Formula 1 never got to experience Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton racing against each other at their peaks.

Lewis Hamilton made his debut at the beginning of the 2007 Formula 1 season, immediately after Michael Schumacher retired.

The German seven-time world champion made an unexpected comeback in 2010 with Mercedes, but in his three years with the team, he only achieved a single podium finish.

By that point, Hamilton had won his first drivers’ championship with McLaren and was quickly establishing himself as one of the sport’s fastest-ever drivers.

Hamilton impressed against Fernando Alonso in 2007 before clinching his first title the following year on the final lap of the race.

The man who missed out that day was Felipe Massa, but in Schumacher’s opinion during their title fight, he hadn’t seen enough to be convinced that Hamilton would go on to have a better career than the Brazilian.

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Michael Schumacher wasn’t convinced Lewis Hamilton was ‘better’ than Felipe Massa in 2008

Schumacher was being interviewed by BBC Sport just before the season finale of the 2008 F1 season and explained when speaking about a young Hamilton, “I really rate him very highly because I think what he has done in such a short time, just arriving, and competing last year with [Fernando] Alonso, being very often quicker, that talks for itself, quite honestly.

“But then, I’m always a little bit concerned when we talk about, is he the best, is he not the best, is he better than a Felipe Massa?

“I think you have to look at the circumstances and they’re not always very straightforward and very clear to understand from the outside.”

Schumacher was asked how Hamilton compared to him at 23 years old and continued, “I think the whole generation nowadays is more advanced in a way due to the development that they fall into.

“It’s much more professional in the lower level of Formula classes than it used to be nowadays.

“When I arrived in Formula 1, yes, telemetry was already there, but it’s nothing compared to what it is now.

“I don’t remember before I went to Mercedes, that I saw telemetry, I didn’t know what it was.”

Photo credit should read MAURICIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images

Why did Felipe Massa never win a Formula 1 world championship?

The images of Massa’s friends and family celebrating in his Ferrari garage as he crossed the line at Interlagos that year are ingrained in every Brazilian F1 fan’s brain.

Hamilton overtook Timo Glock in the final moments of the race to steal Massa’s thunder and set him on a course to go on and win more races than Schumacher.

For the Brazilian, it was the closest he ever came to becoming a Formula 1 world champion.

Hamilton once said that Schumacher was the only driver who was harder to overtake than Massa, which is an incredibly high accolade to receive.

However, Ferrari were never completely convinced that Massa was the answer to their desire to win world championships.

Alonso demanded Massa function as his number two driver and from there, despite winning 11 Grand Prix, he was never truly a championship contender.

Schumacher’s comments highlight that he certainly had the potential earlier in his career, but like so many drivers, he was unable to convert that into the required results.