After finishing second at the US Grand Prix on Sunday, Hamilton overtook 1950s star Juan Manuel Fangio to become just the second driver in history to win six titles.
He now has just seven-time champion Michael Schumacher standing in his way of becoming the all-time greatest Formula One driver. “How should I feel?” Hamilton asked after the race on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, still not quite realizing how great he had become.
When I was younger, my dad and I would watch the grand prix together while my stepmother Linda, who is here now, made me a bacon sandwich. I remember waking up and going downstairs to watch this sport.
It’s strange to see it, to see someone in the TV set, and then to be that person in the TV set, performing a task akin to the exceptional work that I observed in Michael and Ayrton Senna.
“To think that my life experience has led me to this point—winning a sixth title—is just bizarre. However, I’m not sure how I should be feeling at the moment,” he continued.
To put it mildly, Hamilton’s transformation from a young, financially strapped racer to a worldwide Formula One celebrity has been astounding.
He sold his private plane, which he had acquired since making his dramatic debut with McLaren in 2007 and surprising even the current reigning world champion Alonso. He had previously raced a third, fourth, and possibly even a fifth-hand go-kart that was creaky and outdated.
Once an outsider, the only black child at the go-kart track, he is now pals with music stars, A-list Hollywood actors, and has even had dinner with the Queen.
In addition to having his own clothing brand, he frequently appears on American TV chat shows, attends fashion events all over the world, and, more recently, after being vegan, has positioned himself as an advocate for the environment and sustainability.
An off-track life this busy and busy would distract many of his competitors.
Hamilton claims that putting Formula One aside, nevertheless, really improves his performance on the track. The data supports him. In every season that he has competed, Hamilton has emerged victorious. Over the past six seasons, including the ongoing 2019 campaign, he has averaged 10 victories each season.
It’s true that his Mercedes team has dominated Formula One for the whole duration.
However, last year Hamilton showed his mettle by defeating four-time champion Sebastian Vettel in a somewhat better Ferrari after the German’s numerous errors ended his title aspirations.
Red Bull and Ferrari have provided too little, too late opposition for Hamilton, who has had it easier this year. He usually takes it slow in the beginning of the season before picking things up, but in 2019 he had the best start to a campaign ever, winning five of the first seven races.
Hamilton claimed that the passing of Mercedes chairman and three-time world champion Niki Lauda struck him deeply, but the season has not been without its difficulties.
2019 has been, in his opinion, his best season to date.
Hamilton responded, “I think so, for sure.”
“I believe this year has been my best performance to far, and I believe I’m really just trying to… I am trying to comprehend because I am working on a masterpiece and I haven’t quite done it yet.
“It takes a long time to master a craft, and even though I think I am getting close, there are still things I need to learn and pieces of the puzzle I need to add.”
It raises the question of how far Hamilton can push things. With 83 career victories under his belt, he will undoubtedly surpass Schumacher’s all-time record total of 91 triumphs as early as the upcoming season if he continues to perform at the same level as he has for the last six years.
Hamilton is in top form, and he should be the favorite to win a seventh championship crown the next season. When he entered the sport, Hamilton wanted to emulate his childhood hero, Ayrton Senna, by winning three titles.
If he does, who will have the audacity to wager against him taking home a historic eighth in 2021, even if the impending introduction of significant regulation changes may make his task more difficult?
That would genuinely put him in a class by himself, as he is already regarded by many as the greatest of all time. Hamilton remarked, “It’s going to take another load of incredible performance and work from myself and everyone who is around me.”
The goal would be to “continue to grow and do more with this team and within Formula One, as I believe I am capable of doing.”
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