Martin Brundle believes 10 Formula 1 championships and 150 race wins are "entirely doable" for Lewis Hamilton before his career is over.
Last year, the Mercedes already confirmed himself as the statistical greatest of all time, surpassing Michael Schumacher's 91 wins and tieing the German on seven world titles.
And reflecting on the year that was in 2020, Hamilton admits that day in Istanbul, where he came from sixth on the grid to win in wet, slippy conditions, proved a lot to himself.
“It was an amazing race," he recalled in a video posted on Mercedes' YouTube channel. "Some corners were completely wet, some damp, some corners one wheel’s worth was dry, and navigating through the lap was awesome.
“Then three laps until the end, all of a sudden I realised ‘oh my God, there’s three laps, if I finish this off I’m going to be a seven-time World Champion’.
“That experience was mind-blowing, couldn’t believe that it’s happened after years and years of questioning and potentially doubting, not sure whether it was going to happen.
“Flipping that negativity into positivity each time back and forth, but never knowing if it’s really going to work, and then I made it, so it was a real confirmation of that belief that I’d had in myself for a long time.”
The big question now is where Hamilton could eventually set the bar in terms of his records before retiring.
And though F1 is set to introduce new cars and engines in the next five years, Brundle believes Hamilton and Mercedes will remain the combination to beat.
“Who do you think will have the most resource and the best package in 2022? Or indeed in 2026?" the ex-driver turned commentator said via Sky Sports.
“I think 10 Championships and maybe 150 race victories is entirely doable.
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“I think what has stood out about Lewis over the years is how few mistakes he makes, how complete he is and clean. He’s a clean racing driver, which I think is a very important point.
“His work-rate is also incredible and that’s something you hear up and down the paddock. And his motivation, when you’ve got all of that success, money, and a trophy cabinet like that, to keep the motivation is super-impressive.
“He just never makes a mistake. In wheel-to-wheel combat, in qualifying… he’s 35 going on 25. He just doesn’t fade, mentally or physically.”
Interestingly, that prediction comes as Hamilton is still currently unsigned at Mercedes for 2021, although a deal is expected eventually, and Brundle doesn't see a reason to call F1 a day yet.
“My gut feeling is he’ll stop a year early rather than a year late,” said the Briton. “He’s not going to hang on until the bitter end for a few more dollars, or just to be a Formula 1 driver, and nor will he need to.
“He’s obviously got other ambitions in his life, but I can’t imagine why he would stop in the next five years or certainly three. Why would he? His eyesight, his reactions, nothing has fallen away.
“If you’re going to start fading, you’re on a gentle slope and he doesn’t appear to have started that slope yet.
“Michael Schumacher was in his 40s when he retired and he started making a lot of mistakes, and most of us did – you start having crashes at the end and you don’t know why that happened. That’s what it looks like Sebastian Vettel is to me, right now.
“Lewis hasn’t got to that point and nothing has been his match.”
