The Singapore Grand Prix provided the fans with a lot of entertainment. Eventually, Carlos Sainz took home the trophy making him the first non-Red Bull driver to win a race this season. After the race, during the post-race interviews, the race winner took a slight jab at Lewis Hamilton who just scored his 196th podium.
When Lewis Hamilton was asked about his impending 200th podium, the following conversation took place:
Interviewer: “Do you think you can hit the milestone of 200th podiums by the end of this season?”
Carlos: “Only 200!”
Lewis: “Geez! You guys haven’t even done 196 races have you?”
Lando: “Haven’t even done 100!”
😆😆😆 pic.twitter.com/xF1xtexvAp https://t.co/UTd0l1H1qm
— Ky (@FiftyBucksVT) September 17, 2023
Lewis Hamilton is currently in his 17th season in Formula 1. Over his long and successful career, he has achieved a total of 196 podiums in 325 races. He has scored a podium in every single season of Formula 1 since he entered the sport. He is only 4 top 3 finishes away from reaching the 200th podium milestone.
His colleagues, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris on the other hand seem to think that the 200-podium milestone is years ahead as they are yet to finish even 200 races. Carlos Sainz has entered 178 races while Lando Norris who entered much later to Formula 1 has only participated in a total of 97 races.
So compared to these 2 drivers, Lewis Hamilton is much more accomplished and experienced. He recently extended his stay at Mercedes for another 2 years. This would give him time till 2025 to add to his record. While most Formula 1 drivers are trying to win 1 Championship, Lewis Hamilton has already won 7 but is still looking to win more with his contract extension.
Does Lewis Hamilton have the most podiums in Formula 1?
Lewis Hamilton is easily the most accomplished driver in Formula 1 history. The only driver who comes close to his achievements in Formula 1 is none other than Michael Schumacher. Over the years, Lewis Hamilton has broken a number of records including most podiums in Formula 1.
Ever since he made his debut in Formula 1, he has taken part in every single Grand Prix held until the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix which he had to miss after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus. This has helped him break the record for most consecutive race starts.
He also has the record for most races with a single-engine manufacturer. When Hamilton started as a rookie with McLaren, the team was running the Mercedes engine. In 2013, he switched teams to Mercedes. He has never driven in Formula 1 with another engine in the car.
Lewis Hamilton achieved his 196th podium today. He is 4 away from creating a new benchmark pic.twitter.com/dycaAxFkAK
— Mercedes.F1Motorsports (@MF1motorsports) September 17, 2023
One of his best achievements is winning a total of 103 Grand Prix victories which has put him above Michael Schumacher who has 91 wins. As it stands, there is no current driver who is close to this number. The only driver who can come close to this achievement is Max Verstappen. However, he doesn’t seem to be interested in breaking records at the moment.
When it comes to podiums, Lewis Hamilton has a record-breaking 196 podiums in Formula 1. Michael Schumacher sits in second place with 155 podiums. No other driver has come close to this record.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton will reach the 200 podiums milestone this season? Post your answers in the comment section below.
