Lewis Hamilton could surpass 100 career Formula One victories next season.
His win in the Eifel Grand Prix matched Michael Schumacher’s once seemingly unbeatable record of 91 wins and he later broke the record during the Portuguese Grand Prix.
“There’s a lot of talk in all sports about greatest, past and present, and I think it’s almost impossible to compare,” said Hamilton. “There’s all this talk of who is and who is not, and it’s not important to me. What’s important is the journey, it is what we’ve done along the way, the obstacles you’ve faced. And everyone’s got a different journey.”
It is indeed difficult to compare eras. In recent years there have been about 20 races in a season. In the 1950s, most seasons had just seven, eight or nine races. In the 1960s, there were nine to 12 races. In the 1970s, there was a maximum of 16 races.
What you can compare is winning percentages.
Jackie Stewart won 27 of his 99 races – 27.27 percent. Alain Prost had 51 wins out of 199 races – 25.62 percent. Ayrton Senna 41 of 161 – 25.46 percent; Alberto Ascari won 13 of 32 – 40.63 percent. Stirling Moss won 16 of his 66 races – 24.24 percent.
Michael Schumacher won 91 times in 307 starts – 29.64 percent. Schumacher’s numbers would have been considerably different if he had not made his F-1 comeback. When he retired at the end of 2006, he had 91 wins in 249 starts – 36.54 percent. In his three-year return from 2010 through 2012 with Mercedes he contested 58 races but won none of them. In fact, he had just one podium finish during those three years – one third place in 2012.
To be fair to Schumacher, Mercedes was still building up its team at that time. It did not really start winning a lot of races until 2014 with Hamilton.
Hamilton’s 91st win came in his 261st start – 34.87 percent.
“I can only tell you that it doesn’t get easier,” he said.” From you first win to your 91st I’m telling you it’s been a long hard run. But Michael (Schumacher) is and always will be a legend of the sport.”
On a pure percentage Juan Manuel Fangio won 24 of the 51 championship F-1 races he contested – a staggering 47.06 percent.
Hamilton has averaged 10 wins a season since 2014.
“Hopefully, we have got more records to break and to make,” he said. “I am not done yet. I still feel I am able to improve. I still feel I am driving at a really good level.”