In Sochi, Sunday September 26, the British anthem was sounded for the 100th time in honor of Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1. Victorious at Silverstone on July 18 for his 99th success, the Mercedes driver chased after the 100th in five Grands Prix . At the end of a very lively race, where the rain played the spoilsport, the seven-time world champion got the best of his competitors to climb again on the first step of the podium. The opportunity to celebrate this centenary around some particularly striking figures.
8 wins at Silverstone and Hungaroring, his favorite circuits
The number of victories in the same Grand Prix is one of the few Michael Schumacher records that Lewis Hamilton has not yet broken. The Red Baron had won the French Grand Prix eight times at Magny-Cours and the Briton won eight times at Silverstone and the Hungaroring. In 15 seasons played in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton has often shone at home in Great Britain.
On the podium, during his first race at Silverstone, he savored his first success in front of his supporters in 2008. He then had to wait until 2014 to triumph a second time on his land, before stringing together successes in 2015 , 2016 and 2017. Second in 2018, he regained first place in 2019 and has not given up since, except during the 70th anniversary Grand Prix, the second race contested at Silverstone in 2020. Lewis Hamilton is also very successful in Hungary, where he also has 8 victories.
21 wins with McLaren, 79 with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton started Formula 1 in 2007, driving a McLaren, and immediately made a strong impression. Already on the podium in his first five races, the Briton won his first Grand Prix in his sixth participation in Canada. He repeated his performance in the next race, in the United States: the first of his 21 successes with the British team, with which he won his first title of world champion, in 2008.
In 2013, Hamilton joined Mercedes. His first season was mixed, he won only one race in Hungary. But in 2014, the Briton left nothing but crumbs for his competitors with 11 successes. His hegemony then began and Hamilton was then crowned six times world champion in seven years.
14 years, 108 days after his first win …
Lewis celebrates his 100th in Sochi#RussianGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/UM0Z7PJP2T
– Formula 1 (@ F1) September 26, 2021
35.59% of Grand Prix victories
In October 2020, Lewis Hamilton broke Michael Schumacher’s record for Grand Prix victories, taking the top step of the podium for the 92nd time. Since then, the Briton has continued to improve this brand. In Sochi, he was competing in his 281st Grand Prix and his hundredth victory brings his success rate to 35.59%.
This performance puts him behind big names like Juan Manuel Fangio (47.06%) and Alberto Ascari (40.63%), who however have far fewer victories and races contested. By comparison, Michael Schumacher has won 29.64% of the Grands Prix he has raced.