Hamilton: "Breaking Schumacher records is not on my priority list"

Lewis Hamilton has quite a set of records to his name and this year he can match Michael Schumacher's record. When the Brit becomes champion again he will be on the same level as Schumacher with seven titles and that's special. Yet that has never been a driver's ambition, he says to Motorsport.com.

Two records

This year Hamilton can match two records and even break one. The first is of course the number of championships, but Hamilton can also equal - or even exceed - the number of victories. He's only five races away from that with 86 victories to his name at the moment. An exceptional achievement and that seemed unfeasible a couple of years ago, but Hamilton proves the opposite.

"Honestly, and I keep saying it, it's not something I think about or what my priorities are. It's never really on my list of priorities. When I was younger I loved Ayrton Senna and it was like one day I wanted to do something like him. I remember growing up watching Ayrton and Michael's career, and his successes."

"I dreamed great like every child, but I never expected to achieve 90 victories in a million years. It would have been foolish to believe that I could, to win all these races, and to be at a time when I am one of the few people with color in the sport - with everything that happens in the world."

I understand Schumacher's position

It is quite extraordinary to see such a dominant driver again relatively shortly after the Schumacher era. After all, that is what no one ever expected. Precisely because Hamilton is in that position, he understands very well what Schumacher has been through.

"It's strange to me. I remember sitting on the other side of the television and watching Michael win all his races and now I am here. I'm not chasing him, but I'm getting closer to the number of victories he has won. I've won a lot, but I haven't won as much as Michael."

"It reminds me of the dominance and excellence he showed for so long and I can understand what position he was in. I understand the pressure he was under", concludes the British driver who apparently still doesn't care too much for records.