After Sunday’s race at the Nurburgring, the realization dawned that Lewis Hamilton had entered a new level of greatness. He had just equaled the legendary Michael Schumacher’s all-time record.

91 career race victories are obviously no joke, but Hamilton has made the impossible seem perfectly possible. Keeping all the signs in mind, he will not stop there; for a century of wins is right around the corner.

But records and numbers are one thing, and pure driving intellect and ability are another. The latter is exactly where Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel believes that Michael Schumacher was the best he ever saw.

Sebastian Vettel thinks ‘hero’ Schumacher had great karting ability

There is not an iota of a doubt that Michael Schumacher blitzed and often dominated races. From a very young age, he showed flickers of brilliance and the making of a true champion.

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Vettel weighed in on the matter to discuss the attributes that made the former Ferrari great special. He stated, “I think if you saw him go karting, obviously I didn’t see him at a young age.

“But I did at an older age, and I was happy to join him in the Race of Champions a couple of times. So you see a little bit more of the skills and the car control.

“And both the karting experience and the Race of Champions experience, I think [showed] he had a natural ability. That, as I said, I haven’t seen with anyone else so far.

“On top of that, he had an incredible work ethic, but I think it’s the combination of the two that for me stands out. I haven’t seen a match yet.”

Schumacher was one of a kind and has always been Vettel’s idol

It was roughly when Vettel had started karting as a young boy that Schumacher joined Benetton to make his F1 debut. The 4-time World Champion driver grew up watching and admiring the way the German phenom raced on different tracks.

The fact that Schumacher had an excellent work ethic is no secret, it inspired many to instill that aspect in themselves on their journey to becoming a successful F1 driver.

And while Michael mentored Sebastian Vettel during his karting days, a new pair could blossom. Vettel now has the opportunity to mentor Michael’s son Mick, who is looking to dip his toes in the turbulent waters of the pinnacle of motorsports.