Lewis Hamilton’s astounding performance in the Turkish Grand Prix gave him his 10th victory of the season—and, more crucially, saw him claim the seventh drivers’ title of his career, to equal the record of Michael Schumacher. The 51-year-old retired German racer won his 7th World Championship in Formula One in the year 2004.
By winning the Turkish GP, on November 15, 2020, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has equalled that record and urged kids to “dream the impossible”.
“For all the kids out there who dream the impossible you can do it too, man. I believe in you guys. Thank you so much everyone for your support,” Hamilton said after the win.
“We dreamed of this when I was young, when we were watching the grand prixs and this is way, way beyond our dreams. It’s so important for kids out there to hopefully see this – don’t listen to anybody that tells you you can’t achieve something. Speak it into existence, you’ve got to work for it, you’ve got to chase it. Never give up and never doubt yourself,” Hamilton said, speaking to Sky Sports.
The Racing Point’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel completed the podium after a thrilling race in Istanbul. Hamilton had started the race in sixth, risen to third midway through the first lap and then dropped back to sixth by the end of Lap 1 after an error at Turn 9. But a decision to change his intermediate tyres just once saw Hamilton drive a masterful race to claim victory by over 25 seconds from Perez.
Behind Hamilton, a dramatic last lap saw Sergio Perez overtaken by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for P2, only for Leclerc to overcook it at Turn 12, with Perez retaking second as Vettel made it through on his teammate to claim a first podium of the season.
Hamilton won his 1st World Championship in 2008, becoming the youngest driver ever to win the title and also the first black racer to do so. “7X Formula 1 World Champion. Wow. To everyone that has supported me along the way, this is for you. To my incredible family, where do I even start? I am eternally grateful for your unconditional love, sacrifices and support,” Hamilton wrote on Twitter.