Hamilton very likely to match Schumacher's record: Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya has backed Lewis Hamilton to surpass Michael Schumacher's World Championships tally and set a new benchmark for success in Formula One.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has six Formula One titles, one less than all-time highest Michael Schumacher.

Lewis Hamilton is "very likely" to at least match Michael Schumacher's haul of seven Formula One titles, according to Juan Pablo Montoya.

After finishing second in the drivers' standings in his rookie year with McLaren, Hamilton topped the pile for the first time in 2008.

The Briton switched to Mercedes in 2013 and claimed a sixth championship triumph last season, putting him one behind Ferrari legend Schumacher.

Although the coronavirus pandemic has thrown the 2020 campaign into disarray, former McLaren driver Montoya reckons 35-year-old Hamilton can make history when racing resumes.

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"Michael had an amazing career, did an amazing job with Ferrari and I think Lewis has done the same with Mercedes. He's had an amazing career," Montoya told Stats Perform.

"He changed teams at exactly the right time which was key. It worked for him and he's taken full advantage of it. He's done an amazing job.

"The possibility of him winning seven is very likely, or even eight. It depends on how long he wants to go."

Hamilton is contracted to Mercedes until the end of the 2020 season and has been linked with a switch to Ferrari.