Stewart comes back after irritation at Hamilton: 'You just can't say that'

Stewart returns

In an earlier interview Jackie Stewart said that he has a lot of respect for Lewis Hamilton, but he did not want to compare it to the greats of yesteryear. According to Stewart, drivers like Juan Manuel Fangio and Jim Clark are much bigger heroes. Hamilton himself could not appreciate those statements and said he found it incomprehensible that there was so little respect.

However, in conversation with PA News Agency, Stewart comes back to that. ''I'm not trying to take Lewis down because I have enormous respect for his achievements. He is the best racer of his time and I am sorry that he feels that way. What good is it going to do me to take him down? I'm 81 years old," said the Scot.

Fangio versus Hamilton

''I was asked if he is the best of all time and I find that very difficult. I think that was Juan Manuel Fangio, followed by Jim Clark, but the question is whether you can say that. They are different generations. Lewis is the best of his generation and not to undermine his generation, but that achievement is different from that of Niki Lauda, Jim Clark or Graham Hill."

''Lewis' performance is great and he may be the best driver the world has seen in a long time. His decision to go from McLaren to Mercedes was great and I take my hat off to that. However, he is better than Fangio who became world champion five times with four different teams. Or is he better than Jim Clark or Michael Schumacher? You just can't say that," Stewart adds.