Mercedes motorsport boss, Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton is establishing a legacy as one of Formula 1’s greatest ever drivers after a recent period of historic success.
The three-time world champion would draw level with Jim Clark and Alain Prost as a five-time winner of the British Grand Prix just over a week ago. He would also match Clark for most consecutive wins at the event with four and most poles with five on a dominant weekend at Silverstone.
At this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, he can match Michael Schumacher’s record of 68 pole positions in F1 having claimed six so far this year and those achievements aren’t lost on Wolff as he assessed his drivers at the midway point of the season.
“Lewis has delivered some consummate performances this year in China, Canada and Silverstone in particular,” he said. “The win in front of his home crowd was emotionally charged and I am sure he is carrying that energy with him right now.
“As we see almost each weekend, he is equalling and matching new records in our sport’s history – and building a legacy as one of the sport’s greatest drivers.”
Hamilton also holds the record for most wins in Hungary with five but the Austrian did issue a word of warning ahead of the 2017 edition of the Eastern European race.
“Budapest has always been a good circuit for him but, as he knows better than anybody else, the past is no guarantee of future performance,” he claimed. “It’s all about the right preparation, hard work and delivering on the day.”
Continuing his mid-season analysis, Wolff was equally full of praise for Valtteri Bottas and his performance since joining Mercedes back in January.
“Valtteri has embodied Finnish resolve and fighting spirit,” Wolff proclaimed. “He has a fierce work ethic, steely approach and a great natural talent.
“He threw himself into the challenge of switching teams and we are now starting to see his full potential reveal itself.
“I have the feeling he is getting better with each passing weekend and is already a more complete driver than at the start of the season. I’m excited to imagine how he will continue to develop for the rest of the season.”
