It feels as though every race in the last year has thrust Lewis Hamilton on the path to breaking a new Formula 1 record, largely those once-unbelievable records set by Michael Schumacher. We have also included the records Hamilton shares with another driver, some of which he could hold alone in the next few years.
Most wins in Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton: 98
Michael Schumacher: 91
Sebastian Vettel: 53
Alain Prost: 51
Ayrton Senna: 41
Hamilton’s dominance has been so profound over the last seven years that not only does he have the most wins (taking 77 of those during his time at Mercedes), but he has almost double the wins of Sebastian Vettel in third place. His first win came in 2007 at the Canadian Grand Prix, just six races into his rookie season, while his most recent win was the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix.
Most points in Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton: 3879
Sebastian Vettel: 3046
Fernando Alonso: 1912
Kimi Räikkönen: 1864
Nico Rosberg: 1594.5
You may be surprised to see the absence of some of the F1 greats of this list, and that is because in 2010 Formula 1 switched to the current points system of awarding 25 points for a win. Before that, since 1991, drivers received only 10 points for a win. Prior to 1991, a driver would claim 9 points for a win, and 8 points between 1950 and 1960. In addition, there were fewer races in season, and up to 2009 only the top 8 got points.
Overall, the last 10 years or so have been far more conducive to racking up points, and the modern points system certainly skews the count in favour of drivers over the past decade. Rosberg’s additional half point comes from the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix – the race was stopped due to rain on lap 31 of 56, meaning that half points were awarded – full points are given after 75% of the race has elapsed.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, celebrates with his team in Parc Ferme after securing his 100th pole position F1
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Most consecutive race starts
Lewis Hamilton: 265
Nico Rosberg: 206
Daniel Ricciardo: 194
Riccardo Patrese: 187
Jenson Button: 179
While Hamilton will have to beat 5 other drivers before he breaks Raikkonen’s record of F1 races started (a whopping 334 entries and counting) he does hold the record for the most consecutive race starts. After testing positive for COVID-19 Hamilton had to miss the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Before this, Hamilton had never missed a start since his 2007 debut.
Most entries with a single engine manufacturer
Lewis Hamilton: 272 (Mercedes)
Kimi Räikkönen: 195 (Ferrari)
Michael Schumacher: 181 (Ferrari)
David Coulthard: 150 (Mercedes)
Emerson Fittipaldi: 148 (Ford Cosworth)
Hamilton’s cars have only ever been powered by Mercedes, whether with McLaren between 2007 and 2012 and of course now with the Mercedes works team. Thus, he has more than surpassed his competitors in this record.
Most consecutive points finishes
Lewis Hamilton: 48
Kimi Räikkönen: 27
Michael Schumacher: 24
Fernando Alonso: 23
Valtteri Bottas: 22
Hamilton consecutively scored points 48 times between the 2018 British Grand Prix and the 2020 Bahrain GP, missing the following Sakhir Grand Prix after contracting COVID-19. This is somewhat contentious; some may argue that because he did not start, his streak should continue because he did not technically record a non-points scoring finish. Nonetheless, Hamilton safely has this record secured not only thanks to his legendary driving skills but also likely to the reliability of the Mercedes cars.
Race winner Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11 crosses the finish line
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Total pole positions
Lewis Hamilton: 100
Michael Schumacher: 68
Ayrton Senna: 65
Sebastian Vettel: 57
Jim Clark and Alain Prost: 33
Hamilton’s first pole position was at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix. He achieved an impressive six pole positions in his very first season. Hamilton has achieved at least a pole position in every season he has competed in, ranging from one pole position in 2011 and 2012, up to 12 pole positions in 2016.
Most podium finishes
Lewis Hamilton: 169
Michael Schumacher: 155
Sebastian Vettel: 122
Alain Prost: 106
Kimi Raikkonen: 103
The lowest number of podiums Hamilton achieved in a single season was five podiums in 2009 for McLaren, and also in 2013 with Mercedes.
Total races finished in the points
Lewis Hamilton: 234
Michael Schumacher: 221
Kimi Raikkonen: 216
Fernando Alonso: 205
Sebastian Vettel: 204
This is another record that Hamilton has taken from Michael Schumacher. While Schumacher may have started more races, Hamilton has finished in the points more often, scoring 234 times so far. Such has been Hamilton’s, and Mercedes’, consistency that he scored points in every race of the 2017 season – his worst finish being ninth place in the Mexican Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Most consecutive points finishes
Lewis Hamilton: 48
Kimi Raikkonen: 27
Michael Schumacher: 24
Fernando Alonso: 23
Valtteri Bottas: 22
The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix marked the end of yet another Hamilton streak. Between the 2018 British Grand Prix and the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix Hamilton scored points in every single race.
Highest average points per race started
Lewis Hamilton: 14.26 points per race started
Sebastian Vettel: 11.58
Max Verstappen: 10.14
Valtteri Bottas: 9.62
Nico Rosberg: 7.74
Again, the modern points system skews in the favour of the modern driver. It is an unusual record in the sense that drivers can knock themselves off the top by scoring fewer points, and therefore reducing your overall average, a reality which might affect Vettel based on his 2020 and 2021 points scoring precedent.
