Lewis Hamilton could match Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Formula One victories at the Italian Grand Prix and surpass it at Ferrari’s 1000th race, set to be held at a circuit owned by the Italian team.
Mercedes driver Hamilton claimed an 86th win at the Hungarian Grand Prix, his second victory in a row, to move into the lead of the championship. He is second on the all-time winners list behind Schumacher, who claimed the majority of his wins and five of his seven championships for Ferrari between 1996 and 2006.
Hamilton is also looking to match Schumacher’s record of titles, which he will do if he can claim a seventh championship title this season.
As it stands, F1’s season continues with four races in August – a back-to-back slate of races at Silverstone on August 3 and August 10, the Spanish Grand Prix on August 17 and the Belgian Grand Prix on August 30. Two races in Italy follow, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 6 and the Grand Prix of Tuscany at Mugello on September 13.
The Mugello event is commemorating Ferrari, F1’s oldest serving team, as it reaches a thousand races.
If Hamilton were to win all five of those races, taking his streak to seven, he would move past Schumacher’s tally at Mugello. Given the dominance of the Mercedes at the opening three races that does not seem beyond the realms of possibility. Only four other cars finished on the same lap as Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix – one was teammate Valtteri Bottas.
While Hamilton has never won more than five races in a row, Sebastian Vettel won a record nine straight during a dominant 2013 campaign with Red Bull.
Hamilton matched another Schumacher record in Hungary, where he won for the eighth time in his career. Schumacher is the only other driver to have won eight times at a single F1 venue, doing so at the French Grand Prix.