Hamilton equals Schumacher’s record with seventh world title
November 15, 2020
Lewis Hamilton wrote his name into the Formula One record books with a victory in the Turkish Grand Prix. The Briton secures his seventh world championship title, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record.
Image: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
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Michael Schumacher no longer stands alone as the most decorated driver in F1 history. Lewis Hamilton has joined the German as a seven-time world champion and he did it with a controlled drive that Schumacher would have been proud of.
In the rain, Hamilton struggled in qualifying and started sixth on the grid. Pole-sitter Lance Stroll led the race for a long time and Hamilton found himself a pit stop and several places behind the leader, but the Mercedes driver found his pace when the track dried off and stayed on the intermediate tyre until the end. He even overruled his teammate's instructions to pit late on, but was vindicated when he crossed the line in first.
"That's for all the kids out there who dream the impossible, you can do it," said Hamilton, whose victory was the 94th of his career — also an F1 record.
Six of Hamilton's seven titles have been won with Mercedes, with the other — his first — coming with McLaren in 2008.
It was also a day to remember for German driver Sebastian Vettel, who secured his first podium since Mexico 2019 with a storming last lap which saw him pip Charles Leclerc on the final corner.
Final podium places:
Hamilton
Perez
Vettel
Fastest lap — Lando Norris (McLaren Renault) — 1:36.806 (lap 58)
Best team — Ferrari (27 points)
Drive of the day — Sebastian Vettel (third) — Climbed nine places from 12th on the grid to secure his first podium finish in over a year.
As it happened:
Lap 58/58 — LEWIS HAMILTON WINS THE TURKISH GRAND PRIX! HE IS A SEVEN-TIME WORLD CHAMPION
Lap 54/58 — Heavy rain is now forecast for the last lap of the rain. Will Hamilton be singing in the rain or drowning his sorrows?
Lap 53/58 — Hamilton is five laps away from glory. His major concern between now and the end of the race is whether he can finish on his intermediates and he asks the Mercedes mechanics: "Is there any chance of this tyre exploding?" — the answer: "We don't think so Lewis."
Lap 48/58 — Leclerc breezes past Verstappen to move into a podium place, which results in Verstappen pitting for new intermediates. Hasn't been a great day for the Dutchman.
Lap 42/58 — Grey clouds are gathering overhead and rain is forecast around lap 48, which could make the final few laps interesting. Meanwhile, the miserable weather reflects Bottas' afternoon. The Finn has spun yet again and remains down in 13th.
Lap 37/58 — Hamilton leads! Out of nowhere, the champion-in-waiting moves to the front of the pack with the help of DRS, overtaking Perez on turn 12.
Lap 32/58 — Albon loses grip out of turn four and spins out. He clambers back onto the track and that opens the door for Hamilton to sneak into a podium poition. Vettel pits but it's a sluggish one and the German is fifth.
Lap 28/58 — Stroll tells his team radio that he has understeer, which is allowing Perez to eat into his lead. Meanwhile, Vettel is pulling away from Hamilton, who remains fifth.
Lap 23/58 — To add insult to injury, Verstappen is facing a penalty for his exit from the pit lane a few laps ago. He was clearly feeling some frustration after his spin a few moments before and exited the pits in a reckless manner. Not the greatest few minutes for the young Dutchman.
Lap 18/58 — Drama! Verstappen spins out after trying to overtake Perez through a gap that didn't exist. He loses control and loses a few places and has to pit onto the intermediates as a result.
Lap 15/58 — Hamilton tries to overtake Vettel to go fourth but locks his brakes and ends up conceding a place to Albon, who feeds off the scraps. Hamilton, usually imperious in the wet, is not quite his self today.
Lap 10/58 — Hamilton is flying now though. He's made up two places and is back up to sixth on the intermediates. Perez and Verstappen both makes lengthy pit stops, but crucially Verstappen returns to the track ahead of Hamilton.
Lap 5/58 — Up front, Stroll still has the lead but Perez is closing in on him with a fastest lap of 1 min 53.215. Meanwhile, Hamilton has conceded places to Verstappen and Vettel. It's all happening in the rain out there!
Lap 1/58 — GO GO GO! It's a nightmare start for Bottas, who spins out and seems to have taken his title hopes for this season with him. He gets back on the track well back and could yet fight his way back, but that's a major advantage for Hamilton.
After five races with no points, Lance Stroll sealed a stunning pole on a wet track in Istanbul. The Racing Point driver stole top spot away from Max Verstappen, who struggled for grip after a late change to inters.
This is the first pole of the Canadian's career and with teammate Sergio Perez finishing in a career best starting spot of third, this was a day to remember for Racing Point.
After leading all three practice sessions, Verstappen was audibly disappointed at not finishing first. The Dutchman's Red Bull teammate Alexander Albon starts in fourth.
Lewis Hamilton, known for his wet-weather driving, struggled and had to contend with sixth on the starting grid. Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas will start in 9th.
In round 14 of this 17-race season, Hamilton remains on course to claim his seventh drivers' championship. After this qualifying run though, this is a weekend that could shake up the rest of the standings.
Quote of the day
"I didn't expect this... I had the confidence from the car and I just nailed pretty much every corner. It's such a great way to bounce back after a few rough weeks." — Lance Stroll
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Lewis Hamilton struggled in the wet weatherImage: Murad Sezer/Getty Images
Situated an hour east of the city, this track was built with few expenses spared when it first hosted a GP back in 2005. It's design has drawn similarities to Spa and Interlagos, with the fast and bumpy turn 8 one of the most demanding tests for drivers' focus. It was last on the F1 calendar back in 2011, when Sebastian Vettel, racing for Red Bull, crossed the line first after 58 laps.
