Lewis Hamilton to honor Ayrton Senna by driving 1990 McLaren at Interlagos

SAO PAULO -- Lewis Hamilton is set to honor the legendary Ayrton Senna at this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix by taking to the track in one of the three-time world champion's iconic McLarens. On Saturday, after qualifying for the Grand Prix, Hamilton will drive the 1990 McLaren MP4/5B in a special demonstration lap.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Senna's tragic passing at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Hamilton, who was made an honorary Brazilian citizen in 2022, expressed his excitement and reverence for the opportunity. The McLaren MP4/5B is notable for being the car that Senna used to secure his second world championship and his first F1 car raced at Interlagos, where he finished third in the 1990 Brazilian Grand Prix.

"I never in a million years thought I'd ever get to drive Senna's car here," Hamilton shared on Thursday. "Someone contacted me, my manager told me about it, and I jumped at the opportunity."

Hamilton reflected on his previous experience with driving Senna's cars, adding, "Back in the day, when I was at McLaren, I did get the chance to drive the MP4/4 around Silverstone, which was incredible. But just the thought of driving that car around here... I remember the races when he finally won here [in 1991] and held the flag and yeah, it will definitely be quite an emotional experience and I hope people are here to see it."

The demonstration run was originally intended as a surprise for fans attending the race. However, news about the event leaked ahead of time.

"I had a helmet made, his helmet, made for me, but I don't know if we're using that one," Hamilton explained. "I think the initial hope was for it to be a surprise. So I had a whole white suit and his helmet and I'd go out and drive the lap and it would just look like it was him out there. But somehow it got out there. It's impossible to keep things quiet!"

Hamilton also expressed enthusiasm for experiencing the manual gearbox of the vintage car, a feature that has been replaced by paddle shift systems in modern F1 cars. "It's something I miss. I wish we had that in Formula 1. I mean, the two-pedal thing [brake and accelerator] is just not exciting, and they need to bring back the H-Box. It was awesome."

Hamilton's tribute at the Brazilian Grand Prix promises to be a poignant moment, commemorating one of Formula 1's most beloved figures with the participation of a modern-day icon.

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