[Other Sport] Lewis Hamilton the greatest living British sportsman?

[Icy Gull]

I'm sure Phillip Hughes' family would say that's a bit unfair

Freak accident, F1 and motor racing crashes are par for the course, but fine go ahead and compare them

 

[Beach Hut]

Tyson Fury ?

Personally I would say Redgrave, amazing achievement to be the best for 20 years.

 

[Madafwo]

I'll throw Chris Hoy in to the mix, not that I don't think Hamilton is great, because I do, but Sir Chris has done it across two sports as well, winning at both Cycling and Motor Racing.

You just need to look at the result yesterday to see that it isn't just a case of he's in the best machine so of course he is going to win, to beat your team mate by such a margin and lap all bar 3 other cars at a track you've not raced can't be easy.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Monaco actually for Hamilton I believe. But yes, hard to admire someone as a British Sportsman when they are living elsewhere for tax purposes.

So he only lives in Monaco for the tax, not the weather, luxury, or where many of his F1 mates live, including the likes of Jensen Button and David Coultard. As it happens, Hamilton apparently pays tax in 20 different countries including the UK. I don't remember anyone complaining that Jackie Stewart lived in Switzerland, Mansell on the Isle or Man or Jersey?

 

[Is it PotG?]

I don't remember anyone complaining that Jackie Stewart lived in Switzerland, Mansell on the Isle or Man or Jersey?

I do, Twitter was in meltdown.

 

[Weststander]

Love them all. Never falling for the binary thinking ‘I must hate a British great‘ spite.

Redgrave, Fury, Hamilton, A.Murray, Farah, Faldo.

 

[withdeanwombat]

For me, no.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Nick Faldo, British pah...he lives in the US. British best sportsmen for British residents only thanks. Allegedly.

 

[Madafwo]

Andy Murray – another Monaco tax dodger!!

He hasn't won anything in a while so can we please stop calling him British, I thought we had to call him Scottish when he lost?

 

[strings]

I am surprised Chris Froome hasn't been mentioned yet. The dominant rider of his generation in his sport - no Brit had ever won a cycling grand tour at the beginning of the 2010's. Over the decade, he won 7 out of 30. At one point he was the reigning champion of all three grand tours - a very rarely achieved feat (and the first rider to do this under the 'modern' calendar).

*Yes I know, he isn't British born (but both his parents are British) and I know he lives in Monaco. But he does compete under the British flag, ride for a British team, and he will go down as one of the all time greats in his sport.

 

[Bold Seagull]

He hasn't won anything in a while so can we please stop calling him British, I thought we had to call him Scottish when he lost?

He still lives in the UK, I jumped the gun, the post was up for 5 secs but you somehow had Hamilton like speed to reply to it!

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

To say of Hamilton: "some of the things he comes out with don’t do him him any favours" and then not say the same of Tyson Fury is quite something.

I'm also fairly certain we'll never see Hamilton getting his todger out on social media either, unlike another nominee for the OP's list of greatest ever British Sportsman.

 

[MattBackHome]

I'm also fairly certain we'll never see Hamilton getting his todger out on social media either, unlike another nominee for the OP's list of greatest ever British Sportsman.

Well quite.

I will say that I don't particularly care about their extra-sport antics when I'm gauging who is the best of the best - I'm happy enough just to look at their sporting endeavours; it just seems a bit hypocritical of some people to focus on the perceived twattery of one person and not some others. It's almost as if there were something unspoken behind it.

 

[The Clamp]

Not for me. Boring sport, boring person.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Sport is not done sitting down.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Sport is not done sitting down.

Well that's Hamilton, Redgrave, Froome and Hoy out then.

Phil Taylor and Steve Davis are still in the running though

 

[Braggfan]

I think it's very hard to compare the achievements of people competing in different sports across different time periods. I also think its debatable about whether the 'whole package' is a factor. Arguably the greatest sportsmen need the edge that comes with being a bit nasty to make them ruthless enough to be 'great' in the field.

I do think Lewis Hamilton is criminally underrated though. I think outside of F1 fans his achievements get dismissed far too easily, when actually what he has done is really quite incredible.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Anything you can perform in your slippers is NOT a sport.

 

[AK74]

Jonathan Rea has just won his 6th superbike world championship. Like LH, he also holds the record for the highest number of race wins (304 starts, 99 wins).

He's managed to do this without preaching his views to all and sundry, airbrushing his past or adopting a faux American accent.

 

[highflyer]

So he only lives in Monaco for the tax, not the weather, luxury, or where many of his F1 mates live, including the likes of Jensen Button and David Coultard. As it happens, Hamilton apparently pays tax in 20 different countries including the UK. I don't remember anyone complaining that Jackie Stewart lived in Switzerland, Mansell on the Isle or Man or Jersey?

Yes I am sure they all live there for the tax benefits. It's no conicidence they live there and not somewhere which would give all the same advantages minus the opprtunity to reduce taxes. Attitudes to rich people avoiding tax have changed considerably since Stewart or Mansell. For the better I think, as the public have wised up to what is going on.

I'd imagine F1 is a bit of a bubble, within which finding ways to avoid paying tax would be seen as normal. Here's another little tax dodge by Hamilton, but I am sure he is not alone, this one just came out in the leaks:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41886607