best driver is. It is also a matter of taste," said Van de Grint, who by the way saw a clear difference in style between young Schumacher and young Hamilton.
Schumacher was more of a strategist at an early age
Van de Grint quotes an anecdote from a Formula 3 race where Schumacher deliberately chose not to train with the fast qualifying tyre and rather wanted to prepare for the race. "I thought that was exceptional. He was and is a strategist."
When Van de Grint accompanied the kart team with Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Hamilton opted for the fast tyre in a similar situation, while Rosberg was the one with a little more strategic insight and opted for the slower race tyre.