Lewis Hamilton clinched the 2020 Formula 1 world championship with a supreme victory in wet conditions in Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix to equal Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles.

Hamilton had only needed to finish within seven points of his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas to secure the title, but in a topsy-turvy race where different drivers were quick at different stages, Hamilton was able to maintain his pace as the track dried and seal the win on severely worn tyres.

"I know I often I say it is beyond my wildest dreams but my whole life secretly I have dreamed as high as this," said Hamilton, whose victory was his tenth of 2020 and increases his Grand Prix win record to 94.

"It felt so far-fetched. I remember watching Michael [Schumacher] win those world championships. To get one or two or even three is so hard. Seven is unimaginable. There is no end to what we can do together, me and this team."

The Istanbul Park circuit was one of five late additions to the 2020 F1 calendar to replace events lost to the pandemic, and a combination of changeable weather and a newly-resurfaced track saw drivers struggle badly for grip all weekend long.

A rain shower before the race made conditions especially slippery, and as the drivers tiptoed off the grid it was Racing Point's Lance Stroll who led the field away.

Having taken a surprise pole position in similar conditions on Saturday, the Canadian quickly built a lead of six seconds over teammate Sergio Perez, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen close behind in third and Hamilton only sixth.

But after having confidently led every lap, Stroll's afternoon quickly unraveled when he pitted for new tyres on lap 36 and appeared unable to find any grip, slowly falling down the order and ultimately finishing a dejected ninth.

Verstappen had looked the fastest driver in the opening stages of the race, but blotted his copybook with a dramatic spin as he tried to overtake Perez on lap 19, forcing him to pit for new tyres and ruining his shot at victory.

Unlike Stroll, Perez elected not to pit for fresh rubber in the closing stages, and managed to hang onto second place despite coming under intense pressure from the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Lying third, Leclerc ran wide on the last lap while looking to overtake Perez, allowing Vettel to steal in ahead of him to grab his first podium finish of a torrid 2020 season.

Behind the Ferraris, McLaren's Carlos Sainz had a solid run to fifth, while Verstappen and teammate Alex Albon only managed sixth and seventh on a day that had promised so much more.

Sainz's teammate Lando Norris took eighth ahead of Stroll and also claimed the bonus point for fastest lap, with Daniel Ricciardo rounding out the top ten in his Renault.

In sharp contrast to Hamilton's serene progress at the front, teammate Bottas had a miserable afternoon, spinning four times on his way to a lowly 14th place and suffering the ignominy of being lapped by the Briton.

Hamilton now has an unassailable points total of 307 with three races to go. Bottas remains second on 197, with Verstappen third on 170.

In the constructors' championship, Mercedes are already confirmed as champions with 504 points. Red Bull sit second with 204 points, and Racing Point lead a close battle for third with 154 points.

Hamilton now stands alone with Schumacher on seven world championships, having surpassed the German's race win record of 91 earlier this year. The Briton's latest title triumph means Mercedes have swept every drivers' and constructors' championship since the start of F1's turbo-hybrid era in 2014.

The next round of the 2020 Formula 1 season is the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir on November 29. 

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