Lewis Hamilton is a better driver than both Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.

That is the claim of Eddie Irvine, who is perhaps best known in Formula 1 for having been Schumacher's teammate at Ferrari between 1996 and 1999.

"Hamilton is the best ever driver," he is quoted by Germany's RTL. "Much better than Schumacher wheel to wheel, much better than Senna."

Irvine explained that in stark contrast to Sebastian Vettel, new six-time world champion Hamilton is "only very rarely involved in accidents".

And he said seven-time champion Schumacher made "many mistakes", including controversial title-deciding clashes with Damon Hill in 1994 and Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.

Irvine said Hamilton is therefore the "cleanest" F1 great "in a very long time".

However, when considering the fastest ever driver in Formula 1 history, Irvine gave that crown to Schumacher.

"For sheer speed, Michael was one of a kind. He was so damn fast. There was never anybody who could match his speed," he said. "It was incredible to be his teammate."