Hamilton doubts he'll match Schumacher's record

Lewis Hamilton says that he doesn't expect to break Michael Schumacher's record of Grand Prix victories.

Hamilton already holds the highest number of Formula 1 pole positions. But in terms of wins, his 62 victories to date are still a long way off Schumacher's tally of 91.

"It's not a goal," Hamilton told the Belgian news agency Sporza when asked about the prospect of matching the all-time wins record.

"It will depend how long I'm racing," he explained. "But at the moment I do not think I'll be racing long enough to improve that record.

"In my best years I win up to 10 races," he added. "I would have to continue for at least another three years with a competitive car.

"I'm not thinking about that. I can't envisage me being around for seven but I also can't say never," CNN reported him adding.

"Of course I want to win more. But if I don't win another championship would that be the end of my life? No. I'm gonna do other great things," he said, adding: "You've just got to enjoy the ones you have."

Even so, many feel that Hamilton had never been in better form than has has in the latter half of 2017.

"Yes, I had a very strong second half of the season," he concurred. "I cannot perform better at the moment, but I will continue to grow with age and experience.

"The regulations aren't changing for a while so I will try to perform as well next year as I did in the second part of this one."

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Hamilton was given a 'guard of honour' on Monday when he returned to Mercedes' headquarters at Brackley and Brixworth. They were there to celebrate Hamilton's fourth world championship.

Two Belgian-born drivers - Max Verstappen and Stoffel Vandoorne - are among the 'bright young things' who may prove the biggest obstacle to Hamilton's pursuit of more wins, titles and records.

But Hamilton wasn't about to pick out any future world champions from the current field. "I cannot say that about other drivers," he told Sporza. "I don't have a crystal ball."

Like Hamilton, Vandoorne has started his Formula 1 career at McLaren alongside Fernando Alonso, making comparisons inevitable.

"I don't know much about him or his career," said Hamilton of Vandoorne. "I know he's been driving well in recent years. And especially this year has been pretty good."

Hamilton declined to offer Vandoorne any advice on how he should develop his F1 career from here.

"He doesn't need my advice," Hamilton said. "He's already made it to Formula 1 with Fernando Alonso as his teammate - and he's already beaten him more than once."

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