Lewis Hamilton on driving Ayrton Senna’s car: ‘Greatest honor of my career’

SAO PAULO (AP) — British driver Lewis Hamilton has won seven Formula 1 titles, holds multiple records and has driven some of the fastest laps in history. But the 39-year-old said the biggest honor of his career came on Sunday when he drove the late Ayrton Senna’s title-winning car around Interlagos ahead of this afternoon’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Some fans in the stands had tears in their eyes as Hamilton knelt respectfully in front of the car.

Wearing an all-white racing suit, Hamilton completed several laps under falling rain in the historic McLaren MP4/5B that Senna drove during his 1990 title campaign, in which he defeated Ferrari’s Alain Prost. The Mercedes driver was shown the checkered flag by Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Rebeca Andrade while carrying a Brazilian flag with his right hand, mimicking what the legendary three-time champion did after many of his victories.

Senna died after the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. His legacy still lives on at Interlagos, where he won in 1991 and 1993.

“It’s obviously very emotional,” Hamilton said as he held the Brazilian flag behind his back. “I returned to my youth when I saw Ayrton racing here. I can’t believe I’m getting this opportunity.

“It is the greatest honor of my career to do it in front of this amazing crowd in Brazil,” said Hamilton, who became an honorary Brazilian citizen in 2022 through a motion by the country’s Congress.

During his time at McLaren, Hamilton drove Senna’s MP4/4 car around Silverstone for a British TV program in 2009.

On his social media channels, the British driver added that the weekend has not gone his way so far, but that he was still able to enjoy the moment with Senna’s car.

“I won my first championship here, had my best drive ever here, and to now be able to drive my hero’s car as an honorary citizen in this country is almost too much to comprehend. It doesn’t feel real,” he said. “It is a huge honor and I will look back on it as one of the highlights of my life.”

While struggling with Mercedes this season, the British driver jokingly said he had “the best drive of the whole weekend”. He will start Sunday’s race 14th. Heavy rain in Sao Paulo delayed much of the action from Saturday to Sunday morning, including the tribute to Senna.

“I would race that car today if I could,” Hamilton said. The British driver, who moves to Ferrari next season, is sixth in the drivers’ championship.

Luciane D’Angelo, 45, was among the tearful fans who watched Hamilton drive at Interlagos. As a child, she watched F1 races with her father, who is currently suffering from a serious illness that she has not disclosed.

“I cry because Ayrton’s tragic death still leaves us with an enormous void. He allowed children of that time to enjoy their Sundays with their families even more. He was not only one of the greatest F1 drivers in history, but also a person that every Brazilian learned to admire,” she said.

Earlier this year, four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel drove Senna’s 1993 McLaren at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix as part of tributes to the Brazilian driver on the 30th anniversary of his death.

Former Brazilian drivers were divided over whether to hand over the tribute to Senna to his hardcore fan Hamilton. Rubens Barrichello said a Brazilian driver who shared some time in F1 with the three-time champion would have been a better choice.

Two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi said in an interview that it was “unethical” for the organizers to choose the British driver. But Felipe Massa, who lost the 2008 title to Hamilton near the end of that year’s race at Interlagos, agreed with the move.

“Of course I wanted to drive it myself. But I respect the decision of the Senna family, fans will love to see a big fan of Ayrton, like Hamilton, driving his car here,” Massa said on Saturday. “Ultimately, every driver would like to have that honor.”

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