The 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix is fast approaching, and it’s always a very special moment for Lewis Hamilton.
At the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, most local fans come out to support Hamilton. While the Mercedes driver will have the honor of taking a few laps in Ayrton Senna’s iconic 1990 McLaren, let’s look at the reasons why Hamilton is so connected to the Brazilian people.
Read more:
- This thorny $20 million headache for Red Bull absolutely must be resolved before 2025
- Record $1 million in fines for Alpine and Honda F1 engine manufacturers
Hamilton is honorary citizen of Brazil
To understand the relationship between this Latin American country and the British driver, we need to consider his connection with Ayrton Senna. Lewis Hamilton doesn’t needs an introduction—he’s a 7-time world champion, with his first title won driving for McLaren in 2008. Before him, Ayrton Senna clinched three world titles, all with McLaren too, between 1988 and 1991. These shared achievements link the two drivers in a way. Both extremely talented, both legendary, and both with great personalities, it’s as if Hamilton walked in Senna’s footsteps, continuing his career that was tragically cut short in 1994 after the terrible crash in San Marino Grand Prix. As Senna’s biggest fan, Hamilton paid tribute after an astounding weekend at Interlagos in 2021, doing a victory lap while carrying the Brazilian flag and bringing it to the podium with him to celebrate. In gratitude for this gesture, the Brazil’s politicians granted him honorary citizenship in 2022. That’s how Sir Lewis Hamilton became an honorary citizen of Brazil.
Interlagos: a special circuit for Lewis
The Brazilian Grand Prix has often been synonymous with remarkable moments for Hamilton. Over the years, he’s stood on the podium four times, with three impressive victories in 2016, 2018, and 2021. In 2008, after an incredible season and a unexpected race finish, he won his first world title there, with McLaren, on Senna’s home soil. Imagine the crowd’s excitement at that moment. (Please, go check out the highlights of this race, it’s worth it!) In 2017, he started from the back of the grid after a qualifying issue and finished P4 by the race’s end. And who could forget the famous 2021 season? Penalized and forced to start last in the sprint race, Hamilton charged up to fifth. Then, starting from tenth on Sunday, he won the race, making for an incredible comeback for a legendary weekend.
He will drive Senna’s MP4/5B this weekend
The British driver is now preparing to pay a special tribute to Ayrton Senna in Brazil by getting behind the wheel of the iconic McLaren MP4/5B, the very car Senna drove to win the world championship in 1990. This tribute isn’t just about a few laps for show, but rather a gesture filled with respect and admiration for Senna, his idol, who inspired an entire generation. For Brazilian and F1 fans, seeing the Briton at the wheel of this legendary F1 car, with Interlagos’ unique atmosphere in the background, will create a deeply symbolic moment in the F1 world.
This article explores the special link between Hamilton and Senna, his decision to take the wheel of the historic McLaren to honor the Brazilian idol at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix, and the symbolic choice of Interlagos for this powerful moment.
Featured image: Mercedes AMG
