Lewis Hamilton is the best: Felipe Massa

Former F1 star Felipe Massa believes Mercedes champ Hamilton can be the greatest of all time as Brit looks to seal seventh world title this weekend

Lewis Hamilton can seal a record-equalling seventh drivers' world title, position himself to be "best of the best" and set up long-awaited negotiations for a new Mercedes contract at this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix. The Briton needs only to prevent his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas outscoring him by eight points to retain his crown and, in the eyes of many including former Ferrari rival Felipe Massa, move on to become the most successful in F1 history.

A seventh championship would draw him level with Massa's erstwhile Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher for titles, but with the record for wins, poles and podiums, as well as consecutive points finishes, he will in many eyes already be the "greatest of all time". Brazilian Massa, who himself missed out on a title triumph when Hamilton claimed his first in Sao Paulo in 2008, has no doubt that the Englishman, whose contract expires later this year, will deserve that soubriquet and a salary to match it.

"Lewis can really be the best of the best and everybody will say that for years and years, or maybe decades, or whatever," he told the F1 Nation podcast. "So, I think he is just preparing his two or three-year contract, which I think he deserves. "What he is doing...He shows that he definitely deserves it — to be different to all of the other drivers in terms of everything and even in terms of salary."

Hamilton departed the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola earlier this month with an enigmatic suggestion, after his record-increasing 93rd win had secured Mercedes' unparalleled seventh consecutive constructors' championship, that he may not return to racing in 2021.

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