Lewis Hamilton ties Formula One record by winning Belgian Grand Prix pole

Lewis Hamilton equaled Michael Schumacher’s Formula One record of 68 pole positions in style as he led qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix from start to finish on Saturday.

The three-time F1 champion was already ahead when he went even faster with a blistering final lap for Mercedes, but Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel limited the damage with a fine lap of his own to join Hamilton on the front row. Valtteri Bottas was third and Kimi Raikonnen fourth.

Hamilton, who races his 200th GP on Sunday and trails Vettel by 14 points overall this season, was quick to praise Schumacher.

“It’s very surreal and very much a humbling experience, knowing Michael’s such a legend,” Hamilton said. “I have always admired him. I am honored to be there with him now on pole positions, but he will still be one of the greatest of all time.”

Hamilton was met on track by Ross Brawn, the F1 managing director of motorsports, who delivered a special message of praise to Hamilton from Schumacher’s family.

“Schumacher always said records are there to be beaten and they want to say a special `thanks,“’ Brawn told Hamilton.

The current condition of the 48-year-old Schumacher’s health remains closely guarded among family and close associates.

It was while skiing with his teenage son Mick on a family holiday that Schumacher sustained severe head injuries in France on Dec. 29, 2013. He has been cared for at his home in Switzerland since September 2014. Schumacher hit the right side of his head on a rock, cracking his helmet. Doctors operated to remove blood clots from his brain, but some were left because they were too deeply embedded.

“I pray for Michael and his family all the time,” said Hamilton, who made his debut at the Australian GP 10 years ago.

Schumacher’s pole record was achieved in a little more than 300 races. But while Hamilton is second all-time with 57 GP wins, he remains far behind Schumacher’s whopping 91.

Schumacher won the last of his record seven F1 titles in 2004. Hamilton’s titles came with McLaren in 2008 and with Mercedes in ’14 and ’15.

Also Saturday, Vettel called it a “no-brainer” to extend his contract with Ferrari for three more years, although it took him until late August to do so.

The German driver, a four-time series champion who was out of contract at the end of this season after joining from Red Bull in 2015, penned a new deal until the end of 2020 this weekend. Ferrari made the announcement in a statement Saturday without giving further details.

“I decided to go for it and make the call,” Vettel said after qualifying. “I love this team and I love the people I work with. I believe that Ferrari has something unique, something the other teams don’t have.”

Earlier this week, Ferrari also extended Kimi Raikkonen’s contract, although only for one year.

Since joining Ferrari, Vettel has won seven races — three in 2015 and four this year — and secured 28 podium finishes. His win at the Hungarian GP before the summer break was the 46th of his career.

“The presence of Ferrari is huge. But if you see the people working at Ferrari and meet them, it’s even bigger, the passion they carry inside them,” Vettel said. “That’s my conviction. It was a no-brainer to continue. We haven’t yet achieved what we want to, but things are looking pretty good.”