Hamilton breaks Schumacher record with 92nd victory in Portugal

Lewis Hamilton became Formula One’s record all-time race-winner on Sunday when he claimed his 92nd victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix to pass Michael Schumacher at the top of the list.

His win lifted him one clear of Schumacher’s 14-year-old record of 91 triumphs after a thrilling inaugural F1 race at the Algarve International Circuit.

“Get in there Lewis, what a race. You are rewriting the history books,” Mercedes told him over the team radio.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said simply: “92 Lewis, 92.”

Hamilton fought back after an early scare, when he led but dropped to third after a rain shower, to demonstrate impeccable tyre management and flawless judgement as he claimed an eighth win in 12 races this year.

The six-time world champion finished 25.5 seconds clear of his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a familiar third.

Hamilton’s triumph added another unprecedented feat to his roster of records. He now has the most wins, a record 97 pole positions, a record 161 podium finishes and a record 45 consecutive points finishes.

The 35-year-old Briton extended his championship lead over Bottas to 77 points.

A seventh world title, which would equal another Schumacher record, now looks all but inevitable with only five races remaining this year.

Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari ahead of a surging Pierre Gasly after an excellent drive in his Alpha Tauri.

Carlos Sainz came home sixth for McLaren to beat Sergio Perez, who recovered from a first lap clash with Verstappen, to finish seventh for Racing Point ahead of the two Renaults of Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo.

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, in his final season at Ferrari, finished 10th.

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