For the first time, Lewis Hamilton has admitted he could "get somewhere near" matching if not surpassing Michael Schumacher's record for most wins in Formula 1 in the coming years.
The Briton, who replaced the German seven-time champion at Mercedes in 2013, is currently second in the all-time list with 62 wins and has scored 41 victories in the last five seasons alone with the Brackley-based team.
During Mercedes' era of domination since 2014, Hamilton, who became a four-time champion last time out in Mexico, has averaged 10 wins per season, a total that would see him move ahead of Schumacher in 2020 if he could maintain it.
With more races on the calendar and only a handful of teams challenging for wins, that goal may be attainable but the 32-year-old insists it is not one of his ambitions.
“I hope I will keep winning for a long, long time,” he said on Thursday. “If the fight remains within you and it is still there now, I still don’t really have the desire to chase Michael [though] of course, I’m much closer now than I’ve ever been.
“Before getting 91 wins felt so distant, but maybe now… it’s still a long way off but it’s not impossible to think it could potentially get somewhere near. I’m really just grateful to be up there among the real, real greats. Not only amongst them but now standing up there with them along with the four titles and the pole positions, I think that’s something I’m very proud of.
“I think I’ve got one more year in me, probably more, and I plan to win a lot more races, so we will see how it goes.”
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It is expected Hamilton will sign a contract extension which would see him at Mercedes until 2020 as soon as this month and though some have wondered how long the now 10-year F1 veteran has left, Lewis claims the passion is keeping him going.
“I don’t know, I just love racing,” he said when asked what his motivation is. “Particularly this year I have found a new love for racing and the battle at the last race, particularly at the beginning, I feel even more engaged.
“I know it’s strange, but it’s not like when you’ve won a championship you can take a brief sigh. It doesn’t really change anything other than having another F1 title alongside your name. I’m still a racing driver at heart and still have a lot of fight left in me.”