SCHU CAN DO IT , LEW
Hamilton tipped to be a seven wonder
LEWIS HAMILTON will match Formula One king Michael Schumacher’s record seven world championships before his Mercedes deal ends.
That’s the view of 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell as his fellow Brit stands on the brink of a historic fifth title triumph.
Hamilton needs just eight points more than Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in tomorrow’s US Grand Prix to wrap up the championship.
However, Mansell believes the champion-elect won’t stop there and will have Schumacher firmly in his sights.
Hamilton’s new deal will see him remain with Mercedes until at least the end of 2020 and Mansell said: “Lewis is on a crest of a wave and I predict that within the next couple of years he will get his seventh world championship. The confidence of from PHILIP DUNCAN in Austin, Texas winning puts you on another level. And if he keeps his desire I can’t see anyone challenging him next year.”
The 33-year-old has been in unstoppable form since the summer break, winning six of the last seven races to establish a 67-point lead over his nearest rival Vettel.
Mansell, 65, added: “Lewis is racing in a different stratosphere because he has been able to build his momentum, race by race, year by year.
“Will Lewis go down as one of the greatest drivers of all time?
“Of course he will and he should, but times are very different now.
Speed
“I believe the great drivers are those that competed with no seatbelts, no crash helmets. If you were involved in an accident there was a 50-50 chance you would die.” Vettel admits he has all but gift-wrapped the title to Hamilton after a string of driver errors that has seen his season unravel.
He dropped key points with a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix last time out.
The German also paid for gaffes in Baku, Monza, the Circuit Paul Ricard in France and Hockenheim. Vettel’s nightmare run continued when he was given a three-place grid penalty for this race. He was penalised after being adjudged to have not slowed down under red flag conditions in first practice yesterday. Hamilton set the pace on a rain-swept Circuit of the Americas, finishing fastest in both practice sessions.