Lewis Hamilton was a nine-year-old kart driver when he learned that his idol Ayrton Senna had died after crashing into a concrete wall during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Over a quarter of a century later, Hamilton still has vivid memories of when his father broke the news as the duo repaired their kart
« I remember I had to get away from my dad, because my dad would never let me cry in front of him, » Hamilton said on Friday as he prepared for his first Formula 1 race on the track. Imola where Senna lost his life »
« I had to go to a different place and it wasn’t that easy, » Hamilton added, his voice shaking with emotion
« But I remember trying to turn that sadness into adrenaline and I think I won this weekend But the following weeks were tough »
This weekend’s Emilia-Romagna GP marks F1’s first race at Imola since 2006, when Hamilton raced in GP2 on the circuit He returns as the new holder of most Grand Prix wins in F1, after eclipsing Michael Schumacher last weekend by winning a record 92nd race in Portugal
Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was also killed during the 1994 race weekend in a high-speed crash, but Senna was a three-time F1 champion and considered one of the greatest drivers in the series
« It’s just something we will always remember, » said Hamilton, to whom Senna’s family donated one of Senna’s racing helmets at a Brazilian GP
« I took the tour today and it was a really special tour to see this historic track, passing the difficult recall of where Ayrton crashed
« It’s still very surreal for me when I go to places, where you go through the Monaco tunnel or drive to the British GP where you know the greats in the past have raced at those places « , the Mercedes driver added
It’s heartwarming to know that I was able to be here and do what he was doing 26 years ago
Mercedes can clinch a seventh consecutive constructors title on Sunday unless Red Bull wins by 34 points – something Red Bull hasn’t done for over four years
« I remember when we debated internally in 2014 what we could set as a target, » said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff
And we said: « To win a championship would be fantastic » And (engineering director) Aldo Costa said: « We are not ambitious enough We should write that our goal is to win several championships »
If someone had told us at the time that it would be seven years old, I would clearly have thought they would need support And there we are, we made it WEEKEND SHORTCUTS
Inserted in the revised schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, this race will take place in an abbreviated format
Ayrton Senna, Formula 1, Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly
News from around the world – GB – Back at Imola, Hamilton still has fond memories of Senna
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
