Featured Image Credit: BBC
Topics: Lewis Hamilton
Jess Hardiman
It turns out Formula One legend Michael Schumacher made a heartwarming prediction about Lewis Hamilton 14 years ago, which ended up coming true. Watch what he had to say here:
Hamilton, 37, equalled Schumacher’s record of seven F1 championships in 2020, having almost made it to eight at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which brought the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship to a controversial end.
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Amazingly, Hamilton’s success was something Schumacher had already seen coming several years ago, saying that ‘records are there to be beaten’.
Back in 2008, Schumacher spoke about Hamilton’s potential when he was interviewed by Inside Sport’s Des Kelly.
As the pair discussed titles, Kelly asked him: “Can any driver today dominate Formula 1 in the way you did? You know, can somebody like Lewis [Hamilton] pick up a world title and then get seven world titles, or is that just something that’s beyond the bounds of the modern age?”
Schumacher, who has been out of the public eye in recent years after suffering life-changing injuries during a skiing accident in 2013, replied: “I would say absolutely yes. Because nobody thought – and neither me, myself – that I could beat the five of Fangio, and then I did and I increased it to seven.
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“Records are there to be beaten and I’m quite relaxed that one day it will happen, whether it’s Lewis, whether it’s Massa or its Sebastian Vettel or whoever it might be.
“It might be somebody of the current or the future that could or will do it. I’ve got no problem about it.”
Hamilton missed out on his record eighth Formula One world title due to last-minute drama at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year.
He had been in the lead for almost all the race, but was overtaken on the final lap by his opponent - under what some believe were controversial conditions, after a safety car came on following a crash involving Nicholas Latifi.
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Hamilton had been on the same tyres since lap 14, while Verstappen had fresh tyres introduced late on in the race.
The safety car allowed one final lap of racing and Verstappen's fresh tyres proved to make the difference.
Despite Hamilton getting into the slipstream, Verstappen managed to block it off and take home the win and his first championship.
At the time, Hamilton could be heard saying over his radio: "This has been manipulated, man."
In the wake of the controversy, Formula One's race director Michael Masi was also fired.