Lewis Hamilton became the first F1 driver to record 100 Grand Prixs’, achieving the feat at this past Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix. Hamilton is nine wins over second-placed Michael Schumacher, who ended his F1 career with 91 wins.
The seven-time world champion was unsure about his 100th win coming at the Russian GP on Sunday, a day ahead of the race, as he wasn’t pleased with his qualifying performance.
“It’s taken a long time, and I wasn’t even sure the 100th would come! Going to bed last night I wasn’t the happiest with the job I did yesterday. I watched the replay over and over again; they were subtle mistakes, but I was so determined to put things right when I woke up this morning.
“Getting anywhere near 100 victories wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of the men and women here and back at the factory, I’m so grateful to them – it just feels so special,” said Hamilton after the Russian Grand Prix.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff called Hamilton’s achievement mind-blowing, stating that people will realize the magnitude of what the Brit has done in the future.
“Yes, I think we are witnesses to a career that is just amazing. That 100th race victory is just mind-blowing. Today we talk about it—it’s going to be in the news for 24 hours—but only 20 years down the line we are going to realize that we’ve been part of that,” said Wolff.
Hamilton’s first F1 win came back in 2007 at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Canada, when he was a part of the McLaren team. The 36-year-old won 21 races with McLaren and the remaining 79 race wins have come with his current team, Mercedes.
Sunday’s win was his fifth win at the Russian Grand Prix, having previously won 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019 – the most by any driver at the circuit.
Hamilton started the 2021 Russian Grand Prix in fourth but dropped down the order at the start. The Brit stormed back to second, behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, and pitted at the right time for intermediate tires when it started raining. Norris remained on the track, which proved to be a mistake as his slick tires did not have enough grip in the rain.
Hamilton’s win on Sunday takes him back to the top of the 2021 Drivers’ Championship, two points clear of rival Max Verstappen, who finished second in the race despite starting at the back of the grip.
The Turkish Grand Prix is the next round in the 2021 F1 season, which will take place on October 10.