Most consecutive race finishes
Lewis Hamilton: 48 (2018 British Grand Prix-2020 Bahrain Grand Prix)
Nick Heidfeld: 33 (2007 Chinese Grand Prix- 2009 Italian Grand Prix)
Kimi Raikkonen: 30 (2012 Australian Grand Prix- 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix)
Fernando Alonso: 29 (2013 Chinese Grand Prix- 2014 Belgian Grand Prix)
Nico Rosberg and Esteban Ocon: 27 (2008 Canadian Grand Prix- 2009 Japanese Grand Prix and 2016 Belgian Grand Prix-2017 Mexican Grand Prix)
This is another record halted by Hamilton’s positive COVID test in 2020. Again, this is a testament to both Hamilton’s abilities and the reliability of the cars provided by Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
Total laps led
Lewis Hamilton: 5183
Michael Schumacher: 5111
Sebastian Vettel: 3499
Ayrton Senna: 2987
Alain Prost: 2684
Out of the 15,495 laps he’s completed, Hamilton has led over a third of those – clocking a monumental 26,260 kilometres in the lead.
Total races leading every lap
Lewis Hamilton: 22
Ayrton Senna: 19
Sebastian Vettel: 15
Jim Clark: 13
Jackie Stewart and Michael Schumacher: 11
Hamilton first led every lap in a race in the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix in his McLaren MP4–22, with a very close Raikkonen behind him. It was the first time anyone had led every lap in a race in the 2007 season.
Total pole and wins in the same race
Lewis Hamilton: 59
Michael Schumacher: 40
Sebastian Vettel: 31
Ayrton Senna: 29
Alain Prost: 18
The vast majority of Hamilton’s poles have been with Mercedes – with Melbourne being his most successful circuit for pole positions, where he has secured pole 8 times.
Only driver to win a race in every season completed
Hamilton has won as little as one race in a season (2013), all the way up to 11 wins which he has achieved in multiple seasons since joining Mercedes.
Podium: second place Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus F1 Team, Ross Brawn, Mercedes AMG F1 Team Principal, race winner Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1, third place Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sutton Images
Records Hamilton shares with others
Most world championships
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton: 7
Juan Manuel Fangio: 5
Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel: 4
An 8th world championship will likely be the next record on Hamilton’s radar. While he currently does not lead the 2021 driver standings, with only 4 points less than the leader Max Verstappen it is certainly far from over. He clinched his first world title in a particularly nail-biting manner in 2008 with McLaren, on the final corner of the last lap of the last race of the season. The other six world championships were won with Mercedes. He is the current world champion after winning the 2020 driver’s championship.
Most wins in first championship season
Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton: 4
Juan Manuel Fangio and Giuseppe Farina: 3
Johnnie Parsons, Giancarlo Baghetti, Jackie Stewart, Clay Regazzoni, Emerson Fittipaldi and Juan Pablo Montoya: 1
This is obviously not a record that Hamilton can work on beating so he will have to settle with sharing this record with Villeneuve. Only Hamilton and Montoya have achieved a win in their first championship season since 2001 (Hamilton in 2007 and Montoya in 2001) which is likely a reflection of increased use of junior teams – and drivers graduating from junior categories into cars that are unfortunately not capable of winning a race. Pierre Gasly’s win at the 2020 Italian GP may serve to prove that point wrong though, after taking victory in an AlphaTauri.
Most wins at the same grand prix
Michael Schumacher (French GP) and Lewis Hamilton (Hungarian GP): 8
Alain Prost (Brazilian GP and French GP) and Ayrton Senna (Monaco GP): 6
While Hamilton shares this record with Schumacher like many of his other records, this one is slightly difficult to rank because while Schumacher and Hamilton have each won eight times at their respective GPs – they have also each won seven times at two other grands prix each, and then six times at seven more GPs between them. While Prost and Senna are also ranked, Hamilton and Schumacher would still cover the top 5 easily between them if repeating drivers. Hamilton can claim this record on his own if he wins the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix on 1 August.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Most consecutive wins at the same grand prix
Ayrton Senna (Monaco GP) and Lewis Hamilton (Spanish Grand Prix): 5
Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentine GP), Jim Clark (Belgian and British GP), Ayrton Senna (Belgian GP) and Michael Schumacher (Spanish GP and United States GP): 4
Hamilton’s record for most consecutive wins at the same grand prix is still ongoing, as he has won the Spanish GP every year since 2017 – including 2021.
Most consecutive seasons with at least one grand prix win
Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton: 15
Alain Prost: 10
Ayrton Senna: 9
Nelson Piquet: 8
Having won a race in every season he has competed in (2007–2021), Hamilton’s streak is still ongoing.
Most podium finishes in a season
Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton: 17
Nico Rosberg: 16
Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas: 15
Hamilton achieved 17 podium finishes in a single season four times, in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Remarkably, Schumacher’s 17 podiums were the result of only 17 entries that season, so that could be a feat Hamilton could aim for, although it sadly is no longer possible in 2021 after the Monaco GP.
Fewest world championship seasons before first title
Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton: 2 seasons
Denny Hulme and Emerson Fittipaldi: 3 seasons
Another record that Hamilton shares that he cannot work towards holding alone. However, the nature of contemporary F1 means that junior drivers seldom step up into race-winning cars, so he may have this record for a fair while.