F1 driver LEWIS HAMILTON said that his World Championship win "was the most important of his career after matching childhood hero" AYRTON SENNA's three titles, according to Andrew Benson of the BBC. Hamilton won the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, "after a late error" by Mercedes teammate NICO ROSBERG. Hamilton said, "The last two times were really climactic in the last race. This one still feels just as special if not more special. It has kind of topped last year for me -- it's equaling Ayrton." Senna -- widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver in history -- "won three titles before his death" in '94. Hamilton said that "his career aim had always been to match the achievements of the great Brazilian, who was killed in a crash in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix" (BBC, 10/25). In London, David Coulthard wrote now for some people who watched Senna, even putting Hamilton in the same sentence as him "is offensive." They "think Senna was untouchable." Well, "it is my opinion -- even if some people find it offensive -- that Hamilton is the Senna of this era." Of course, "we are not comparing apples with apples." But if you look over a 10-year period in this sport, "all the best guys seem to engineer themselves into the best cars, are always able to outperform their team-mates, and are considered the class of the field." Therefore Hamilton "joins the list of very greats," from JUAN MANUEL FANGIO, JIM CLARK, JACKIE STEWART, Senna, ALAIN PROST, MICHAEL SCHUMACHER and so on. They "are the class of their respective fields" (TELEGRAPH, 10/26).
