---
title: "Will Hamilton topple Schumacher on the all time win list?"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2016/11/05/hamilton-topple-schumacher-win-list/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Josh Suttill"
section: "F1 News"
published: "2016-11-05T12:15:39Z"
modified: "2016-11-05T12:26:47Z"
---

# Will Hamilton topple Schumacher on the all time win list?

After winning last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, reigning triple world champion Lewis Hamilton equalled Alain Prost’s total of 51 Grand Prix wins to go second on the all-time list.

His triumph in Mexico means the Brit is now only behind Michael Schumacher who sits on an incredible 91 victories achieved over his illustrious F1 career spanning three decades.

Schumacher’s win tally is simply mindblowing and it’s hard to imagine any driver ever reaching his total. However, records are there to be broken and considering Lewis Hamilton is not only one of the finest F1 drivers of his decade but of all time, could Hamilton be the man to break the German’s record?

There are two main factors to consider when debating this question; how many more years will Hamilton compete in F1 and in how many of those years will he have a competitive car?

Hamilton is currently in his 10th season in the sport and is the only driver on the current grid to have a won a race in every season that they have competed in. That is largely due to always having a car capable of winning Grand Prix’s although not always capable of challenging for the championship.

![Paul Gilham/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2016/11/103705056.jpg)

At 31, Hamilton has the potential to stick around in F1 for at least another five years. Fernando Alonso is currently 35 and is still one of the fastest in the field. Drivers do tend to lose their edge as they get closer to 40 and the 31-year-old may tire of the driver lifestyle in a couple of years before moving onto to pursue other avenues in music or even other motorsport series such as IndyCar.

Now let’s look at the statistics, for argument’s sake lets presume the Brit will win the final two rounds of 2016; his average wins per season currently sit at 5.3, however, his average wins during his last three years with Mercedes is an impressive 10.3. This has catapulted him from 13th to second on the all-time wins list in less than four years.

Hamilton has consistently proven he can win when given the opportunity and if Mercedes continue to dominate Formula One over the next few years, Hamilton would need five more years of Silver Arrow supremacy to surpass the Red Baron’s record. That is a very big ask, particularly with the other rival teams making huge improvements over the last few years.

The longest reigning champions in the history of the sport are Ferrari, who won six back to back Constructors’ Championships between 1999 and 2004. Hamilton would need similar levels of consistent dominance to catch Schumacher, but he is aided by an ever-growing calendar giving him more races per season than the German ever had to add to his victory tally.

![Mark Thompson/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2016/11/71839198.jpg)

We’re yet to see a truly dominant year for Hamilton, with 2014 the year he scored the most amount of wins with 11. In comparison, Michael Schumacher won 13 races in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel equalled that record in 2013. They both benefited from significantly weaker teammates and were the undisputed number one driver within the team. Meanwhile, Hamilton has equal status with Rosberg and the German is in the form of his life, this season providing a real test for the reigning champion.

**Verdict**

Undoubtedly  Hamilton will continue to win multiple races a season if Mercedes continue to give him a competitive car and he will drastically improve his total before he finally decides to hang up his helmet for good. However, Schumacher’s tally is a little too far off in the distance and despite Hamilton’s inevitable valiant efforts over the next few years, I reckon the Brit will close within 10 wins of the seven-time world champion, but ultimately fall just short.

He will also be laying down an incredible marker for those future stars who have only recently entered the sport such as Max Verstappen and Pascal Wehrlein, the former has already begun his tally and considering his young age, he is arguably the most likely driver on the current grid to surpass Schumacher.