Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton dominated the action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this Sunday, extending his championship lead to 37 points. With this 88th career win, he is now only three victories away from matching Schumacher's all-time record of 91. This race also saw him take sole possession of the most podiums in F1 history; after tying Schumacher's 155 appearances on the rostrum at Silverstone a week prior, he now stands at 156. This breaks a record that Schumacher had maintained since 2002, when he overtook Alain Prost's mark of 106.
Hamilton took a dominant victory for Mercedes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday to extend his lead at the top of the F1 drivers’ championship to 37 points. The result marked the 88th win of his F1 career, leaving him just three victories shy of Schumacher’s record tally of 91 victories. But after matching Schumacher’s long-standing record of 155 podium finishes at Silverstone one week earlier, the result in Spain saw Hamilton move clear onto 156 podiums. Schumacher had been F1’s podium record-holder since the 2002 British Grand Prix when he surpassed Alain Prost’s previous benchmark of 106 rostrums.
When questioned after the race about overtaking Schumacher's podium tally, Hamilton described the feeling as strange, noting that he grew up admiring the legend's driving style. He admitted with amusement that these achievements far exceeded his childhood dreams. Feeling humbled and honored, Hamilton expressed his gratitude for being recognized alongside the sport's most legendary figures, ending his remarks by hoping that this victory would make his family proud.
Making his return to Racing Point after a two-race absence due to coronavirus, Sergio Perez secured fourth place, finishing ahead of both Lance Stroll and McLaren's Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel, currently in his farewell season with Ferrari, took seventh place, beating out Red Bull's Alex Albon. This result was Vettel's second-best outing of the year, trailing only his sixth-place finish in Hungary last month. It has been a grueling season for the German driver, who has struggled to climb the rankings and has been vocal about the shortcomings of the Ferrari SF1000. Amidst reports that he will move to Aston Martin next year, his teammate Charles Leclerc—who had enjoyed a stronger start to the season—was forced to retire mid-race following an engine failure. The F1 circuit will now take a brief two-week hiatus before returning for the Belgian Grand Prix on August 30.