Lewis Hamilton admits his level of Formula 1 success is “far beyond what I dreamed” after claiming another record in Spain.
His victory in Barcelona took him one clear of Michael Schumacher with 156 podium finishes to his name in just his 256th race, the third-highest conversion rate in history.
And asked about his latest milestone post-race, the Mercedes driver acknowledged such achievements are pretty hard to comprehend.
“I don’t really know what to say to those things,” said Hamilton.
“It’s just very strange, all of us drivers here grew up watching Michael and dreamed of one day being here.
“What is happening right now is far beyond what I dreamed as a kid. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity that I’m given every day.
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“I think Michael was obviously an incredible athlete and driver.
“So I just always feel really humbled and honoured to be mentioned in the same light as a driver like him, and Ayrton [Senna] and [Juan Manuel] Fangio.
“It’s pretty cool and I hope the Hamilton family are proud also.”
Before 2020 ends, Hamilton now looks almost certain to match and/or surpass the two most significant records of Schumacher’s career.
The first is likely to be the tally of 91 wins, with Lewis now just three behind after Sunday, and the other is the remarkable total of seven world championships, as Hamilton currently sits 37 points clear of Max Verstappen in the standings.
Commenting on the quest for the latter though, the 35-year-old believes nothing can be taken for granted despite his and Mercedes’ considerable advantage.
“After the last race [at Silverstone] I looked at the standings and saw Max was second,” he noted to Sky Sports
“If he didn’t have the DNF in the first race he would have only been 12 points behind so it is a lot closer than people think in the driver standings.
“And generally in the race, Red Bull is right there with us. But today, though, I was just in such a different headspace in the car it was a beautiful feeling, better than I have had in a long time.
“I was just in a daze out there. I was in a different [zone], I felt really good.”