Britain's Lewis Hamilton has won a seventh world championship, matching Ferrari great Michael Schumacher's record and becoming Formula One's most successful driver in the sport's history.

The Mercedes ace put on a masterclass in wet and slippery conditions on Sunday to take a record-stretching 94th career win at a rollercoaster of a Turkish Grand Prix and secure the title with three races to spare.

Only Schumacher has seven titles to his name, a number once thought unlikely ever to be matched, but most of the German's records have passed to Hamilton.

So complete was Hamilton's domination that he lapped sole rival and teammate Valtteri Bottas with 12 laps to go on a nightmare afternoon for the spinning Finn who finished 14th.

He finished a massive 31.6 seconds clear of Racing Point's second-placed Mexican Sergio Perez in a race run behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hamilton already had more race wins, pole positions and podium finishes than anyone in the history of the sport but, despite starting a season-low sixth, the 35-year-old was determined to add to the tally.

Mercedes had also already won the constructors' championship for a seventh year in a row, an unprecedented feat.

"You can do it too man, I believe in you guys."

'There is no doubt Lewis is the greatest'

Hamilton was congratulated after parking up by Perez, and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel who completed the podium in a race full of spins and changes of lead.

"I told him that it was very special for us because we can witness history being made today," said Vettel, a four-time world champion with Red Bull who was on the podium for the first time this year.

Bottas, who said over the radio four laps from the end that he wished the race was already finished, also went across to extend his hand.

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While Perez started third and eked out his tyres, Canadian teammate Lance Stroll saw his dreams of a first win disappear after leading from his first pole position.

He finished ninth, the slide down the order starting when he pitted on lap 37.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took fourth place, after passing Perez on the last lap but then sliding wide, with Spaniard Carlos Sainz fifth for McLaren and Red Bull's Max Verstappen sixth.

Red Bull's Alexander Albon was seventh, with Lando Norris eighth for McLaren and taking a bonus point for the fastest lap. Australian Daniel Ricciardo was 10th for Renault.

Hamilton said there was a point where he thought the race was slipping away from him, and the leaden skies and constant threat of rain added to the sense of uncertainty, but he kept believing.

When the team suggested he pit for fresh tyres towards the end, given the safety of his lead and the amount of laps done on the worn intermediates, he over-ruled them.

"I lost a world championship in the pit-lane, I learned my lesson from 2007, that's for sure," Hamilton said.

Reuters