I think it was Gunston who commented on the first flight of the Draken that the pilot had exactly half as much engine as the contemporary Lightning variant (P.1A, I think) but more fuel. That said, the Lightning yielded to no contemporary in terms of climb rate and service ceiling, the latter a factor of wing design; and the unswept ailerons seem to have been a big factor in handling. A Lightning/Crusader III fly-off would have been interesting.
When I was five years old I was frightened by a Lightning. When I was 50 I found Pprune and realized that I was not alone...