Hamilton better than Senna, Schumacher

Barrichello was destroyed by Schumacher and hence has an axe to grind. He never raced against Hamilton to know.

Barrichello (L) was destroyed by Schumacher and hence has an axe to grind. He never raced against Hamilton to know.

(GMM) Lewis Hamilton may already be "even greater" than F1 legends Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

That is the view of former long-time F1 driver Rubens Barrichello, who idolized his Brazilian countryman Senna and was Schumacher's teammate at Ferrari.

"Hamilton has a talent that is possibly even greater than that of Ayrton and Schumacher," he told ESPN Brasil.

"The only thing he lacked was maturity. He has progressed on that, and today you see the final product."

Expanding on how Hamilton has improved in recent years as he matured, Barrichello said of the 35-year-old: "When I listened to the radio in Brazil, I noticed that he is incredibly calm, passing on information, saying what he does and doesn't need.

"The perfect driver would have Ayrton's skill, Schumacher's courage and Hamilton's coordination. It would be something to see!" he said.