Lewis Hamilton could become F1's winningest driver by the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton is undeniably one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, and every victory or strong finish pushes him closer to being in a category of his own. And Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was no exception.
The six-time F1 world champion absolutely dominated, leading every single lap after starting from the pole position to win his fourth race of the season and his fifth Spanish Grand Prix overall. And with the checkered flag, Hamilton now has a record-breaking 156 career podiums finishes, surpassing Michael Schumacher’s 155 for the most in F1 history.
To put that in perspective among Hamilton’s peers, Sebastian Vettel, who finished seventh Sunday, is third with 120 podium finishes.
Afterward, Hamilton said, via the BBC:
“I was in a daze out there,” he says. “It felt really good. It was a fantastic effort from the team.
“It was a surprise because we had that problem with the tyres last weekend, but we seem to have understood it.
“I didn’t even know it was the last lap I was so zoned in. I thought for a little bit about going for a one-stop strategy.”
Now with 88 career wins, Hamilton is just three away from tying and four away from breaking Schumacher’s all-time record of 91. That means the 35-year-old Mercedes driver could become the winningest F1 racer by the end of September — though that would require him to win the next four races in a challenging but not impossible idea considering he’s won four of the last five.
And should Hamliton — who extended his lead in the F1 standings to 37 points over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on Sunday — win his seventh career F1 world championship, he’ll tie Schumacher at the top of that list as well.
Formula 1 has next weekend off before picking back up at the end of the month with the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 30.
Here’s are some fantastic photos of Hamilton’s post-race celebration from Sunday:
ALBERT GEA / POOL / AFP
Albert Gea/Pool via Getty Images