Lewis Hamilton: The career of a Formula One legend
Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time F1 world champion and still going strong on and off track — here's a little look at his career.
Image: David Davies/PA Wire/dpa
Final race with Mercedes
In the final race of the 2024 F1 season, Hamilton finished fourth after starting 16th. It was a special way for the long-standing Mercedes driver to finish his time with the team, as the 39-year-old departs after 246 appearances for the German outfit. Hamilton was emotional afterwards, pausing by the car and later saying: "There’s a lot of love within this team, and that’s not going anywhere."
Image: Darko Bandic/AP/picture alliance
Forza Ferrari
Ahead of the 2024 season, in one of the biggest shocks in sport, Hamilton revealed he would be leaving Mercedes - a team he had been with since he was 13 - to join Ferrari for the 2025 season. In the famous red, Charles Leclerc will be his new teammate. As a reminder of his quality, the 39-year-old ended his 31-month winless streak by winning his home Grand Prix.
Image: HOCH ZWEI/picture alliance
A leader off the track
Hamilton has grown into a leader and an activist since arriving on the grid in 2007. The Briton has worked tirelessly to increase diversity across the sport and hasn't been afraid to be a voice of support for those less fortunate or facing discrimination. After the departure of Sebastian Vettel, he is one of the few bold voices left on the grid.
Image: HOCH ZWEI/picture alliance
Performance drop
After a painful title loss, Hamilton and Mercedes hit a low as the team struggled to adapt to significant changes to technical regulations in both 2022 and 2023. The car bounced and Hamilton called it undriveable. Despite sealing podiums, Hamilton went two straight campaigns without a win as Red Bull and Verstappen's dominance grew.
Image: Gongora/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Tough loss
In 2021, with the emergence of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes engaged in one of the great F1 seasons. The pair battled it out throughout a season filled with dramatic victories and tense collisions. In the final race, with the title on the line, Verstappen beat Hamilton with a last-lap overtake in a finish marred by controversy that denied Hamilton his eighth title.
Image: KAMRAN JEBREILI/REUTERS
Seventh heaven
Lewis Hamilton gets the champagne treatment in Istanbul on a day that he equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles. He achieved it with a typically controlled masterclass in wet conditions, securing his place among the greatest — if not the greatest — driver the sport has ever seen.
Image: Murad Sezer/REUTERS
Most race wins of all time
Despite the 2020 season being abbreviated by COVID-19, Lewis Hamilton kept making history. In round 12 of 17, Hamilton overcame a tough start to win in Portimao, a track in Portugal making its Formula One debut. The win took Hamilton's career race wins to 92, one more than Michael Schumacher. His win in Russia in 2021 took him to 100. By the end of 2024, he had 105 race wins to his name.
Image: Jose Sena Goulao/Reuters
Fashion conscious
Hamilton is very mindful of his image, and is a popular figure with many famous people in a variety of different fields. He is often seen in the front row of fashion shows. Above he is pictured with supermodel Naomi Campbell (left) at a fashion show in Milan. In 2020, Hamilton launched his own line with American signer Tommy Hilfiger. He has been named co-chair of the 2025 Met Gala.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Bruno
Trusting soul
Just days after winning the title, Hamilton was in the headlines for something completely different. According to information released as part of the "Paradise Papers" the Briton avoided paying more than $4 million (€3.4 million) in taxes on a private jet by registering it in the Isle of Man. Hamilton said he trusted the advice of his lawyers, who had assured him that the arrangements were legal.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/ANSA/F. Lo Scalzo
Title No. 4
Lewis Hamilton enjoys competing against the odds and going into the 2017 F1 season Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel looked the best bet to pose a credible title challenge. With the German plagued by a series of mechanical failures during the campaign, Hamilton helped himself to his fourth drivers' title in the third-last race of the season.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/SvenSimon
Tension between teammates
Hamilton has had his fair few battles in F1. He had a tense relationship with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, especially in 2016 when the German won the drivers' championship ahead of him. Later, he had friction on the track with Verstappen and even at times with Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Image: Getty Images/M. Thompson
Fan of Senna
The Briton's favorite driver when he was growing up was the late Ayrton Senna. In Montreal in June, Hamilton captured the 68th pole position of his career, equaling the record of Senna, who died in a crash at Imola in 1994. Senna's family recognized the achievement by presenting Hamilton with one of the late Brazilian driver's helmets. In 2022, he became an honorary Brazilian citizen.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Remiorz
Father and son
Like the parents of many professional athletes, Hamilton's father Anthony (above, left) made many sacrifices to make Lewis' development as a driver possible, at times holding down as many as three jobs at once. Anthony was Lewis' manager when he first arrived on the circuit in 2007, but the two ended their business relationship in 2010. The two now have a close father-son relationship.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Suki
Another Hamilton at the wheel
His entire family are a priority for Hamilton — including his younger half-brother Nicolas, who despite suffering from cerebral palsy has also managed to become a professional racecar driver. Lewis almost burst with pride when Nicolas moved up the British Touring Car Championship in 2015, and regularly supports him at his races.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Vieira
Mentor at McLaren
Ron Dennis (left) was one of the biggest influences on Hamilton early in his career. The longtime team principal of McLaren was impressed when the then-10-year-old Hamilton one day approached him for his autograph and said he intended to drive for McLaren in the future. Three years later, Dennis brought Hamilton into McLaren's youth program.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Kimimasa Mayama
Wunderkind
At the age of eight, Hamilton (second from right) enjoyed his first win as a driver racing go-karts. He first came into contact with Formula One in 1996, when Mika Hakkinen (right), who would go on to win two F1 titles, presented the trophies at an an event to honor up-and-coming drivers.
