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Hamilton becomes the most successful F1 driver with 92 career race wins - reaction

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 Race winner Lewis Hamilton celebrates his record-breaking 92nd race win on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal. Image: Bryn Lennon - Formula 1 / Getty
Race winner Lewis Hamilton celebrates his record-breaking 92nd race win on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal. Image: Bryn Lennon - Formula 1 / Getty

• Lewis Hamilton has the most race wins in Formula 1 after victory in Portugal.

• The Briton has 92 wins, one more than former Ferrari driver, Michael Schumacher. 

• Hamilton can equal Schumacher's drivers' title record of seven if he wins the 2020 championship. 

Lewis Hamilton is Formula 1's most successful driver, in terms of race wins, after he won the Portuguese grand prix at Portimao Sunday. 

The Mercedes driver eclipsed Michael Schumacher's 91 race wins and is on course to equal the seven world titles the former Ferrari achieved in the sport. 

"I'm thinking of Michael today, I will forever have the utmost admiration and respect for you, it's truly been an honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as you," the Briton wrote on Twitter after the race. 

Earlier in October Schumacher's son Mick presented Hamilton with his father's helmet at the Eifel GP after the Briton scored his 91st race win to equal the German's record. 

The 35-year-old's achievement drew congratulations from fellow sportspeople around the globe. From world record marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge to former English footballer Gary Lineker, the world joined the chorus to congratulate one of the true greats of the sport on his momentous achievement.  

Lineker, now a football pundit, said: "Another record breaking win for the phenomenal Lewis Hamilton. Hard to argue that he's not the GOAT (greatest of all time)....you will, though."

UK broadcaster Sky Sports F1 produced a touching tribute to Hamilton featuring footage from his karting days. The video includes every driver who Hamilton has surpassed on the way to reaching 92 wins. 

The list includes multiple champions such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna.

Hamilton has won the last three championships and is on course for a fourth title this season, taking his career tally to seven at the end of 2020. He holds a 77-point lead over Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas in the standings. 

Hamilton told AFP after Sunday's race "I only ever dreamed of being where I am today," he said after the race and a long hug with his father Anthony, who managed his early career.

"I didn't have a magic ball when I chose to come here (Mercedes) - and all we have ever tried to do is make the most of it every single day. We are all rowing in the same direction.

"I have got my dad here which is amazing and my step-mum Linda - and Roscoe (his dog) - so it's a very special day. It's going to take time to sink in, but I was still pushing coming across the line," he said.

Creating awareness for BLM

Apart from dominating the season with nine wins from 12 races so far this season, the Briton has been vocal in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign sparked by the death of George Floyd on 25 May 2020. 

Hamilton is the only driver to wear a sweater bearing the words Black Lives Matter before races. The only black driver on the grid is intent on using his platform as one of the most recognisable sportspeople in the world. 

Hamilton has also drawn attention to the murder of a young black woman Breonna Taylor and the citizen protests in Nigeria against police brutality. 

The six-time world champion has been criticised for bring 'politics' into the sport. This is not politics, this is life and a reality for many people around the world. 

And Hamilton has illustrated that people mean more to him than titles. 

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