At the very start of his racing career, Lewis Hamilton experienced a massive heartbreak through his idol Ayrton Senna. At just nine years of age, it was truly disturbing for him to know that his racing icon was no more.
While he might not have been in a position to understand the gravity of the situation entirely, it was enough to give him a brutal lesson in F1 racing. Admittedly racing, being a dangerous sport as it is, can sometimes send chills down the spine to even the best.
MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS AT SAME GP:
5: Ayrton Senna, Monaco (1989-1993)
5: Lewis Hamilton, Spain (2017-2021)#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/ciTGfSqXL6
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 10, 2021
But Senna’s death made it even more excruciating for little Hamilton. Furthermore, the Briton later recalled that it was a tough moment for him, who was only nine years old.
How did the Ayrton Senna news hurt Hamilton?
Explaining the ordeal in his book named Lewis Hamilton: My Story, the British driver described the fateful day of May 1994. This was the time when his father, Anthony Hamilton, arrived with a piece of news that shook his world.
Hamilton Sr. has come home and informed the Stevenage-born that Ayrton Senna was no more. As the Briton learned that Senna died after a fatal crash in Imola, it was all over for him at that moment.
The artist that created Ayrton Senna’s mural in São Paulo has just unveiled one for Lewis Hamilton 🇧🇷
(via kobrastreetart/IG) pic.twitter.com/XJrzqZyTvD
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 11, 2022
Upon hearing this, little Hamilton decided not to show emotions in front of his father. Instead, he decided to go to a place where he could be alone and cry. As he heard the news, Silver Arrows ace struggled for the day to get going.
Hamilton could not stop imagining what had gone on. The idol, the icon, the man who inspired him and meant a lot to him, just died. “He was a superhero, you know and that was him… just gone”, he concluded.
Hamilton carries the legacy of the Brazilian phenom
After the Mercedes star won his third world championship in 2015, it was a moment of huge emotional satisfaction for him. Riding in the emotional rollercoaster, the third title meant a lot to him as he matched his idol, Senna.
Upon matching the Brazilian, Hamilton said, “It’s a very humbling experience. To equal Ayrton Senna, who meant so much to me. And still does today.”
The British star driver went on to say that there’s nobody else he looks up to, wants to equal or emulate. “I feel like I’ve got the baton now for myself and Ayrton and I’m going to carry it as far as I can,” concluded the man who now has seven F1 world titles.
