Hamilton haters should let him live his legacy
Lewis Hamilton is poised to outstrip his idol Ayrton Senna in some key Formula 1 statistics in 2017, but achieving the sort of adulation that Senna did seems impossible for him - and it's hard to see why
Greatness divides opinion, then judgement softens in time and the darker sides of the greats fade. That process is accelerated by a tragic conclusion - in motorsport, such examples include the late James Hunt, Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna, and the seriously injured Michael Schumacher.
Perceptions change in such circumstances. The old saying 'you don't know what you have until it's gone' springs to mind, a phenomenon modern Formula 1 is currently experiencing with Lewis Hamilton. But a driver should not have to die to be fully appreciated.
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