Published 17:21 IST, November 4th 2019
Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher: In a league of their own
Lewis Hamilton secured his 6th F1 World Title on Sunday at US Grand Prix. He's one short of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Let's take a look at their careers.
Lewis Hamilton on Sunday recorded his 6th F1 World Title after finishing second in the United States Grand Prix. Hamilton fell short to fellow Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. The 34-year old raced past his opponents to win from fifth on the grid, only to be thwarted by Bottas in the final three laps.
Lewis Hamilton’s 6th World Title is only second to F1 legend Michael Schumacher. The British racer went past the tie with Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio. Schumacher has won 7 World Titles in his racing career that spanned over 20 years. We compare the careers of the two leading racers of their respective eras.
1. Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher: World Titles
Lewis Hamilton and Micheal Schumacher are without a doubt amongst the greatest to race on the track. Lewis Hamilton won his World Title in his second season in 2008, while Schumacher won his first world title in 1994, three years after his first entry. It took 12 years for Lewis Hamilton to reach the coveted 6th World Title. Schumacher achieved it a year earlier than the British driver, after winning it in 2003, before adding a 7th in 2004.
2. Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher: Number of Victories
Lewis Hamilton has won 83 races so far in his career. He yet again falls short of Micheal Schumacher who has won 91 in his career. Schumacher also leads Hamilton 13-11 for most races won in a single season. Hamilton can better his personal best this season having won 10 races with 2 more to go.
3. Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher: Most Pole positions
Michael Schumacher led the pole position 68 times in 308 races. Hamilton though is way ahead of the German legend on this stat. The British driver has led the pole position an incredible 87 times, in just 247 races.
4. Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher: Number of podium finishes
Lewis Hamilton has made 150 podium finishes in his career. He still falls short of Schumacher, who had an incredible 155 podium finishes. With the difference not that staggering, Hamilton will hope to overtake Schumacher on this particular point. Schumacher has also won the most podiums in a season 17 in 2002- where there were only 17 races. Hamilton stands on 16 wins this year and can overtake Schumacher if he secures a victory in the next two races.
5. Lewis Hamilton vs Michael Schumacher: Most Consecutive Wins
Micheal Schumacher has won races for 15 straight seasons from 1992-2006 and Lewis Hamilton is the only driver close to him. Hamilton has won races for 13 straight seasons starting from 2007 and is almost certain to win one next year. Will he win in 2021 when the new sweeping rules are in effect?
Updated 19:41 IST, November 4th 2019