Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton matches Ayrton Senna in Abu Dhabi rout

Lewis Hamilton broke a number of records in the 2019 Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi. He also tied one previously held by Ayrton Senna.

In the V6 turbo hybrid era of Formula 1, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit hasn’t been much of a contest; Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, which have won all six driver championships and all six constructor championship since this era began in 2014, have won it every year.

In total, the Silver Arrows have led 289 of the 330 laps that have been contested around the 21-turn, 3.451-mile (5.554-kilometer) Yas Marina Circuit road course on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates that have been contested since 2014, and they have won all six races.

Lewis Hamilton won this 55-lap race in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 while Nico Rosberg won it in 2015 and Valtteri Bottas won it in 2017.

More from Formula One

As dominant as Mercedes had been entering this year’s running of the race, however, particularly as dominant as Hamilton had been, the race had never been won in a lights-to-flag fashion since it was added to the schedule in 2009.

Sebastian Vettel won it after leading all 55 laps in 2013 driving for Red Bull Racing, but he started in second place, not from the pole position.

Hamilton changed that in 2019, leaving the rest of the field in the dust. He took the pole position and won the race after leading every lap, and he recorded the race’s fastest lap as well, marking his sixth career Grand Chelem. He ended up finishing 16.772 seconds ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen in second place.

While this was not an all-time record, as Jim Clark recorded eight Grand Chelems in the 25 victories that he recorded during a career that included only 72 races, Hamilton did tie another all-time record with his performance, in addition to the numerous all-time single-season records that he either tied or broke.

Hamilton’s victory, which was his 84th career victory in 250 races, moved him to within seven wins of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 in 306 races. His 84th victory was also his 19th lights-to-flag win, which ties Ayrton Senna’s all-time record.

Senna recorded these 19 dominant performances, which included four Grand Chelems, over the course of a career that included 41 victories in 161 races.

Behind Hamilton and Senna on this list is Vettel with 15 lights-to-flag victories, the most recent of which being his dominant performance in last year’s Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Schumacher recorded 11 lights-to-flag during his career in Formula 1, which is tied for the fifth most all-time with Jackie Stewart; Clark sits fourth behind Vettel with 13.

Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark

Will Lewis Hamilton break yet another all-time record with his 20th career lights-to-flag victory in the 2020 Formula 1 season? After yet another dominant season in 2019, don’t be surprised if it happens sooner rather than later.

Home/Formula One