Last Friday, Lewis Hamilton made a rare public appearance at a store-opening event for Fanatics in Central London. Embracing the warm and ecstatic reception from fans eager to catch a glimpse of him, Hamilton appeared genuinely excited about the product that he was set to promote.
Fanatics is a popular sports collectibles company, and their trading cards under the brand name ‘Topps’ — covering sports like soccer, baseball, and F1 — have gained worldwide fame. So, when Hamilton saw the exclusive trading cards featuring multiple F1 legends and his peers, his inner child came alive.
After cutting the ribbon to officially open the new memorabilia store, the Briton sat down with some employees to browse through the F1 cards. They asked him to share his thoughts on a few of the drivers and even pick his favorite among them.
After skimming through the collection, Hamilton picked out Ayrton Senna’s card — hardly a surprise, given that the late, great Brazilian has always been his favorite. However, the lengths Hamilton said he would go to in order to add that card to his collection were quite unexpected.
“Ayrton Senna is my favorite driver of all time. This is the guy that inspired me to be what I am today,” he said per TalkSPORT Driving. “I would have cut my leg off for this one of got one of this [pointing toward the Senna card]”.
Fanatics would surely be more than happy to give Hamilton as many Senna trading cards as he wants. In fact, they have recently signed an exclusive trading card and memorabilia deal with him, as confirmed by a recent post from Topps. So, the future Ferrari driver could soon have some special edition cards released under his name, alongside the existing collections.
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Regardless, Hamilton would still treasure the Brazilian driver’s memorabilia — and understandably so. Growing up, he idolized Senna, watching him win races and championships, and drawing inspiration from him on his own path to becoming an F1 driver.
Because of this connection, the Brazilian people have embraced Hamilton as one of their favorite drivers over the years. Winning his first world title in 2008 at the Interlagos circuit — Senna’s home track in São Paulo — solidified his place in their hearts.
Since then, every visit to Brazil has seen Hamilton’s love and support grow exponentially. In recognition of his admiration for Senna and the country, the Brazilian government honored Hamilton by granting him honorary citizenship in 2022.
Sir Lewis Hamilton officially becomes an honorary citizen of Brazil pic.twitter.com/Xkf7tSLGRI
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) November 7, 2022
Senna’s family also holds Hamilton in high regard, a sentiment clearly expressed when they gifted him a special tribute helmet after he matched Senna’s pole position record (65) at the 2017 Canadian GP. The then-Mercedes driver was visibly moved upon receiving the race-worn helmet from his childhood hero.
In that moment, Hamilton likely reflected on all the Senna memories that sparked his passion for F1 and inspired him to become a champion. Fittingly, Hamilton now stands as an idol to many young drivers in F1, who aspire to reach the pinnacle of motorsport, just as he did.
