Chasing Schumacher never Hamilton’s plan
NEW YORK: Lewis Hamilton will edge closer to Michael Schumacher’s alltime record if he wins a fifth Formula One world title this weekend in Austin, but he said that chasing the German great was never part of his plan.
The Mercedes driver will move to within two of Schumacher’s alltime mark of seven championships if he scores eight points more than his Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel in Austin on Monday.
Yet Hamilton said that he realised his lifelong ambition in 2015 when he equalled the tally of his boyhood idol, Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian triple champion who died in 1994, and that chasing Schumacher’s mark was never his aim.
‘‘Honestly, that has never been my goal. I started out with the goal to match Ayrton Senna or to equalise with Ayrton Senna who is my . . . who’s the guy that I aspire to be like,’’ Hamilton said.
‘‘And I equalled him two years ago. So since then it’s kind of been going into unknown territory.
‘‘So I mean Michael’s stats are incredible and still quite a long way away, but I’m here for some time still, so I’m just going to keep working hard and keep trying to do what I do and what I love and enjoy it and we’ll see where it takes us.’’
Hamilton is 67 points clear of Vettel with three races and a maximum 75 points remaining after Texas, and will fancy his chances of sewing up the title having won five of the past six races at the Circuit of the Americas, including the past four. — Reuters