https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/140820...schumacher
Hamilton changed Formula 1 reference like Senna and Schumacher.
Lewis Hamilton reached a "surreal level" in 2018 that was similar to how Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna changed the "reference" for Formula 1 drivers, says Ross Brawn.
Hamilton wrapped up a fifth world title this year with a season that featured a joint-personal best tally of 11 wins from 21 races, despite increased opposition from Ferrari and, late on, Red Bull.
F1 managing director of motorsport Brawn highlighted Hamilton's "quite exceptional" pole lap in Singapore, where Mercedes was expected to be third-best before Hamilton topped qualifying and won, as an example of the British driver raising the bar in 2018.
"Sometimes you get a driver who finds the performance you just don't expect," Brawn told Autosport/Motorsport.com. "There are a couple of occasions, particularly in qualifying, when Lewis did that.
"He just took people's breath away. Those are the things you look at, and you just don't know where the performance comes from.
"Everyone thinks they know what the reference is and suddenly the driver does something that changes the reference.
"I was fortunate to see that sometimes in Michael Schumacher. We saw it with drivers like [Ayrton] Senna. And I think we saw that on a couple of occasions with Lewis this year.
"Those are the things you remember because as an engineer, you almost can't work out where it's come from.
"When a man holds you round the throat, I don't think he has come to apologise"
Ayrton Senna on Nigel Mansell, SPA 1987.