Hamilton jubilant after matching Schumacher's pole record

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A mighty pole position for this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix means Lewis Hamilton has equalled the all-time Formula 1 record of 68 poles set by Michael Schumacher.

The achievement was marked by former Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn. He was on hand to pass along the best wishes of the Schumacher family to Hamilton.

"I'm here to deliver a very special message from Corinna Schumacher and the Schumacher family, who want to congratulate you on equalling Michael's record," said Brawn, who is now Formula 1's sporting director.

"As Michael always said, records are there to be beaten. So they want to send their very special thanks. Congratulations Lewis, well done. Well done."

Hamilton responded by saying that it was a very special moment for him in his Formula 1 career.

"It is. To hear the message that Ross just gave, I just have to say a big thank you. I pray for Michael and his family all the time.

"I've had the privilege of racing with him from karting days, and have always admired him. And still do today. Just honoured to be up there with him now in the polls.

"But he will still be the greatest - one of the greatest of all times."

Record-setting Hamilton dominates Spa qualifying

Hamilton did it in style, with a new track record time of 1:42.553s, almost a full two seconds faster than the previous milestone of 1:44.503s set by Jarno Trulli in 2009.

"It's one of my favourite circuits, so to come here and put a lap together like that is a dream," said Hamilton. "I've got the best job in the world!"

"I can't believe it," he admitted. "I have to say a big thank you to my team.

"Ross was a big part of me being here at this team. The success we have, he's as much part of that as well."

It's just the start to the second half of the season that Hamilton needs, in the first race back after the August summer shutdown.

"We had a great holiday and came back feeling fresh, and this is the perfect way to start the weekend," Hamilton acknowledged.

"The second half is going to be tough for all of us - the team, the people back at the factory - but we're geared up for the second half.

"I hope we can bring it!"

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.