Lewis Hamilton admitted it “just doesn’t seem real” as he closed to within one of Michael Schumacher’s record for Formula 1 wins at Mugello.
This past weekend, the six-time world champion rounded things up nicely with his 95th pole and 90th victory at the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix, extending his lead in the Drivers’ standings to 55 points.
And now with the opportunity to match the German legend at the next race at Sochi, a place Mercedes is yet to lose at in the hybrid era, Hamilton is struggling to grasp the scale of it all.
“It just doesn’t seem real,” he was quoted by RaceFans post-race.
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“Obviously it’s ultimately a privilege to be in a position and have such a great team and a car to be able to deliver weekend in, weekend out but I just feel forever grateful to the people that continue to work hard.
“I’m just a link in the chain but getting the wins is not easy when you have a great driver in Valtteri [Bottas] pushing you the limit, weekend in, weekend out,” he added.
“But I never thought that I would be here, that’s for sure.”
Should Hamilton win in Russia, he would match Schumacher in his 260th start in F1, which is nine more than Michael needed when he won his final race in Shanghai in 2006.