Hamilton is world champion for the seventh time, tied with Schumacher

IstanbulBritish Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was crowned Formula One world champion for the seventh time in his career, equaling the number of German legend Michael Schumacher, after winning first place in the fourth stage of the Grand Prix world championship on Sunday. Turkey at the Istanbul Park circuit.

Hamilton, who started from sixth place, ahead of Mexican Sergio Pérez (Racing Point) and German Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), achieving his tenth victory this season in 14 races.

“I can’t find the right words. What I have achieved surpassed all my dreams,” said Hamilton, who wept with the shock of achievement as he crossed the finish line.

Hamilton was crowned champion with McLaren in 2008, then with Mercedes in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019, before claiming the seventh title with the same team today.

Hamilton extended the lead over his Finnish colleague Valtteri Bottas at the top of the World Championship to 110 points before the end of the season with 3 rounds, so the latter could not reach it mathematically.

In addition to his equalization of the record in the number of world titles, Hamilton holds many other records, most notably in the number of victories (94 victories), in the number of ascents to the podiums (163 times) and in first place at the start. of the races (97 times).

Hamilton, 35, entered the race in rainy weather while in good position to win the title in his favor because Bottas had to beat him by 8 points to postpone his coronation, a task that seemed difficult, especially because he only beat Hamilton 3 times. The season includes 13 races, specifically in Austria, Russia and Italy, where the British were punished in these races by observers for committing driving offenses. Bottas finished the race in 14th place.

Canadian Lance Stroll (Racing Point) maintained his position at the top of the race early on, but Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) made a poor start and fell from second to fifth, unlike Hamilton who advanced from sixth to third.

But Hamilton lost control of his car in one of the corners for the first few laps and fell back into sixth.

Four drivers exchanged at the top of the race: Stroll, Pérez, Verstappen, then Hamilton, who snatched first place on lap 37, taking advantage of Stroll’s entrance to the garage to change his tires, bypassing Sergio Pérez in his way to his seventh historic title.