The British pilot got a unique opportunity. In front of Brazilian spectators (Hamilton, by the way, holds honorary Brazilian citizenship), he was able to sit behind the wheel of the single-seater McLaren MP4/5B with which Ayrton Senna won his second championship title in 1990.
The whole event was quite hectic. Due to the unpredictable weather and the postponed qualification for Sunday, it was not known for a long time whether the celebratory ride would take place at all. In the end, however, Lewis Hamilton made it and all the spectators present could see the car in the iconic red and white livery in action.
The monopost has a Honda V10 engine in its guts, and in its heyday it carried the logo of a famous tobacco manufacturer on its cover. However, these are strictly prohibited today in the world of Formula 1, so they have been replaced by a barcode – similar to Ferrari years ago.
Photo: F1
The only thing Hamilton could be happy about this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton was understandably excited about the opportunity and waved the Brazilian flag at the fans present from the cockpit. It was probably the greatest joy for him during the entire race weekend. He did not score points in Saturday’s sprint, he was eliminated in the first part of Sunday’s postponed qualification, and in the chaotic main race he “only” made it to tenth place. As he himself said after the race, he can’t wait for the end of this year.
