British driver Lewis Hamilton has equaled legend Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins in Formula One as unbeatable.
Hamilton matched Schumacher’s record at Germany’s Eifel Grand Prix on Sunday, October 11, 2020.
Schumacher’s son Mick presented Hamilton with one of his father’s old helmets after the British driver earned a record-equaling 91st win.
“Seeing his dominance, I don’t think anyone, and especially me, didn’t imagine that I’d be anywhere near Michael in terms of records so it’s an incredible honor and it’s going to take some time to get used to,” Hamilton said, adding that he used to choose Schumacher as his character in a video game.
🏁🇩🇪🏆 Lewis Hamilton wins the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix!
He equals Michael Schumacher's all-time win record with his 91st career victory. It's his seventh win of 2020 and his second win at the Nurburgring #F1 pic.twitter.com/rWpMAJbhW2
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) October 11, 2020
“That number’s so big and when it’s so far away it’s hard for people to perhaps fully understand how hard it was for him to go those 91 wins, to deliver weekend in and weekend out, year on year on year and stay so physically in shape and so precise. So I understand that now more than ever,” Hamilton said.
“And I can only tell you that it doesn’t get easier from your first win to 91st. I’m telling you, it’s been a long, hard run.”
Schumacher has required constant care since he sustained severe head injuries in an accident while skiing in 2013.
Hamilton also took a big step closer to matching Schumacher’s record of seven titles, too, after his teammate Valtteri Bottas failed to finish with an engine problem. Hamilton now leads the championship by 69 points with six races to go.
Hamilton took the win by 4.5 seconds from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with third for Daniel Ricciardo in Renault’s first podium finish since 2011.
