The best of all-time? Lewis Hamilton breaks Michael Schumacher's Formula 1 wins record
Lewis Hamilton has the most victories of any driver in Formula 1 history.
Hamilton won his 92nd grand prix on Sunday in Portugal to break a tie with Michael Schumacher for the most career F1 wins. Hamilton started on pole but quickly lost the lead as his tires didn’t warm up amid cool temperatures and a few raindrops at the Algarve International Circuit.
But Hamilton quickly found grip in his tires and the track and chased down teammate Valtteri Bottas. Once he passed Bottas about a third of the way through the race, Hamilton cruised to the checkered flag.
It’s Hamilton’s eighth win of the season through 12 races. He’s also well on his way to a fourth consecutive and seventh overall Formula 1 world championship.
Is Hamilton the best driver ever?
There aren’t too many drivers who have a legitimate case to be called the best driver of all-time. In our GOAT series earlier this year we deemed Mario Andretti the best driver ever over Hamilton and Schumacher.
That conversation is different now that Hamilton has the most wins of any driver in the world’s premier auto racing series and is about to tie Schumacher for the most F1 titles ever.
Andretti’s resume will never be matched in a modern era of specificity. Andretti is the only driver to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and a Formula 1 title. But athletes get better with every passing year and it’s fair to consider that with Hamilton’s sheer dominance of F1.
Yeah, Hamilton’s Mercedes team is far and away the best in F1 this season. But Hamilton has won 92 races in just 262 starts and has a record 97 pole positions. His car control and tire preservation in modern F1 is unmatched by any driver. Hamilton almost always performs his best when the pressure is the highest.
He’s also been exceptional in a tumultuous 2020 where he’s assumed the role as a social leader in auto racing. As the most high-profile driver in the world — and the only Black driver in F1 — Hamilton has used his platform to promote racial justice. Hamilton routinely wears a shirt that says “Black Lives Matter” before races and even spoke out for justice for Kentucky’s Breonna Taylor after winning in Italy in September.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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