The huge figures of Hamilton and his future with Mercedes: "We will have to sell a factory to pay him"

• Chronicle.Hamilton is a legend: 92 victories in F1

• Portuguese GP Classification and times

• World Cup 2020 A leader with 77 points of advantage

• Carlos Sainz. Four laps as leader

It seemed as simple as usual.

As if anyone could sit in that Mercedes and slide down the vertiginous slides of Portimao at an average of 204.6 km / h.

As if doubling down 16 of the 20 cars on the grid or ridiculing your teammate with a 25-second lead at the finish were within everyone's reach.

But no.

is no ordinary mortal, but one of the most brilliant drivers in history.

The best, maybe.

Yesterday, at the Portuguese GP, the Briton devoured

record of victories

.

His unusual ease should not conceal the magnitude of the feat.

"It will take me time to assimilate," admitted Hamilton as soon as he got out of his W11, the fastest car of the moment.

Let no one underestimate you for it, because F1 has always worked like this.

From the times of

, the first ace of the Great Circus, to the dynasty of

with Ferrari.

"This number is outrageous," admitted

, head of the Silver Arrows.

In the coming days, the Austrian will meet with Hamilton to resolve the extension of his contract.

It will be a mere formality, as both have admitted.

Or maybe not so much.

"It's going to be a huge thing. We will have to sell some of our factories to get the money to pay him," Wolff joked.

And there was a glimpse of sincere fervor on his stony countenance.

Hamilton yesterday signed his 71st victory for Mercedes, the team that signed him in 2013;

the one that this course pays him almost 40 million euros in salary;

the one that has added 10 victories in 12 races and all the 'poles' at stake;

the one that next Sunday the seventh consecutive constructors' title will be signed in Imola;

which, in short, continues to work tirelessly at the Brackley factory.

"No one here sits down and relaxes. That is the most incredible thing and what inspires you. There is nothing quite like it," admitted the World Championship leader, 77 points ahead of

, his unfortunate garage companion.

Yesterday, like every weekend, the Finn again melted without remedy.

He had started better, he had followed in the wake of

, an admirable leader for four laps, but he was unhinged with tire wear and his poor pace against the leader.

To make matters worse, with six laps to go, Hamilton sent a radio message: "I have cramps."

Only he will know if the right calf, one of the muscles with which you press the accelerator, really hurt.

The fact is that a few minutes later I linked two fast laps.

With the last (1: 18.750), at an average of 212.7 km / h, the extra point was scored.

And that dose of melodrama that he loves so much.

Hugs from

, her closest collaborator at Mercedes since 2016, were joined by

, her father, and

her stepmother.

On the podium he paid tribute to

, the faithful

, who had been a track engineer for so many years.

Then he shared hugs with

, one of his dogs.

It seemed as if in Portimao, the 28th circuit where he won, everything had been as comfortable as 13 years ago in Montreal, the scene of his first victory.

It only took six races for the first.

It was the first step for this gargantuan winning average (35.1%), almost six percentage points higher than Schumacher (29.7%).

The stature of his adversaries, from

to

, without overlooking the best moments of

, is another endorsement to evaluate the historical relevance of Hamilton, the most skilled at reconciling speed with caring for the tires.

(1950-1957),

(1962-1968),

(1965-1973),

(1981-1993) and Schumacher himself (1993-2006), on board the best machines, too they ruled with an iron fist and a silk hand.

Together with Ascari (1951-1953) they were the ones who raised the record of victories: 13, 24, 25, 27, 51, 91. Today, Hamilton watches them gallantly from the top of the motor Olympus.

Hamilton greets the fans after his triumph at Portimao.

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