![Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates his record breaking 92nd race win in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on October 25, 2020 in Portimao, Portugal](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/formula-1/2020/10/25/TELEMMGLPICT000242861229_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqxOiE3Xqo-PwhHFOPJc8ji2bdgWsTRkUQKJHIOaDgAtI.jpeg?imwidth=680)
![Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates his record breaking 92nd race win in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on October 25, 2020 in Portimao, Portugal](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/formula-1/2020/10/25/TELEMMGLPICT000242861229_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqxOiE3Xqo-PwhHFOPJc8ji2bdgWsTRkUQKJHIOaDgAtI.jpeg?imwidth=680)
A version of this article was originally published on October 13, 2020
Moments after Lewis Hamilton had equalled Michael Schumacher’s longstanding record of 91 Grand Prix victories t the Eifel Grand Prix, he was asked about the scale of his achievement and what it means to him. His answer, while complimentary, was also telling.
“I don’t even know what to say… when you grow up watching someone and idolising them in terms of the quality of the driver they are and what they are able to continuously do year on year, race on race, week on week...”
The words “in terms of the quality of the driver they are” hint at a wider truth: as brilliant as Schumacher was, his records and reputation will always be tainted by his disciplinary record on track. Perhaps Hamilton's phrasing was entirely intentional, but it indicated that he knows that Schumacher is not an unblemished great. With his 92nd race victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix, he has now surpassed the German's feats.
You can argue all day long about the relative merits of Hamilton vs Schumacher as drivers — and indeed, I have done exactly that. Both men stand above all others when it comes to the sheer weight of their achievements. Yet there can be no argument whatsoever that Hamilton is the better champion. With Hamilton's new record, it is a great relief to see the dethroning of someone whose records were corrupted by some of the most cynical moments in the history of the sport.
The worst instances are well known. Driving into both Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve in the 1994 and 1997 title deciders were shocking and the incidents with the most at stake. In one instance he was rewarded with a title and in another he was disqualified from the championship standings entirely.
Then there was the time, a little later in his career, that he parked his car at Rascasse in Monaco to stop Fernando Alonso taking pole position in 2006. Or when he squeezed Rubens Barichello’s Williams dangerously towards a concrete wall at 170mph at the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix. This was Schumacher all over, if the choice was surrendering fairly or crossing a line, he would choose the latter every time if it gave him a chance at victory.
Does any of this diminish Schumacher’s achievements as a driver? No. Does it tarnish his reputation as a competitor and champion? Absolutely.
![Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 09, 2019 in Montreal, Canada](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/formula-1/2020/10/12/TELEMMGLPICT000200252850_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqkzRVrpaG8pgYx8zuruU0oLxVMM-N2Dh3uu4C0ivbnMw.jpeg?imwidth=350)
It is impossible to separate Schumacher’s achievements from his indiscretions. Frank Dernie, former Benetton engineer, says that Schumacher was “ruthless squared”. That extended beyond just committing questionable acts to stoutly and seriously defending his corner — as he did, with a straight face, on many occasions. How galling it must have been for his rivals to hear it.
In the debate about the greatest of all time, no claim comes without caveats and the “but” for Hamilton will always be how dominant and largely unchallenged his Mercedes team have been for an unprecedentedly long period. His glittering career, however, has only rarely been tainted with underhand tactics.
No driver is entirely without fault and that includes Hamilton, who lied to stewards at the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. Yet his reputation as a fair and hard competitor is without reproach and has grown. In very short order, the most successful F1 driver of all time will not be a man with question marks over his conduct.
Should it really matter, though? Look at another all-time great in Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian was as intense a competitor as Schumacher, is still lauded almost without qualification and is more revered than Schumacher. After Schumacher’s initial retirement in 2006 Villeneuve said that he would not live on in the memory as strongly or as long as Alain Prost or even Nigel Mansell. “Those people attained a hero status that Michael never has and never will,” he said. “Senna played dirty tricks too, but he did it with more class, more integrity.” His point was that when Senna crossed the line, he was honest.
We now know this not to be the case, definitively. Schumacher’s records were for so long so far ahead of anyone else that his status at the pinnacle of the sport — but not his character — was unquestionable.
Still, would this be the case had Schumacher not suffered his life-changing injury on the slopes at the end of 2013? He would surely be remembered at least a little differently, with his on-track conduct not as easily forgotten. The same is true of Senna after his death in 1994. But whilst it is understandable this is the case; it does not have to be so. You can separate the competitor and the human. Of the competitors we know plenty; we see their strengths, weaknesses, successes and failures throughout the year. And their competitive conduct. Of the people we know little. There is no shame in questioning Schumacher’s on-track actions whilst also recognising his current tragic situation.
Ross Brawn, who worked closely with Schumacher at Benetton, Ferrari and later Mercedes spoke on Sky's Race to Perfection documentary series about his qualities. “Nobody I know who ever worked with Michael ever had a bad word to say about him, a bad opinion about him because of his integrity, his commitment, his human side,” Brawn said, though many would question the German’s integrity. Likewise Martin Brundle spoke of Senna saying that, although he was responsible for some dangerous moments on track – against Prost at the Japanese Grand Prix in 1990, the best example — he was often the first to put himself in danger and help others, like he did after Erik Comas’s huge shunt in Belgium in 1992.
This all shows that it is difficult to separate the talent, achievements, integrity on the track and the character of a person away from it. Looking at Hamilton’s profile in the past few years, perhaps he has realised this and run with it. He has certainly started to embrace the power of his personal profile. Hamilton is far from universally liked, even in his home country, but he continues to change the face of F1 for the better. With a record-equalling seventh title on a matter of weeks away, his status as F1’s greatest champion may well become unimpeachable.
It is a relief to see Lewis Hamilton dethrone Michael Schumacher as F1's most successful driver
Schumacher's controversial on-track actions will always count against him — Hamilton's reputation, as a driver, is near unimpeachable