Lewis Hamilton has paid tribute to Michael Schumacher with a touching message, hailing the German as a “legend” and “role model”.
Hamilton and Schumacher are F1’s two most successful drivers with seven world titles to their name.
Hamilton equaled Schumacher’s feet of seven titles at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix.
The current Mercedes driver lauded Schumacher, with Hamilton’s tribute featuring as a foreword in the new book ‘World Championship Cars – Michael Schumacher’.
The book celebrates Schumacher’s first F1 title victory in 1994 – 30 years ago.
Hamilton wrote: “Michael is among the legends in our sport. When you grow up with passion for motorsport, you always look up at specific people, and without doubt Michael was a role model for young drivers.
“His speed, his work morals, his determination and consistency – the length of his career and his top performance can only be admired.”
He added: “When it comes to Michael’s legacy, however, I focus on him as a person rather than a competitor. It’s not about titles or trophies, but about the family that he and Corinna created together.
“Their greatness, their humility and their sincerity say much more about Michael’s values than I ever could.”
Hamilton will look to emulate Schumacher in 2025 by winning the world championship with Ferrari.
Schumacher won five of his seven titles with the Scuderia, dominating the sport between 2000 and 2004.
Since Schumacher’s departure, Kimi Raikkonen is the only other driver to become a world champion in Ferrari red.
Felipe Massa lost out to Hamilton in 2008, while Fernando Alonso narrowly missed out in 2010 and 2012.
Sebastian Vettel was unable to topple Hamilton in either 2017 or 2018.
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