Hamilton will drive Senna’s McLaren car during the Brazilian GP weekend

Lewis Hamilton is set to drive Ayrton Senna’s championship-winning 1990 McLaren F1 car this weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix in his honor.

The 2024 Formula 1 season marks 30 years since Ayrton Senna tragically lost his life in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1994, an event considered one of the sport’s most shocking moments.

This year, the F1 community has organized numerous tribute events for Senna. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel drove Senna’s 1993 McLaren (part of Vettel’s private collection) for the Imola GP in May, while F1 drivers wore Senna-themed t-shirts and donned Senna masks under their helmets before the race to pay their respects.McLaren also paid tribute to the Brazilian legend by racing in a special color scheme featuring the yellow, green, and blue colors from Senna’s helmet design at the Monaco GP.

According to Brazilian broadcaster Band, Hamilton will add another event to the tributes by performing a demonstration drive in the McLaren MP4/5B at Interlagos in honor of Senna.

The “Senna Sempre” (Always Senna) event is scheduled to take place on Saturday at 5:00 PM local time, following the conclusion of all official activities on the track, including the F1 sprint race and the main qualifying session.

Hamilton has not hidden his admiration for Senna since entering F1 with McLaren at the start of the 2007 season.

The seven-time World Champion, who has won at Interlagos three times in 2016, 2018, and 2021, was declared an honorary citizen of Brazil ahead of the 2022 race in São Paulo.

Additionally, after equaling the Brazilian driver’s pole position record at the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton was gifted a Senna helmet during the race.

In a column he wrote for the BBC in 2014, Hamilton expressed his admiration for Senna, describing the F1 icon as “a true hero.”