Lewis Hamilton is poised to drive Ayrton Senna’s title-winning 1990 McLaren F1 car at this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix in a tribute to the late three-time World Champion.
The F1 2024 season marks 30 years since Senna was killed in an accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in one of the most seismic moments in the sport’s history.
A number of tributes have been paid to Senna by the F1 community across this year, with four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel driving Senna’s 1993 McLaren – a car personally owned by the German – when F1 visited Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May.
That came after Vettel led a track run at Imola on the eve of the race weekend, with the F1 2024 drivers encouraged to wear Senna-themed t-shirts and balaclavas underneath their race helmets for the occasion.
McLaren also paid tribute to Senna at the Monaco Grand Prix, an event won by the Brazilian legend on no fewer than six occasions, by running a one-off yellow, green and blue livery inspired by Senna’s helmet design at the principality.
A report by Brazil-based outlet Band has revealed that Hamilton is set to become the latest leading F1 figure to pay tribute to Senna this weekend, with plans in place for the Mercedes driver to perform a demonstration run behind the wheel of a McLaren MP4/5B at Interlagos.
The ‘Senna Sempre’ (Senna Always) event is scheduled to take place on Saturday at 1700 local time after all formal on track activities for the day – including the F1 sprint race and main qualifying session – are over.
Hamilton has made no secret of his admiration for Senna since making his F1 debut with McLaren at the start of the 2007 season.
The seven-time World Champion – a winner at Interlagos on three previous occasions in 2016, 2018 and 2021 – was made an honorary citizen of Brazil ahead of the 2022 race in Sao Paulo.
Hamilton was also presented with a race-worn Senna helmet after equalling the Brazilian’s tally of pole positions at the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix.
Writing in a column for the BBC in 2014, Hamilton expressed his admiration for Senna and described the F1 icon as a “genuine hero.”
He said: “Everyone loves a winner. That’s just how the world is. And Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest winners this sport has ever had.
“But more than that, he was a genuine hero – an iconic character who inspired people from all over the world.
“He made a massive impression on me when I was growing up.
“I started watching Formula 1 with my dad when I was just four or five years old. I loved cars. At the time, Senna and Alain Prost were the leaders of the pack and they immediately caught my attention.
“Ayrton was always very cool and composed when he was interviewed after the race. On top of that, kids are attracted to colours and I loved the orange and white McLaren and Ayrton’s yellow helmet.
“I started to watch him and follow his success and, as I got a bit older, I began to want to know a bit more about the guy.”
Highlighting what he most admired about Senna, Hamilton added: “It was the fact that Senna was just an out-and-out racer that was most important to me.
“I can really identify with that. It’s exactly how I feel I am. That’s why I feel I have had that connection with him since I was a kid.
“I want to race, and I feel like he was one of the only real racers I had seen.”
Hamilton announced earlier this year that he will join Ferrari on a multi-year contract from the F1 2025 season, ending his long and successful association with Mercedes.
The 39-year-old stands as the most decorated driver in F1 history, having equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven World Championships in 2020 before becoming the first man to surpass 100 race victories and pole positions the following year.
