Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DON’T LOSE THAT DRIVE
Hill: Lewis can keep breaking records for years
DAMON HILL has told Lewis Hamilton to go on setting records that will last a lifetime.
The British racer claimed his 92nd Grand Prix win in Portugal on Sunday, eclipsing Michael Schumacher’s 91.
And before the year is out, he will likely draw level with the great German as the only drivers with seven F1 world titles.
But 1996 world champion Hill (above), whose dad Graham won it twice in the 1960s, says 35-yearold Hamilton should keep going for as long as he enjoys the challenge. Hill said: “It’s amazing, as for a long time we all thought Michael was unassailable. But he’s chipped away and it’s unbelievable. Just doing 92 Grands Prix is hard enough, let alone winning them.
“His talent is supreme. There’s not a single racing driver who has not looked enviously at Lewis Hamilton’s abilities and thought, ‘What must it be like to be that brilliant?’
“Max Verstappen, who’s still in his early 20s, must breathe a deep sigh. He’s realising he might have to go on until he’s 40, because if Lewis does, the records will be so far out of reach everyone will be racing in their fifties to try to break it.”
Hill’s only fear for Hamilton is that once he has every record, he may lose the motivation to keep going. “It’s like Alexander the Great, no worlds left to conquer,” said Hill.
“He’s got to tie up the title first and he looks on course for that, a couple more races and he should bag the title. After that it’s just carry on as long as you enjoy it.
“My dad stopped when he was 45 and people said, ‘ You’re going on too long’. Eventually the sharpness does go and you want to go out when people still see how brilliant you are, not tugging around trying to recover lost glories.
“But I’m sure Lewis will know when that time is.”