Hamilton wins sixth F1 world title to close in on Schumacher

Lewis Hamilton has sealed his sixth drivers’ Formula 1 world championship title at the United States Grand Prix with two races to spare in the 2019 season.

Hamilton arrived in the US needing to score just four points in Sunday’s grand prix to beat Valtteri Bottas to the 2019 drivers’ title and did so by finishing second, despite his teammate winning the race after a late pass on Hamilton. 

It marks the second time in his career that Hamilton has won the world championship at the Circuit of the Americas, adding to his previous title triumph at the Austin track in 2015. 

The result also confirms Mercedes as the first team in F1 history to have won six consecutive world championship doubles, having clinched the constructors’ title at last month’s Japanese Grand Prix

At the age of 34, Hamilton has now moved into a clear second place in the record books thanks to his sixth world title, edging ahead of former Mercedes driver Juan Manuel Fangio and putting himself within touching distance of matching Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of seven world championships.

Already Briton’s most successful F1 driver of all time, Hamilton can further stake a claim to be one of the greatest of all time by equalling Schumacher’s tally of championships, possibly as early as next season.

Hamilton surpassed Schumacher’s pole position record in 2017 and is also closing in on the German’s wins record of 91. Hamilton has currently racked up 83 grand prix victories to his name and is just eight shy of matching Schumacher’s long-standing achievement.

Hamilton will have another two attempts to add to his wins tally in 2019, with races still to come in Brazil and Abu Dhabi before the end of the campaign.