Perhaps one of the most admirable of Lewis Hamilton’s characteristics is a reluctance to aggrandise his success. Often his reaction when prompted is one of genuine, faint disbelief. This weekend at the Eifel Grand Prix a victory for the world champion would equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Formula One wins. Should Hamilton do so it will be an achievement that, as much as he might not believe it, places him as one of the greats in the sporting pantheon and a pivotal force in the history of Formula One.

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Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, then with McLaren, chats with Michael Schumacher of Mercedes before the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in October 2010.

There is symbolism, too, about the venue of his second attempt to equal the mark; the Nürburgring is only 50 miles from Kerpen, where the