Lewis Hamilton is a huge fan of Ayrton Senna and hasn’t hidden the fact that the Brazilian is his racing idol. Senna, of course, is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, winning three world championships before his tragic death in 1994.
There are other F1 drivers too, who consider Senna as their role model including Daniel Ricciardo. Everyone has different reasons for adoring the Sao-Paolo-born driver but they are all interlinked and add up to what made him the legendary driver he is remembered today as.
Lewis on Ayrton: It was because of the way he raced, 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. pic.twitter.com/pgZfINmD5g
— KR!M0U⁴⁴ 🏁 (@Bruhcedes44) April 15, 2023
For Hamilton, racing was just one of the reasons behind idolizing Senna. While talking about what made him love the ex-McLaren driver, Hamilton said that other than his racing and helmet color, he liked the way Senna fought a system that wasn’t ‘too kind to him’.
“It was because of the way he raced,” said Hamilton. “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.”
Lewis Hamilton and his love for Brazil
Hamilton is British, but despite that, he is one of the most popular athletes in Brazil. Since his early F1 days, he has revealed on multiple occasions that he loves the country, and was even awarded honorary citizenship in 2022.
After his race win in Sao Paolo two years ago, Hamilton paused on track to take a Brazilian flag given to him by a marshall, only to complete his cooldown lap as he waved it in front of a jubilant crowd.
Lewis Hamilton is draped in the Brazilian flag, giving a thumbs up, as the national anthems are played out….
Max Verstappen is met with boos.#bbcf1 #f1 #BrazilGP #SaoPauloGP
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 14, 2021
This reminded fans of Senna, who always waved the Brazilian flag in front of his home crowd after the races. The love Brazilians had for Hamilton increased even more after the 2021 Sao Paolo GP because of this gesture.
When Hamilton got Ayrton Senna’s race worn helmet
After getting pole position for the race at the 2017 Canadian GP, Hamilton got a priceless gift from the Senna family. Hamilton who is one of the biggest fans of Senna, got his race worn helmet as a present from the late great Brazilian’s family.
When Lewis Hamilton received a race worn Ayrton Senna helmet as a gift from the family after equaling his hero’s number of pole positions 💛🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/2FBQMeqkCB
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) March 21, 2023
This was an incredibly wholesome moment, and a memorable one for Hamilton who got his hands on his idol’s helmet.
