‘Hamilton will match Schuey’s title wins’
(190) J Snowden 8 12-0 ............... G Sheehan (16) D Bridgwater 8 11-10 (D) ...................... D Hiskett (5) (22) Mrs C Bailey 7 11-10 (BF) ......................... J Bowen (13) C Longsdon 9 11-8 (D4) .... Paul O’Brien (5) (16) P Bowen 13 11-8 (D) .......... Mr P Bryan (7) (169) N Williams 6 11-6 (D) ................... Lizzie Kelly (3) (64) J Eustace 9 11-2 .......................... J Quinlan (180) I Williams 7 11-0 (BF) ......... R Johnson BETTING: 7-2 Elkstone, 4 Closest Friend, 9-2 Baron Du Plessis, 5 One Of Us, 6 Midnight Monty, 10 Fly Home Harry, Accord, 12 Strumble Head.
9-2fav Held up in rear, mistake 4 out, some headway approaching 3 out, no impression, 6th of 13, 15l behind West Wizard at Market Rasen 2m 3f hcp chs 0-110 (4) gd in Sep. 10-1 Towards rear, took closer order after 7th, tracked front pair after 4 out, challenged next, ridden after 2 out, kept on and every chance flat, just held, 2nd of 12, 1 1/2l behind Grow Nasa Grow at Market Rasen 2m 5f nov hcp chs 0-105 (4) gd in Aug. 2-1fav Prominent, mistake 9th, driven 4 out, weakened before last, eased flat, tailed off, 7th of 10, well behind Chill In The Wood at Huntingdon 3m hcp chs 0-100 (5) gd in Apr. 13-2 Tracked leaders, led 8th, headed before 2 out, kept on same pace, 5th of 16, 6l behind Fact Flow at Uttoxeter 2m 6f nov hcp chs 0-115 (4) gd in May.
16-1 Chased leaders, pushed along in 4th and outpaced after 4 out, hit 2 out, hung left after, rallied run-in, went 2nd towards finish, 2nd of 13, 3 1/2l behind Lostintranslation at Newbury 2m NH mdn hdl (3) sft in Dec. 9-4fav Chased leaders, mistakes, challenging when hung left before 2 out, chased winner last, no impression, 2nd of 8, 2 3/4l behind Rebel Royal at Kempton 2m nh nov hdl (4) gd in Apr.
4-6fav (tt) w ldrs; led last; comf, won at Axe Vale 3m ptp gs in Apr beating Speronimo by 2l, 13 ran. 6-1 Tracked leaders on inside, outpaced after 3 out, weakened before next, 7th of 12, 26l behind Gortroe Joe at Warwick 2m 3f nh nov hdl (4) gd in May. LEWIS Hamilton will match Michael Schumacher’s record seven world championships before his Mercedes deal expires, Nigel Mansell has claimed with his fellow Briton standing on the brink of a historic title.
Hamilton, 33, requires just eight points more than Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the US Grand Prix on Sunday to wrap up the championship and join Juan Manuel Fangio on five title triumphs.
There are a number of permutations as to how the Mercedes star can get his championship over the line, but the simplest is this; if he wins here in Austin, Texas and Vettel is third, the glory is his.
A fifth championship for the Silver Arrows star would leave him two shy of a record that many thought would never be beaten.
But Mansell, the 1992 world champion, who until Hamilton surpassed him, had won more races than any British driver, believes Schumacher is now firmly in his countryman’s sights.
Hamilton will remain with Mercedes until at least the end of 2020 after signing a deal to become the sport’s first £40m-a-season driver earlier this year.
“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,” Mansell said.
“The confidence of winning puts you on another level, and if he keeps his desire I can’t see anyone challenging him next season either.”
Indeed, Hamilton is set to sew up his fourth championship in five seasons either in America or Mexico next weekend, with a Mercedes team that Mansell believes must now be considered the best Formula One has seen.
Could the same also be said for Hamilton?
“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,” Mansell added.
“I broke my back three times, I broke my neck, and my feet were in bits because the pedals were six inches behind the front of the car.
“I believe the great drivers are those that competed with no seatbelts, no crash helmets, and if you were involved in an accident there was a 50-50 chance you would die.”