It’s official: after Sunday’s F1 victory, Lewis Hamilton has now scored the same amount of professional race victories as the iconic Michael Schumacher (91 wins). This staggering accomplishment might not be a shock to many F1 fans, who have followed the promising career of Hamilton since his youth, but the man himself even seems to be surprised by the enormous amount of success he has achieved.
Hamilton said “Seeing his [Schumacher’s] dominance for so long and I don't think anyone - especially me - thought we would get close to this record.” Ultimately though, Hamilton will press on, and continue to write his name in the F1 record books, as he chases the illustrious championship once again.
The Mercedes Team member made absolutely sure to thank his team for whom he claimed “none of this would have been possible without”. He was also gifted one of Schumacher's old helmets by the icon’s son Mick, who was competing for the first time as well.
The Schumacher family congratulated Hamilton saying "Big congrats, an impressive achievement of a great driver. We cannot deny we would have loved for Michael to hold those records, but as he always used to say: records are there to be broken."
Hamilton’s achievement is hard to comprehend for so many, and that’s why he received such high praise and recognition yesterday. His dedication, passion and energy towards racing has led him to a chorus of successes that many sports stars would only dream of. His determination to be the best is seemingly unrivalled, and the challenge of remaining on top has been one he has relished for many years now.
The win for Hamilton extended his lead to 69 points in the race for the overall season title, and he’s not looking back, as he sets his sights on even more outrageous achievements. His calm demeanor behind the wheel and experience has now enabled him to continue to storm to new heights, and as his father claims “this re-invention of Lewis is what's most impressive”.
It’s often said that records are made to be broken, and it feels like it’s just a matter of time before Lewis Hamilton pulls away and makes his own records. His dominance, perseverance and ambitious attitude has led him to unprecedented heights.
And here at TrackDays, we’re almost certain we’re going to see the Brit atop the podium numerous more times, extending Schumacher's record beyond what many thought possible. That ladies and gentlemen, is the power of Mr Hamilton behind the wheel and that still looks to be the future of racing even at 36 years young.