McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has the potential to leave behind a better record than track legend Michael Schumacher when he retires, according to New McLaren team chief Martin Whitmarsh.

The current Formula One world champion can match and even beat Schumacher's record of seven wins, said the new executive in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.

"He won't talk about it because he's too modest, and what Michael did is extraordinary. But with great champions you don't want to match it, you want to beat it," said Whitmarsh.

"The key thing about Lewis is that he's still very young and he hasn't reached the peak of his powers as a racing driver."

Last year supercar lovers, sports car hire fans and motorsports enthusiasts were among droves that were glued to television screens worldwide as the then 23-year-old scooped the title.

Hamilton won the race in the very last seconds of the duel in Brazil by snatching the title from Ferrari's Felipe Massa's grasp by a single point.

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