Lewis Hamilton wins F1 title: World champion continues to break records but Michael Schumacher still leads the way

Hamilton became the third most successful F1 driver after winning the US Grand Prix in Texas

Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the 2015 F1 world championship (Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton became the first British driver in the history of Formula 1 to retain the Drivers’ Championship after he battled to victory in the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 30-year-old added the 2015 crown to his 2008 and 2014 successes with three races to spare after overtaking his Mercedes team-mate, Nico Rosberg, with seven laps remaining at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The victory secured a large enough points gap to ensure neither Rosberg nor Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel can catch him.

Hamilton and Rosberg were involved in an early coming together at the first corner that Rosberg described as “extremely aggressive” which cost the German the lead, but after battling back to the front of the field he spun the rear wheels on a damp part of the track and lost control of his Mercedes, giving Hamilton the chance to pass.

The win makes him the outright third most successful driver in terms of race victories and joint-fifth on the championship winners list alongside his hero and F1 great Ayrton Senna.

Here’s how Hamilton shapes up to the rest:

43

Hamilton’s 43 victories put him third in the all-time list behind Michael Schumacher (91) and Alain Prost (51)

3

Only Michael Schumacher (7), Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel (4 each) have more Drivers’ Championships than Hamilton

6

Hamilton is one of six men to win the title three times, alongside Niki Lauda, Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna

9

Hamilton’s first nine years in F1 have reaped 3 world titles – Schumacher only manager 2 in that time

49

Hamilton has taken pole position 49 times in his career, only Schumacher (68) and Senna (65) have more

26

Hamilton has 26 fastest laps to his name, with Schumacher (77), Kimi Raikkonen (42), Prost (41), Nigel Mansell (30) and Jim Clark (28) ahead of him

26.22%

Hamilton’s win percentage sits ninth in the all-time list. Fangio leads the way with 46.15%, while Vettel is seventh with 27.10%

1,813

Hamilton’s haul of points puts him second in the all-time list behind Vettel’s 1,869, although modern day drivers have benefitted from winning more points per race since the rules changed in 2010

22 years 126 days

The age Hamilton was when he first led the world championship in 2007 which remains the youngest ever championship leader

Should Hamilton maintain his current form, he could well go on to equal or even beat Schumacher's record of seven world titles.