Lewis Hamilton believes a win at Interlagos will be a fitting tribute to his idol Ayrton Senna, with a win in Brazil one of the few things lacking from the three-time World Champions resume.
Senna won his home Grand Prix on two occasions in 1991 and 1993 while driving for McLaren, and current Mercedes AMG PETRONAS driver Hamilton is looking to emulate his fellow three-time World Champion this weekend on a track that he puts amongst the classics on the Formula 1 calendar.
“Interlagos is one of the real classics – quite short, tough on tyres, with variable weather and a really tricky start to the lap that always seems to bring drama,” said Hamilton.
“Then there’s the fans. The Brazilian people are so passionate, fun and outgoing. It’s a vibrant country, full of colour, and somewhere that’s quite special to me.
“This was the home race for Ayrton, so it was a dream of mine to race in São Paulo when I was younger and I always feel his presence when I’m there. He was such a huge hero in Brazil and it’s humbling that I always get such a warm response there.
“It’s amazing to think that it took Ayrton eight attempts to win this race and it’s one of the few I haven’t yet won myself.
“If I can change that this weekend it would be a salute to him and another highlight to add to this amazing year, so I’ll be going all out to make that happen.”
