Michael Schumacher's prophecy about Lewis Hamilton that later came true

When Michael Schumacher predicted the future of Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton is the only Formula 1 driver to have the same number of titles as Michael Schumacher. The Kaiser won his first two championships with Benetton, while the remaining five with Ferrari during the golden era of the Italian team.

Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, clinched his first title with McLaren and the other six with Mercedes. When the German returned to the sport after his first retirement from Formula 1, the Briton was no longer a rookie but already had a championship under his belt. In 2021, he had the opportunity to break Schumi’s record with an eighth title, which he couldn’t secure due to the controversial race management in Abu Dhabi – ultimately crowning Max Verstappen.

Since then, Lewis Hamilton has continued to push and firmly believes he can re-enter the title fight. After all, records are made to be broken. And Michael Schumacher knew it too.

A few years ago, the BBC revealed an interview from 2008 conducted with the German. On that occasion, the journalist asked him for an opinion on the then 23-year-old Lewis Hamilton, who had debuted in Formula 1 just the previous year.

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“I rate him very highly. What he has done in such a short time since he arrived, fighting with Alonso last year, and he was very fast… speaks for itself. However, I am always a little concerned when it is discussed whether he is the best or not, and if he does better than Felipe Massa… I think you have to look at the circumstances, which are not always clear from the outside,” the German champion stated in the interview.

When asked if there was any driver capable of dominating as much as he had done in the past during the golden era of Ferrari, and if Lewis Hamilton was that person, Michael Schumacher didn’t hesitate to answer: “Absolutely yes. Records are made to be broken.”

In the end, his prophecy came true. Lewis Hamilton won seven F1 titles in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively.

Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton