Lewis Hamilton has quietly sneaked up the all-time F1 greats listings as the driver to win the second greatest number of grand prix races.
He sits equal with the legendary Alain Proust with 51 career wins so far.
But he is unlikely to catch the great Michael Schumacher. Schumacher is way out in front with an astonishing 91 wins in 306 starts – a staggering 30% win rate.
In comparison, Hamilton has taken the chequered flag with a 28% win rate over 186 grand prix.
Hamilton’s great rival Sebastian Vettel sits behind him in the listings with 42 wins.
His nine years in F1 have seen Hamilton put his hands on the championship trophy three times – in 2008, 2014 and 2015.
Hamilton v Rosberg decider
He was runner-up twice in 2007 and has never finished lower than fifth in the race for the title of F1 world champion.
In the current season, he is in second place in the rankings behind Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg.
Not much divides the pair.
Rosberg has nine wins and 349 points, while Hamilton has eight wins and 330 points with two races left to go in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, the champion will be crowned by the end of the month and the standings are too close to call a winner just yet.
If Hamilton wins both races and Rosberg comes second in each, Rosberg will take the title.
Title depends on final races
Hamilton is probably rueing two engine failures that robbed of points earlier in the season in China and Russia. With 50 points available from those races, he could be ahead or closer to Rosberg for the final races.
When the flag goes down on the final race, either Hamilton or Rosberg will reflect that across a long season, the little things make a difference.
Besides engine failures, both suffered poor starts, in-race penalties and collisions. Just a handful of points from some of these disappointments could have put either contender in an uncatchable position.
Although the drivers’ table may make the Hamilton and Rosberg nervous, the final races are down to the wire, which makes the end of the season exciting for the fans.
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