Lewis Hamilton Becomes Most Successful Formula 1 Driver Ever

Lewis Hamilton became the most successful Formula 1 driver of all time, after winning the world championship in Turkey. The Turkish GP was a tough race and Hamilton only needed to defeat his Mercedes teammate, Valterri Bottas, to clinch the title. Bottas was, theoretically, the only person who could challenge Hamilton for the world championship. Lewis Hamilton’s win was his seventh world championship win, a record that equals that of all-time great, Michael Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton (pictured above) has now surpassed Schumacher and is in a class of his own.

Lewis Hamilton Makes History by Winning More GP Titles than Schumacher

Lewis Hamilton has also made history by winning more GPs than Schumacher. Hamilton has now won 94 Grand Prix races, compared to Schumacher’s 91. The level of talent that hamilton has shown is beyond imagination as is in no way a mean feat. Hamilton has had an impeccable career being the only black man or man of color to be racing at the elite level of Formula 1. He has constantly and consistently led the numerous GPs and outdone his opponents and teammate Bottas.

“Dream the impossible” – Lewis Hamilton, 7th time Formula 1 world champion

An Especially Tough Turkish Grand Prix

The Turkish Grand Prix was especially tough as the track was wet and as one pundit described it, ‘drying but in no way dry’. The wet conditions saw numerous drivers skid and slide out of the track with others losing control of their racing cars. A good example of such a driver, who had a tough time in the Turkish GP, was Max Verstappen of Red Bull. He is a title contender but had a sluggish day in Turkey, spinning out of control six times.

A Hamilton in Control

Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, stayed in control and dominated the race. Even as Formula 1 cars easily skid on wet tracks, Hamilton did not only defeat Bottas, as needed for the win but also lapped him. That is a tremendous feat given how skiddy the track in the Turkish GP was. At the speeds that Formula 1 cars can attain, the win for that particular Grand Prix was a tremendous achievement in of itself, leave alone the overall title win.

A Proven Leader in Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton has proven himself a leader in the sport and the driver to beat. After the win, he said that the win was particularly important for him and was a real-life example of what one can achieve. He was elated and hoped that kids all over the world could see his win and be inspired to “dream the impossible.” Lewis Hamilton has acquired legend status and is one of only two people, along with Michael Schumacher, to win the Formula 1 World Title seven times.

Hamilton Leading the Way in #BlackLivesMatter Activism

Lewis Hamilton has also been very vocal in creating awareness about racial discrimination in Formula 1. He has been supportive of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and has taken the knee several times as a show of solidarity with the protest. ‘Taking a knee’ has, this year, become commonplace after the killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed.

Colin Kaepernick's Legendary Protest - 'Taking the Knee'

It was frowned upon half a decade ago, when an NFL football player, Colin Kaepernick, took a knee as a way to protest against racial discrimination. After his contract lapsed, Kaepernick was not signed by another team, seemingly for his activism, and became a free agent. Numerous other sports, including basketball, have joined in taking the knee. The move was seen this year in the NBA, as players took a knee and even boycotted some matches or walked off the court, in protest.