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Lewis Hamilton got his emotions under control Sunday when he equaled Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 F1 wins with a measured win and thoughtful homage at the Eifel Grand Prix.
After completing his seventh win of the season, Hamilton was surprised to be greeted by Mick Schumacher, the son of the seven-time German champion. Mick presented Hamilton with a red helmet from his father’s racing collection.
“Congratulations on a great achievement,” said Schumacher, a rising star who leads the F2 series.
Clearly moved, Hamilton struggled for words.
“Thank you very much,” he said. “It’s a great honor. I don’t know what to say. When you grow up seeing someone and idolizing …”
“Looking at his dominance for so long, I don’t think I imagined that I would be close to him in terms of records, so it’s an incredible honor.
“When I got to the pit lane, it was only when I realized that I had equaled the record.
“I hadn’t figured it out when I crossed the line, and I couldn’t have done it without this incredible team pushing me. So a big thank you and a lot of respect for Michael.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he still believes Schumacher is “above it all” but described Hamilton’s achievements as “surreal.”
“It’s incredible that Lewis has achieved those 91 wins,” Wolff said. “Lewis is still on his way, but maybe there is someone now in kindergarten or school who will one day also look for Lewis’s record, and that’s how it should be.”
Making the most of the early retirement of his teammate and pole winner Valtteri Bottas due to engine problems, the series leader and six-time champion drove a well-timed race to claim his historic victory.
At a circuit where the seven-time champion Schumacher won five times, Hamilton came home 4.5 seconds before Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to claim his second Nurburgring victory, the other for McLaren in 2011. Daniel Ricciardo was third for Renault.
“I tried to follow Lewis, but the Mercedes was too fast for us,” Verstappen said. “But I managed to take the fastest lap for the extra point.”
Bottas’s bad luck almost certainly ended his own title fight, as Hamilton advanced 69 points in the drivers’ championship.
Hamilton was quick to warn of the threat from Red Bull.
“Red Bull has a great car and Max is so awesome,” he said. “It’s going to be near the end of the season and the next. The closest race between us will be in the next 12 months.”
Evaluating his achievement record, Hamilton added: “Ninety-one wins! Ugh, it never gets easier. It’s almost like it’s getting harder than my first win in Montreal. It’s more physically demanding, in a way. different and mentally demanding too, in a different way. This has been just as difficult, if not harder, than my first Grand Prix victory. “
Ricciardo’s podium success earned him a gamble with Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul, who must now get a tattoo prescribed by the Australian.
“Yes, that’s going to happen,” Ricciardo laughed. “It will probably be something to do with me, but with a German flavor, as this is where we did it.”
It was Ricciardo’s first podium since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and Renault’s first since the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Sergio Pérez finished fourth for Racing Point ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Racing Point’s Nico Hulkenberg.
For Hulkenberg, it was a remarkable result that came just 24 hours after he jumped into the cockpit of Lance Stroll’s car after a late call while at a café in Cologne.
Romain Grosjean, with an injured finger, was ninth for Haas ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi.
Hamilton’s success was also Mercedes’ first victory at the Nurburgring since Juan-Manuel Fangio triumphed on the dismal 22.85 km Nordschleife circuit in 1954.
str / pb / td
