Lewis Hamilton won the seventh world championship and became the most successful racer with a resounding victory at the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday.
After already surpassing the number of racing victories in Germany last month, the Mercedes driver equaled Michael Schumacher’s record in terms of titles.
Winning the treacherously wet and slippery Istanbul Park Trail in the Topsy-Dervy race is the 94-year-old Britain’s 94th career.
When he received congratulations from his team, Hamilton got emotional in the car after the race and said, “For all the kids out there, dream the impossible.”
How Hamilton won it in style
It’s a drive to commemorate Hamilton’s achievement.
In the early stages of the race Hamilton stepped carefully and made a couple of small mistakes as the drivers struggled to hold on to the wet conditions.
But as he again made decisive strategic calls to the tires from the cockpit and drove with skill and class, the race was opened to him at half the distance.
The racing points of Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez dominated the opening stages, but the three-car began to catch on to the train, with Sebastian Vettel on its back, as the track slowly dried up.
Red Bull’s Alex Alban Vettel was third behind Ferrari and Hamilton.
Ferrari put the cut on the lap of the new tires at 33, seeing how fast teammate Charles Leklerk was going in his new intermission, then spinning on the Alban Turn Four.
This gave Hamilton a clean run to hit the racing points, and he told his team: “Don’t box. [pit] I, man. “
Although Stroll said he did not want to change tires, Racing Point pushed the Canadian into the lap at 36 and removed him from the lead, shortly after, taking the lead from Hamilton Perez, never looking back.
Hamilton and Perez were away from the worn tires, and his only concern was whether the intermediate tires he was wearing would last as the Mercedes driver pulled away from the front.
This was put forward entirely by his teammate Valteri Podas.
Finn got into the race knowing that Hamilton needed to be out by at least eight points to keep the championship alive. But he had a terrible day, spinning at least five times and finishing 14th, folded by Hamilton.
When told he was left four laps late in the race, a lowly Bodas said: “I want it to be less.”
What happened to browsing?
It was a heartbreaking day for Stroll, who led only the first 36 laps to see his race unfold after stopping the new tires.
Although the Canadian was unable to work the new tires on his car and eventually slipped to ninth place, the second pit stop worked well for both mid-race Ferrari drivers.
Perez hung in second. He was sent off by Leclerc on the final lap, only to allow Monacas to slide wide in the final chicken, allowing the team-mate to place the cut on the final stage, which is the first of his season.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen initially pushed Perez hard, but a spin straight behind ended his hopes.
The driver of the day
Who else? Hamilton was in his own class, alert when needed, reading the race, and jumping when important – before taking control. The driver of his generation.
What happens next?
Hamilton has won the title with three more races, two starting in two weeks in Bahrain and one final in Abu Dhabi in mid-December.
