A 100th pole position for Lewis Hamilton, the record-breaking driver

“I can't believe it… 100 pole positions!

“Breathless and moved when he got out of his Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton seemed to realize his feat this Saturday in Barcelona.

“I'm happy as if it was my first pole,” added the British rider, never tired of it.

Yet he holds the most important records in the history of Formula 1.

The pure-100 in qualifying

A barrier which seemed inaccessible has just been crossed.

“Who could have imagined that when I joined Mercedes?

Hamilton smiled on Saturday.

Arrived in the German team in 2013 (then lacking results), with 26 pole positions on the clock (at the wheel of a McLaren), the Englishman has not lost time since: 74 pole positions in one just over seven seasons, more than any other driver in his career.

Schumacher?

68 pole positions.

Senna?

65. Vettel?

57. Lewis Hamilton's complete record in qualifying: 100 pole positions (the first at the 2007 Canadian GP) in 270 attempts, or 37% success.

Peerless @LewisHamilton # F1 pic.twitter.com/XaqdeLhckN

- Formula 1 (@ F1) May 8, 2021

To fully realize the scope of accomplishment, it is necessary to abandon the comparison with other pilots and move on to the teams.

In 1,013 Grands Prix, Ferrari is the team with the most pole positions: 228. Hamilton has therefore snatched almost half of the Scuderia total with 743 GPs less contested.

Mind-blowing.

These 100 qualifications won also look great against the 129 pole positions in Mercedes history.

97 victories

Hamilton's 100 race wins should also come this year.

After surpassing Michael Schumacher's record for 91 victories in 2020, in Portugal, the native of Stevenage (in the suburbs of London) continued at a solid pace, reaching 97 victories in 269 appearances.

Winner of 2 of the first 3 races of this 2021 season, Hamilton knows that he still has 20 opportunities to reach the milestone of 100 trophies before the end of the year ...

168 podiums

Even when he doesn't win, Hamilton knows how to take big points.

He proved it in particular at Imola this season, finishing second after tasting the gravel and tearing his fin in the race.

In 269 Grands Prix, the Mercedes driver has thus reached a podium 168 times (62% success).

It is obviously a record, ahead of Michael Schumacher (155 podiums, 50%).

15 consecutive seasons with a victory

Beyond his top speed, Hamilton is also a regular driver with impressive longevity.

Arrived in F1 in 2007, the Briton has always managed to glean at least one victory per season for 15 years in a row.

A record shared with Michael Schumacher.

An 8th title in sight

This is the great record that Lewis Hamilton now wants to hold alone. Shared with Michael Schumacher since last year, the record of 7 world titles could also fall in 2021. Leader of the championship with 8 points ahead of Max Verstappen, Hamilton is in any case off to a good start, driving the best single-seater on the grid. The fight will resume this Sunday at 3 p.m. in Barcelona.