Lewis Hamilton could equal Michael Schumacher’s long-standing record of 91 Formula One victories if he wins the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi next weekend.
The 35-year-old already holds the record for most pole positions – 95 – and winning the Drivers’ Championship this season would equal Schumacher’s seven that he won between 1994 and 2004.
Now, a graph has been revealed that tracks the win percentages of both drivers throughout the stages of their careers, and it is fair to say that they are very close to each other.
Hamilton’s success at the Tuscan Grand Prix last week moves his total win percentage to 34.7%, with Schumacher on 35% at the equivalent point of his career.
Remarkably, should Hamilton reach the chequered flag first at Sochi, both drivers will be level on 91 wins from exactly 260 races (35% win percentage).
The Brit is currently at his peak in this regard, whereas Schumacher reached a height of 39.6% during his dominant 2004 campaign, when the Ferrari driver won 13 of the 18 races.
Schumacher’s percentages are reduced as a result of his return to F1 in 2010 with Mercedes, which lasted three seasons but did not yield a race victory.
He also endured a difficult 2005 campaign in the uncompetitive Ferrari F2005, winning only the highly controversial US Grand Prix at Indianapolis, when only six drivers out of 20 took to the grid.
Hamilton has not had a winless season in the sport, his lowest return coming in 2013 when, replacing Schumacher at Mercedes, he won a solitary Grand Prix.
He had a difficult time in the first half of 2009 with a McLaren car that regularly struggled to even challenge for points, but technical updates meant he was able to win two of the final eight races.
With Mercedes set to be in a position to dominate the F1 landscape for years to come, and with Hamilton showing no signs of stopping, the current six-time champion could find himself on top of yet another statistic by the time he eventually retires.