Hamilton and Schumacher’s 91 iconic victories
Lewis Hamilton finally equaled Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 record of 91 victories – the man he replaced at Mercedes in 2013 – at the Eifel Grand Prix. With this remarkable milestone achieved, what better time to compare the most significant career wins of the two most successful F1 drivers of all time?
Their first victories
Schumacher – Belgian Grand Prix 1992
Twelve months after his Formula 1 debut at Spa with the Jordan team, Michael Schumacher won a Grand Prix on the same circuit. After his debut with Jordan, Schumacher was transferred to the Benetton team for the following race at Monza – and it was with this team that he won at Spa, Schumacher switching from rain tires to slicks to perfection to finish over 30 seconds ahead of the Williams-Renault of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese, becoming the first German to win in F1 for 17 years.
Hamilton – Canadian Grand Prix 2007
It took just six Grands Prix for Lewis Hamilton to claim his first F1 victory. He had prepared for it with a third place on his debut followed in Australia by four consecutive P2s. But at the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton clinched his first pole position – almost half a second ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso of the McLaren team, and on a circuit in Montreal that he did not have. never borrowed – before taking his first victory, leading 67 of 70 laps and surviving four safety car periods – including the one following Robert Kubica’s huge accident – to claim the first victory.
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Hamilton and Schumacher masterpieces in Monaco
Schumacher – 1997 Monaco Grand Prix
Schumacher’s first visit to Monaco as a Ferrari driver in 1996 did not go well, after the two-time champion crashed on the very first lap of the race. He more than redeemed himself a year later, however. After passing poleman Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Schumacher showed immense control on the slicks in the greasy mixed conditions at the start of the race – the German was more than six seconds ahead of the peloton at the start of the race. end of the first round – before increasing his advantage when the rain fell.
His lead over Rubens Barrichello’s Stewart was over 75 seconds on lap 53, with Schumacher so dominant he had time to brake himself at Sainte Dévote, calmly spin his Ferrari as if driving an FP1 session, and to cross the finish line 53.306 seconds ahead, after having overtaken everyone until P4.
Hamilton – Monaco Grand Prix 2019
If Schumacher’s victory in Monaco in 1997 was synonymous with dominance, Hamilton’s victory in 2019 was synonymous with resilience. Shaken by the death of Niki Lauda, the non-executive chairman of Mercedes, before the race, a destabilized Hamilton – with a Lauda tribute helmet – got angry with the team over the state of his tires, so that he was obliged to withstand 62 of the 78 laps where the gap between him and Max Verstappen never exceeded 1.318s.
But he held on and, having withstood the Dutchman’s push with two laps to go, Hamilton took his third victory in Monaco, a win Lauda would surely have relished.
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Their masterclasses in rainy weather
Schumacher – 1996 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1996 Ferrari F310 was no match for the Williams FW18 designed by Adrian Newey. But heavy rain on race day at the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix leveled the playing field – and created an opening for Schumacher who was able to suppress his absolute brilliance in the wet, and claim his first-ever victory at Ferrari.
Starting in third position, Schumacher quickly took the lead, overcoming an engine problem to lead Jean Alesi’s Benetton by more than 45 seconds. The Frenchman and Williams’ Jacques Villeneuve are the only two drivers to be on the same lap as Schumacher at the end of the race.
Hamilton – 2008 British Grand Prix
All was not well for Hamilton ahead of his home race in 2008, with the Briton arriving at Silverstone after two difficult races in Canada and France. Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen added to his pain by taking pole for the British Grand Prix, as Hamilton could only do better than fourth.
After the start line, Hamilton quickly moved into second place behind Kovalainen, before brilliantly passing the Finn at Stowe on lap four, and winning ahead of BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld by more than a minute. Hamilton triumphed in appalling conditions that saw title rival Felipe Massa complete no less than five laps.
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Schumacher and Hamilton’s 91st victories
Schumacher – 2006 Chinese Grand Prix
Schumacher could not have known at the time that his 91st F1 victory would be his last. But given the Schumacherian character of his victory at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix, she was oddly appropriate. After qualifying sixth, the subdued conditions on race day worked perfectly in favor of Schumacher, who managed his tires to perfection, while the race of Fernando Alonso, his title rival, was compromised by Renault’s strategy, which earned him a second place finish.
Schumacher’s 91st F1 win puts him level on points with Alonso with two laps to go – but he ultimately fell short this season, allowing Alonso to claim his second title, as Schumacher took his first retirement at the end of the year.
Hamilton – Eifel Grand Prix 2020
Schumacher was forced to fight for his 91st victory – so it seemed only fitting that Hamilton would have to do it too. Decidedly unhappy to be outclassed by 0.256s by Bottas on Saturday, Hamilton got aggressive into Turn 1 of the Nurburgring at the start of the race, knocking Bottas off the track before the Finn fought back hard to hold on to the lead.
Thirteen laps later, however, Bottas made a mistake in Turn 1, giving Hamilton the lead – while the Finn’s retirement six laps later left Hamilton with a relatively easy course to his own 91st victory. Mick Schumacher, Michael’s son, presented Hamilton with one of his father’s helmets, a gesture that speaks to Hamilton’s greatness in the world of F1.
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