Lewis Hamilton delivered high drama and high emotion for the spectacle of a coronation worthy of one of the greatest champions Formula One has produced. His victory at the Turkish Grand Prix sealed the championship and his seventh title. With it Hamilton has achieved what was once thought impossible, matching Michael Schumacher’s record tally and in doing so becoming the most successful F1 driver of all time.
He could not have achieved it in greater style than with the panache and mastery he produced at Istanbul Park in what can rightly be described as a champion’s drive.
Head in his hands and in tears as he sat in his car after the race, even the world champion for whom winning has become commonplace seemed to struggle to take in this moment. Shortly after he climbed from the cockpit he was speaking through the tears that he could still not quite contain when he stood on top of the podium. A moment even nature seemed ready to mark as the grey clouds that had loomed all day were banished by a dazzling rainbow bursting across the circuit.
Hamilton admitted he found it hard to comprehend just how far the boy who had grown up on a council estate in Stevenage had come. “I am almost lost for words,” he said. “We dreamed of this when I was young. It is so important for kids to see this, and don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t achieve something. Dream the impossible. You have got to chase it and never give up.” Now 35, Hamilton has been chasing his dreams in F1 for 14 seasons.
Matching his hero Ayrton Senna by winning a single championship had been his early hope, but having done so with his title in 2008, he surpassed Senna’s three, then Juan Manuel Fangio’s five and now stands alongside Schumacher as the champion of champions.
Schumacher’s records were thought to be untouchable but Hamilton has not only matched one and beaten others, he is also in a great position to set new benchmarks way beyond the German’s tallies. He has already surpassed the German’s records of race wins and pole positions with 94 and 97 respectively.
This season he has been indomitable with 10 wins and nine poles from 14 races. No driver has come close to even putting him under pressure, including his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who is in identical Mercedes machinery. Hamilton has closed the drivers’ championship out with three races in hand.
Hamilton only had to beat Bottas in Turkey to ensure he took the title but the world champion still did it decisively. Mercedes knew this was going to be a difficult race, having been off the pace all weekend, unable to bring their tyres into the correct operating window in the low temperatures and with the track – resurfaced two weeks ago – offering very little grip.