Hamilton drives Senna’s 1990 McLaren at Interlagos · RaceFans

November 3, 2024

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Lewis Hamilton demonstrated the McLaren that Ayrton Senna raced to his second world championship after at the moment’s qualifying session.

The seven-times world champion is a long-time fan of the Brazilian ace, who gained the world title in 1988, 1990 and 1991, and died 30 years in the past in a crash on the San Marino Grand Prix.

“I couldn’t imagine I simply had the possibility to do this,” stated Hamilton after his run. “It was actually the best honour of my profession.”

“It’s very, very emotional. I used to be simply revisiting my childhood as I used to be watching Ayrton race right here as I child.”

Sebastian Vettel demonstrated Senna’s final McLaren when F1 returned to Imola, the scene of his remaining race, earlier this 12 months. Hamilton took to the Interlagos circuit in an MP4/5B of the kind Senna drove in 1990.

“I by no means in 1,000,000 years thought I’d ever get to drive Senna’s automotive right here,” stated Hamilton on Thursday. “Somebody contacted me, my supervisor instructed me about it, and I jumped on the alternative.”

It’s the second time Hamilton has had the possibility to drive one in all his childhood hero’s automobiles. “Once I was at McLaren, I did get the possibility to drive the MP4/4 round Silverstone, which was unimaginable,” he stated.

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“However the considered driving that automotive round right here. I bear in mind the races the place he was, when he lastly gained right here and held the flag and yeah, it’s going to positively be fairly an emotional expertise and I hope individuals are right here to see it.”

The 1990 Brazilian Grand Prix was the primary time Senna raced in entrance of a crowd in his house metropolis, after the race relocated to the Interlagos from Jacarepagua in Rio de Janeiro. He was nonetheless on the lookout for his first win on house floor at the moment, and was annoyed once more on that event, throwing the lead away simply after half-distance when he collided with Satoru Nakajima whereas lapping the Tyrrell driver.

The MP4/5B gained six races, all in Senna’s arms. He clinched the drivers’ championship within the penultimate race in a infamous incident: Senna slammed his automotive into Alain Prost’s Ferrari as they approached the primary nook on the Japanese Grand Prix.

The MP4/5B prolonged Honda’s run of success on this planet championship. The normally-aspirated 690bhp RA100E V10 delivered the fifth of six consecutive constructors’ titles powered by the Japanese producer’s engines.

Though Ferrari launched semi-automatic gearboxes to F1 the 12 months earlier than, McLaren nonetheless had an H-pattern shift in 1990. Hamilton has solely raced with wheel-mounted gearshifts in F1, however expects no issues with the MP4/5B’s transverse, six-speed gearbox.

“I’m all the time heel-and-toeing,” he stated. “It was once actually good after I was youthful, and after I did the MP4/4, I used to be capable of do it again then.

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It’s one thing I miss. I want we had that in Method 1. I imply, the two-pedal factor is simply not thrilling, and they should convey again the H-Field.”

Regardless of moist situations on the monitor, Hamilton’s run went easily. “I did one or two extra laps than I used to be alleged to,” he admitted afterwards.