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Lewis Hamilton clinched a record-setting seventh Formula One world title on Sunday after winning the Turkish Grand Prix despite starting sixth on the grid.
The Briton equaled Michael Schumacher’s driver crowns with three races remaining of the season.
The 35-year-old sealed his latest title with a typically measured masterclass, handling treacherous early rain conditions to claim his 94th career victory despite his unusual starting position.
A breathless Hamilton said: “I have no words. This is beyond my dreams. “
Hamilton, who sealed his first title in 2008, was adding to his list of unprecedented records: more wins with 94, more pole positions (97), more podiums (163) and more consecutive points (47).
It was widely declared one of his best wins and totally appropriate the day he drew alongside Schumacher in the record books.
He edged out his teammate and only remaining title rival, Valtteri Bottas, who finished 14th after a disjointed start, to claim his 10th win in 14 races this season.
Hamilton came home more than half a minute ahead of Sergio Perez for Racing Point. Both opted to make just one pitstop and spent most of the race on just one set of intermediate tires as their rivals pitted multiple times to cope with the slippery conditions.
Hamilton’s longtime rival, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, finished third ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and, after a wild and impulsive afternoon, Max Verstappen in the leading Red Bull.
Alex Albon came home seventh in the second Red Bull ahead of Lando Norris in the second McLaren, Lance Stroll, who had started from his first pole position for Racing Point, and Daniel Ricciardo of Renault.
This latest win gave Hamilton an unassailable lead over Bottas, with two races in Bahrain and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix closing the season to come.
Mercedes’ winner British driver Lewis Hamilton (left) celebrates alongside German Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel in third place on the podium after the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix at the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit in Istanbul on November 15, 2020. (Photo by TOLGA BOZOGLU / PISCINA / AFP)
Lewis Hamilton: ‘Not bad for a boy from a municipal farm’
The son of a black father and a white mother, whose parents separated in his youth, the 35-year-old Hamilton grew up in a municipal development. His father Anthony at one point had three jobs to fund his son’s embryonic racing career in karting.
Hamilton’s ride was no-frills and no-frills, but it was clear from a young age that he had an exceptional gift for speed and all the brave natural instincts of a born runner.
In 1995, aged 10, and wearing a jacket and shoes borrowed from his predecessor as the British Formula Cadet karting champion, he attended a glittering awards ceremony in London where he met then-McLaren boss Ron Dennis.
He asked for an autograph and said “one day I want to run for you.” Dennis replied, “Call me in nine years and I’ll fix a deal for you.”
British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix at the Intercity Istanbul Park circuit in Istanbul on November 15, 2020 (Photo by OZAN KOSE / POOL / AFP)
– ‘Mercurial, stormy’ –
Fearless, determined and individual, he came close to winning the title in his record-breaking first season as he staggered nine consecutive podiums since his Melbourne debut, shaking the establishment along the way with his speed and style.
On and off the track, he was fast, somewhat fickle and occasionally stormy, and the combination led to a fierce rivalry with his teammate and two-time McLaren champion Fernando Alonso.
That was a sign of how difficult it was for all of his future teammates, as Hamilton, who narrowly missed the 2007 title, returned to triumph in 2008 with a spectacular fifth place finish in Brazil.
He also showed frustration that McLaren did not achieve the speed necessary to beat Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull, who achieved four consecutive titles between 2010 and 2013, by which time Hamilton had gone to Mercedes.
Escaping the management regimen of Dennis and his father, Hamilton found freedom in Mercedes alongside his teammate Nico Rosberg, his friend and teenage karting rival.
This allowed Hamilton to express himself with a transatlantic lifestyle that made headlines, mixing with musicians and ‘fashionistas’.
He showed little love for the duty of obeying the conventions and, for many observers, gave his sport a welcome injection of freshness and diversity as champion again in 2014 and 2015.
Rosberg broke Hamilton’s supremacy sequence in 2016 and then retired, leaving the Englishman to dominate.
His former McLaren teammate, Jenson Button, summed up Hamilton’s sheer speed when he said: “For me, on a lap, I don’t think there is anyone as fast as Lewis and I don’t think there ever has been.”
– ‘Never satisfied’ –
That speed, which has always been a natural talent, has been allied in recent seasons with a more mature attitude in his work as team leader.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff once summed up: “He’s never satisfied. He never settles. He’s never happy with where he is as a racing driver and as a human being. “
Having accomplished so much as his sport’s best-known ambassador, Hamilton’s interest in social issues has emerged with increasing frequency.
Last season, she began to express her concern for the environment and revealed a fleeting despair for the state of the world when she took to Instagram to declare the planet a “messy place” and felt she wanted to “give up.”
That comment, including revelations about his vegan lifestyle, led to the man who frequently used private jets and was in a sport little known for his green credentials to be accused of hypocrisy.
“I’m only human,” he replied. “Like everyone else, we have high and low days. That’s what I’ve really been trying to convey. “
This year has seen him push for more diversity in the paddock, a boost sparked by his vocal support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
His own career and his quest for free expression and freedom have shaped his advice for young drivers.
“What I can definitely advise any kid trying to run is not to listen to people telling them that they need a mental coach or that they need someone to help them control their mind,” he said.
“You have to let it run free and discover yourself. It’s about discovery. And only you can do it. “
When Hamilton claimed his sixth world title in Texas last year, his father summed up his son’s achievement: “It’s absolutely amazing and not bad for a Stevenage council house kid.”
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