Hamilton’s victory emphasises his F1 superiority

LEWIS Hamilton underlined his greatness in Formula One racing yesterday with yet another comprehensive victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Briton led from pole position (along with a new lap record) around the Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirates to end the season in style, having already clinched his sixth overall title on November 3, after finishing second at the US Grand Prix.

“What a race, what a weekend,” he said after raising the chequered flag.

Hamilton – who claimed a fifth Abu Dhabi success – completed the season on 412 points (eclipsing his 2018 tally by four) with 11 race wins, just two behind Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record.

Talking about Schumacher, Hamilton crept ever closer to the great German’s record of 91 career victories, having moved to 84 with the Abu Dhabi triumph.

That mark can easily be eclipsed next year, when Hamilton can also equal Schumacher’s seven world titles.

The 34-year-old from Stevenage has dominated the sport to such an extent that he has attracted interest from Mercedes’ great rivals, Ferrari, in recent weeks. Hamilton’s current deal elapses at the end of next year, which could see him line up in a famed red Ferrari in 2021.

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said this week he would be “happy” if Hamilton was available to join his team, which led the Briton to say it was the first compliment from the Italian outfit in 13 years.

If Hamilton were to join Ferrari, he would again be following in the footsteps of Schumacher, who won five titles out of their Maranello base.

The Englishman, though, spoke glowingly about the talented youngsters coming through and who hope to challenge him in future, including Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who both ended in the top four on the standings.

But Hamilton was 87 points clear of the rest of his rivals when the Abu Dhabi race finished yesterday, and has become one of the true legends of the sport. And he is not done yet…

“The Briton led from pole position … to end the season in style