Formula One has had legends in every era. From Fangio in the 50s, Niki Lauda in the 70s to Ayrton Prost in the 80s, Formula One has had greats that have dominated seasons in a stretch. However, no driver has reached the level of 7X WDC champions Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton hails from Stevenage, Hertfordshire in England, and won his first title in 2008 with McLaren. The next 6 titles came after his transfer to Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and he was the champion multiple times in the turbo-hybrid era of V6 engines. He narrowly lost out on the 2016 and 2021 titles to his teammate at that time, Nico Rosberg, and his rival from Red Bull, Max Verstappen.
On the other hand, Michael Schumacher was born in Hurth, Germany on the 3rd of January,1969. He won 5 of his 7 WDCs with Italian constructor, Ferrari from 2000 to 2004, and the other two were with Benetton in 1994 and 1995. Both of the drivers have had careers spanning a long time and both of them leave a legacy of domination, unlike any other driver.
Lewis Hamilton: Net worth, WDC titles, wins, pole positions, and podium finishes
Lewis Hamilton’s net worth is projected to be approximately $280 million, placing him among the world’s wealthiest athletes. The majority of Hamilton’s fortune is from his Formula One career, but he also has lucrative endorsement deals with firms like Tommy Hilfiger, Puma, and Monster Energy.
“We’re witnessing you making history, man!”
A memory to last forever as Sebastian Vettel congratulates his friend and rival @LewisHamilton 🤜🤛#TurkishGP 🇹🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/5LGvaby4k0
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 15, 2020
The Briton has won a total of seven Formula One World Championships, tying him with Michael Schumacher for the most championships in the history of the sport. He won his first championship in 2008 with the McLaren team and then added six more with Mercedes in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Additionally, Hamilton has also won 103 races in his Formula One career, more than any other driver in history. His first victory came with McLaren in 2007, and he has subsequently won countless races with both McLaren and Mercedes. He has won races at some of the most renowned courses in the world, including his home race, Silverstone, Monza, and the Circuit de Monaco.
The Briton has won in 30 circuits around the world and is the only one to have achieved this feat to date.
The Englishman’s last win came in the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP and has not won a single race since then owing to difficulties at Mercedes with the aerodynamics. With a total of 103 pole positions, the Englishman is also the all-time leader in the number of pole positions.
His first ever pole was with McLaren in 2007 which was his debut season and has done it numerous other times with the ability to manage races from the front and minimize collisions and accidents.
In the totality of his Formula 1 career, Lewis Hamilton has achieved 191 podiums, which is also the most of any driver in history. His ability to routinely place first has helped him win several championship titles and solidify his reputation as one of the finest drivers in the sport’s history.
Michael Schumacher: Net worth, WDC titles, wins, pole positions, and podium finishes
German driver Michael Schumacher reportedly has an estimated net worth of almost $600 million. His successful Formula One career, which lasted over two decades and entailed competition with some of the most successful teams in the sport, is the main source of his wealth.
With a total of seven World Championship victories, “Schumi” is considered one of the most accomplished Formula One racers in history. In 1994 and 1995, he won his first two titles with Benetton, then in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, he added five more with Ferrari.
Michael’s first victory with @ScuderiaFerrari, under heavy rain – what a drive! #OTD in 1996, 25 years ago, Michael wins the Spanish GP in Barcelona, and the joy of Jean Todt could not have been bigger 😃 📷 Eric CABANIS / AFP #KeepFighting #TeamMichael pic.twitter.com/E64u3os4ui
— Michael Schumacher (@schumacher) June 2, 2021
Before Lewis Hamilton eclipsed his record, the German had won 91 races overall throughout his Formula One career, the most of any driver in history. With the Benetton team, he achieved his first victory in 1992. He then achieved victories with both Benetton and Ferrari. Schumacher achieved victories on most of the Formula 1 circuits of the time, just like Hamilton.
With a total of 68, Schumacher is among the all-time leaders in pole positions. With Benetton, he won his first pole position in 1994, and during his career, he set a great deal of pole position records. To dominate races from the front and reduce the likelihood of crashes and accidents, Schumacher had to qualify at the front of the starting grid.
Accumulating 155 podium finishes throughout his Formula One career, Michael Schumacher is the driver with the second-highest total in history, trailing only Lewis Hamilton.
Many argue that the two drivers are not comparable since they raced in different times. Lewis Hamilton also took part in more races, owing to the increase in the number of races in the Formula One calendar. Michael Schumacher also raced in a time when there was greater competition on the grid since teams did not have as much difference in their budget for research and development.
The British driver spoke about Michael Schumacher, “You know when you grow up watching someone, you generally idolise them, really just in terms of the quality of the driver they are, but what they are able to continuously do year on year and race on race and week on week with their team.”
Schumacher met with a tragic skiing incident in 2013 and sustained a brain injury resulting in him being put in a medically induced coma. He still is in a coma and is taken care of by his wife, Corinna. His son, Mick is a reserve driver at Mercedes and competed in the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Haas and aspires to follow in his father’s footsteps.