Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Hamilton aiming for fifth F1 title
A TRIUMPHANT Lewis Hamilton has already set his sights on winning a fifth Formula One world championship after being crowned Britain’s most successful motor racing driver ever.
Hamilton surpassed Sir Jackie Stewart to become the first Briton to win more than three championships, and joined Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel as just the fifth to have won four or more after a chaotic race in Mexico yesterday.
The 32-year-old Englishman finished only ninth — the lowest position of his championshipwinning season — following a stunning opening-lap collision with Vettel, after which Hamilton asked if his rival had crashed into him on purpose.
Hamilton dropped to last but Vettel — who also had to stop f or repairs — crossed the line in fourth to fall well short of the victory he needed to stop Hamilton from rewriting the record books.
Hamilton took the chequered flag with his helmet in his hands before holding a Union Jack aloft as he celebrated his remarkable achievement.
L a t e r, h e a r r i v e d to address the media with a glass of champagne. He had one sip of bubbly before proclaiming it as disgusting and reverting to an energy drink.
“Four is a great number, but I want No 5 now,” Hamilton said with a telling grin. “Throughout the race I was just thinking to myself, ‘don’t give up’.
“I got the puncture, and I could have easily resorted to giving up, making mistakes.”