I wanted to match Senna, not Schumacher: Lewis Hamilton

F1 Grand Prix of Japan

Soon-to-be five-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, has come out with a statement saying that though he may be nearing the legendary records of Michael Schumacher, it was never a part of his 'plan.'

Instead, he feels he has already achieved what he set out to do. “Honestly that has never been my goal. I started out with the goal to match Ayrton Senna or to equal Ayrton Senna who is my ... who’s the guy that I aspire to be like,” Hamilton told Reuters.

“And I equalled him two years ago. So since then it’s kind of been going into unknown territory."

He further added that getting to the level of Schumacher is still a long way off. “So I mean Michael’s stats are incredible and still quite a long way away, but I’m here for some time still," he said.

"So I’m just going to keep working hard and keep trying to do what I do and what I love and enjoy it and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Hamilton has built up a 67-point lead over Vettel in the title race, which has all but confirmed him as the grid's first five-time champion. Ferrari, who had been associated with Schumacher during his period of domination, have not been able to hold their own in this regard.

Vettel has been guilty of many mistakes across the season, though that has not discouraged team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene. The boss believes in the protege of Schumacher and also claims that he will bring the title home one day.

Hamilton, on the other hand, has capitalized on all the chances he has received after a slightly difficult start to the season, where he tasted his first victory only in the fourth race at Azerbaijan. Since then, he has won nine races, compared to Vettel's five.

The Brit was proud of his team's effort in rising above the challenge of the seemingly faster Ferrari. “This year has been the most intensive, the cars the faster, the requirement on the driver’s side physically and mentally is on another level,” said Hamilton.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram
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