Lewis Hamilton often spoke about how Ayrton Senna was his biggest inspiration in F1. The Brazilian’s driving, helmet color, and ability to fight an unjust system were what made Hamilton adore him. As a result, one of the biggest moments in his F1 career came right after he broke Senna’s record.
At the 2017 Canadian GP weekend, Hamilton went past Senna in the list of most-ever F1 pole positions. After the qualifying session on Saturday, Hamilton received what was then believed to be a race-worn helmet belonging to Ayrton Senna. For Hamilton along with his and Senna’s fans, this was a very wholesome moment. The family of one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time recognizing another legend in a moment of pure sportsmanship was always nice to witness.
However, sometime after Hamilton got the helmet, Senna’s family cleared the air about the helmet being given to the Brit. According to them, the helmet that Hamilton got, wasn’t really race-worn by Senna.
Why was Lewis Hamilton presented with fake Senna helmet?
During the presentation ceremony after Hamilton’s 65th F1 pole position, the Senna ‘race worn’ helmet was handed over to him. Hamilton posed with it, and pictures were shared all over social media, only for the truth to be revealed shortly thereafter.
Senna’s family said that the helmet Hamilton got on live television was indeed fake. It was a replica of a helmet Senna wore back in a race in 1987. The real helmet was still in possession of the Senna family, and what fans saw on live television was just a copy of it.
However, they went on to say that Hamilton was going to get the real helmet eventually. Their intention was to present the Briton with this priceless piece of memorabilia, but not on live television.
Hamilton on what makes Senna so special
Senna is not just Hamilton’s racing idol, as there are plenty of other racing drivers including Daniel Ricciardo who cite the Sao Paolo-born driver as their inspiration. When asked, Hamilton revealed that racing was not the only thing that made him fall in love with Senna.
“It was because of the way he raced,” the 38-year-old said. “The colors of his helmet, the passion he talked with. And his victories. But also the way he faced alone, a system that wasn’t always kind to him.”
Hamilton too has fought the system in F1 that he feels has been very discriminatory towards him over the years. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the Mercedes star relates to Senna’s fight against injustice within the F1 organization.
