Lewis Hamilton says it “wouldn’t make any difference” if he was to equal Michael Schumacher with 91 Formula 1 wins at the Eifel Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver will start second for Sunday’s race at the Nurburgring, a venue which owes much of its revival in F1 in the 1990s-2000s to the seven-time world champion.
Schumacher himself also won five times at the ‘Ring, the last coming in 2006, but despite the appropriateness of Hamilton equalling his all-time wins record in Germany, that doesn’t really bother the Briton.
“Honestly it wouldn’t make any difference, I’ve got my work cut out tomorrow,” he said.
“It’s not something I particularly think about. If and when it happens, it’ll be great – but right now these two [Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen] are making it pretty hard for me. I’m enjoying this battle I’m having with these guys.”
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In Sochi, Hamilton also downplayed how he’d react when the moment comes that he matches Schumacher, and that remained his view at the Nurburgring.
“I know you keep asking me questions about it but I can’t tell you [how it feels],” he said. “I don’t feel a particular way about it right now.
“I’m solely focused on trying to do the best job I can. If that gets me to that win then great but of course, I’m not looking short term, I’m looking further ahead, you know.”
Even so, Hamilton is getting praise for his achievements from former Mercedes reserve and current Renault driver Esteban Ocon.
“Well, hats off because obviously, he has been on the top of his game for a long, long time,” the Frenchman told Express Sport.
“Seeing him work closely… people think ‘oh he is just talented, he jumps in the car and he has a Mercedes and it does everything for him’. That is not true.
“He is working very hard with his engineers, he is guiding them to good directions. He is guiding the team and improving their confidence in the right way.
“He is part of that and his success is not just random – that doesn’t exist. Everything that he does, he is obviously very talented, but he works very hard for it.
“Some people don’t necessarily understand all of that.”
