DPA
Sao Paulo
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes drove Ayrton Senna’s legendary McLaren MP4/5B on Sunday ahead of the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was supposed to drive the car of his motorsport hero on Saturday, but the entire schedule was disrupted by heavy rainfall.
Ahead of the race, however, he completed a number of laps on the wet track, pulling over at one point to take a Brazilian flag from a marshal - just like Senna did after his emotional breakthrough victory at home in 1991.
Hamilton later admitted that he ran more laps than he’d been instructed to.
"It’s very, very emotional, naturally. I was just revisiting my childhood as I was watching [Ayrton] race here as a kid. Hearing that sound and. watching him drive here, winning that race, I just couldn’t believe that I just had that chance to do that, and it was really the greatest honour of my career,” the Mercedes driver said.
"To do it here in front of this beautiful crowd here in Brazil, who stood out in the rain all day yesterday, and then have been here since 4 am or 3 am this morning. A very, very special day and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen.”
With the MP4/5B, Senna the world championship in 1990, the second of his three titles.
The Brazilian tragically died on May 1, 1994 in a crash in Imola.
Senna is to this day deeply admired in Brazil and often honoured by former and current drivers.
Hamilton, meanwhile, has a special connection to Senna’s home country, winning his maiden world title in dramatic circumstances at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix. In 2022, he was made an honorary Brazilian citizen.
The British driver will leave Mercedes to join Ferrari from the 2025 season.