Hamilton now just five wins away from a milestone once considered unsurmountable; Meanwhile, Ross Brawn hails Hamilton as "a remarkable individual" for his unwavering commitment to both racing success and championing diversity
Monday 20 July 2020 17:36, UK
Lewis Hamilton took another step towards Michael Schumacher's biggest Formula 1 records with victory in the Hungarian GP - and admitted he still found it surreal that he was getting so close.
An 86th race win - just five away from Schumacher's tally of 91 victories - and a 153rd podium appearance - just two away from that record - were the statistical headlines from dominant performance at the Hungarian GP, as Hamilton took the title lead for the first time in 2020 in his quest for a record-matching seventh drivers' championship.
Hamilton eighth win at the Hungaroring also equalled Schumacher's record feat for victories at the same circuit, set at Magny-Cours in France back in 2006.
In a season when Hamilton could become the most successful F1 driver of all time, the Mercedes driver admitted after the race: "It's odd for me because I remember being on the other side of the TV watching Michael and now I'm in it and getting closer to the amount of wins he has.
"And I'm like 'jeez, I've won a lot and I've still not won as much as Michael' and it reminds me of the dominance and the excellence that he showed for so long. I can understand the position he was in. I can understand the pressures he was in. It's pretty remarkable."
And "remarkable" was also the word used to describe Hamilton by his former Mercedes boss Ross Brawn, who applauded the Briton's unwavering ability to focus on his two stated aims for 2020 - fighting for the F1 championship and equal rights.
"Perhaps what has impressed me most is that while a lesser driver would likely get distracted by the other important issues Lewis throws himself behind, such passions only seem to motivate the Briton even more," said Brawn, F1's managing director of motorsport, in his post-race column for the sport's official website.
"He has been at the forefront of the push for greater diversity and inclusion in this sport. He believes in this essential cause and is doing everything in his power to create change. And alongside that, he is performing at the peak of his ability, week in, week out, during his day job. He is a remarkable individual."
Hamilton's determination and focus was perhaps best underlined in Sunday's race when he took the option of a so-called 'free' pit stop for fresh tyres with four laps to go in pursuit of the bonus point for the fastest lap.
Although his 27-second lead over Max Verstappen at the time meant he had a sufficient gap to make the stop and rejoin in the lead, there was still some risk associated with the extra stop if anything went wrong with Mercedes' service.
But as Hamilton explained: "I know what it's like to lose a world championship by one point [at McLaren in 2007] and I'm not giving up any unless I have to. We have experienced it before, I know from experience how to manage it and not take too much risk that I lose everything, and I trust implicitly the team in terms of their calls and the pit-stop crew.
"I think it was the right choice at the end of the day."
Next stop for Formula 1: Silverstone! Watch the British GP, the first of two consecutive races at the famous circuit, live on Sky Sports F1 on July 31-August 2.
