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Hamilton closing in on Schumacher

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — One by one, Lewis Hamilton has passed the great drivers of Formula One.

Except one.

And now Hamilton is quickly approaching the legacy of the great Michael Schumacher. His chances of catching him, once thought to be impossible, now look very, very good.

Hamilton won his sixth career F1 championship Sunday with a second-place finish at the U.S. Grand Prix, leaving him one shy of the seven won by Schumacher in the German’s run of dominance between 1994 and 2004.

Hamilton’s sixth title — his fifth since 2014 — moved the British driver past Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio, the “Godfather” of Formula One, who won five titles in the 1950s. Hamilton now stands alone behind Schumacher.

“It’s an honor to be up here with these greats,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton may be in a hurry to catch him.

Although Hamilton has said he’ll most likely stay with Mercedes after his current contract expires in 2020, he’s 34 years old and one of the oldest drivers on the grid.

Formula One will usher in some rules changes in 2021 that it hopes will bring big racing changes with technical tweaks to cars and a budget cap to constrain big teams like Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

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