Lewis Hamilton has announced that he will be driving the late Ayrton Senna’s Mclaren MP4/ 5B this Saturday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. This is an amazing opportunity for Hamilton as the MP4/5B is a Championship-winning car with a great legacy in F1 and Brazil.
During the Driver’s Press Conference for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Brit revealed he was very excited to be given the opportunity to drive his hero’s F1 car, saying:
“I never in a million years thought I’d get to drive Senna’s car here. It will definitely be quite an emotional experience.”
Nothing to see here. Just 16 F1 drivers inside a giant Ayrton Senna helmet 🤔#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/tRRUJMLWsC
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 31, 2024
He also went on to say that he will be wearing a replica helmet and race suit, identical to what Senna wore in 1990. Hamilton chose to do this in an attempt to make fans feel as though they were watching Ayrton Senna himself driving his Famous 1990 McLaren.
Lewis is considered an honorary Brazilian by the fans and was even gifted one of the icon’s helmets at the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix when he equalled Senna’s 65 pole positions record.
Where will the event be available to watch?
Though broadcasters such as F1TV, Sky Sports F1 or ESPN are yet to announce if they will be showing Hamilton’s drive, the momentous occasion is guaranteed to take over social media.
The event is currently set to take place in between the Sprint Race and the Qualifying session on Saturday, November 2.
Why is the McLaren MP4/5B so iconic?
From his rivalry with Alain Prost to winning the 1990 World Driver’s Championship title, Senna’s time in the Mclaren MP4/5B was nothing short of F1 excellence.
Additionally to winning the driver’s championship, the Brazilian and his teammate managed to win McLaren a Constructors Championship for the third consecutive year. Senna’s championship win in 1990 showed the driver’s talent, as it followed another world title in the previous year.
The 1990 model differs from what we see in modern F1. The McLaren MP4/5B was a manual in contrast to the semi-automatic F1 cars racing today.
Whilst modern F1 cars have a weight minimum of approximately 798 kg, Senna’s McLaren was lighter and smaller with a minimum weight of around 500 kg. Despite the lower weight and size of the cars, 1990 models had less speed due to the use of 3.5 litre V10 engines in comparison to the 1.6 litre V6 turbocharged hybrid engines seen today.
Have any other F1 stars driven a Senna race car?
Lewis Hamilton has stated on many different occasions that Ayrton Senna is his motorsports hero, so driving the legendary McLaren is sure to be one of the highlights of his illustrious career.
The Brit is not the first to get this honour, however, with Pierre Gasly getting the opportunity to drive Senna’s debut Toleman-Hart TG183B for a Sky Sports F1 segment in May this year at Silverstone.
Additionally, former world champion Sebastian Vettel drove Senna’s 1993 McLaren MP4/8 at the Imola Grand Prix in May this year. Vettel previously purchased the car and drove it in honour of the 30-year anniversary of Senna’s tragic death at the Italian track in 1994.
Vettel shared Hamilton’s gratitude after completing his laps, saying: “It was certainly one of the most emotional moments I had behind the wheel.”
Now, Lewis Hamilton will be having a similar experience in front of the Brazilian crowd. Considering that Senna was a hero to locals in Brazil, there is no doubt that we will see the crowd go wild as the MP4/5B takes the track at Interlagos.
