Despite what many race fans thought was a terrible start – that saw Hamilton drop behind fellow driver Valtteri Bottas – Lewis Hamilton came back to win in Portugal and stage his 92nd Formula 1 win.
That breaks the previous world record previously held by Michael Schumacher.
“I feel fantastic. Very humbled,” said the Mercedes driver after winning. “I feel young, I feel energized. And, of course, I am very grateful. I am constantly thinking of the guys I am working with.”
Portimao in Portugal was Hamilton’s 262nd Grand Prix appearance. Having broken Schumacher’s win record, Hamilton is also on track to win his seventh driver’s championship this year with a 77-point lead (which will also tie Schumacher’s championship win record).
“The crazy thing about this is that I would have thought I would get used to things,” Hamilton explained. “But I was getting ready, getting my helmet on in the garage today [and there were] nerves, uncertainty. Have I remembered my strategy? Have I remembered my switch settings? All these different things you go through and it’s still terrifying.”
The next F1 race will take place in Italy, for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend. Once again the Grand Prix season will culminate in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island F1.
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