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On May 1, 1994, the day Ayrton Senna died after losing control of his Williams at the Tamburello corner of the Imola Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was nine years old. The young Englishman, at that time karting, learned of the death of the Brazilian with his father, while repairing a car. Later, he recalled the day he lost “the hero”: “I remember distancing myself and looking for a secluded place. My father wouldn’t let me cry. “Imola’s fateful race brought an abrupt end to a rivalry that was expected to be intense between Senna and Michael Schumacher, and the beginning of a new era in Formula 1: that year, the German won the First of seven world titles Twenty-six years after Senna’s death, Hamilton equaled Schumacher’s record and guaranteed that he will continue to try to be an “example for the next generation”.
The history of F1 is full of iconic drivers. For many, the best of all was Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the world title five times in the 1950s. In the following years, drivers who became legends, such as Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda or Alain Prost, They went through the queen of motorsport, but the legendary Argentine record seemed destined to fall into the hands of Ayrton Senna.
And it was by watching the Brazilian drive in a dizzying way on the F1 circuits that Hamilton was inspired by a child: “I was attracted to Senna because his driving style seemed to be different from anyone else. Compared to everyone else, he never seemed scared, which was an advantage for me. “
Senna’s death made Fangio’s record last for a few more years, but started a new era in F1. Without the Brazilian and without the great names that marked the 80s (Prost, Piquet or Mansell), Schumacher prevailed with some ease, making the “circus” boring. Between 1994 and 2004, the German collected records, which simply did not reach more expressive figures due to the poor decisions of Schumacher in the management of his career.
At the end of 2006, after losing two consecutive championships to Fernando Alonso, Schumacher left the track and the Spaniard, who until then had no rival in Giancarlo Fisichella to match his own team, now has a direct competitor within McLaren.
At just 22 years old, Hamilton saw that the team where Senna won three world titles opened the doors of F1 for him and the impact of the young driver was immediate: in 2007, in his debut year, the Briton was runner-up, narrowly losing his title for Räikkönen; in 2008, he was proclaimed champion for the first time.
However, the following years were negative. With an uncompetitive McLaren and some problems on and off the track, Hamilton lost the lead to another new generation driver (Sebastian Vettel).
Interestingly, the turning point in the career of the new seven-time world champion ended up directly linked to Schumacher. In 2009, the German returned to F1 to help develop the new Mercedes GP single-seaters, since 1955 the Stuttgart manufacturer’s connection with F1 was limited to the provision of engines and, four years later, Schumacher retired. definitely from the competition, giving up his place in the team to Hamilton.
What follows is history. With a perfect marriage to the German brand, the Stevenage driver came to dominate F1 almost completely and, in seven years, he did not become a world champion once: in 2016, he lost the title to Rosberg, his colleague in the Mercedes, by five points.
Yesterday, after Hamilton won the seventh world title by winning the 14th race of the season in Turkey, thus reaching 94 Grand Prix victories, a new maximum of the sport, Vettel, the driver who together with Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton More impact had in the last three decades in the modality, he had no doubts in saying that English is “the best of our era”.
Hamilton, however, seeks to make his mark in an unusual way in the sport. Always with Senna as a reference, the Englishman rejects comparisons with the idol: “I would never suggest that I am better than Ayrton. He is the king, and always will be ”-, and seeks to leave a legacy to the youngest, just as the Brazilian left him.
A recognized activist for causes such as veganism, preservation of the environment, animal rights, the fight against racism – she strongly supported the Black Lives Matter movement – or women’s rights, Hamilton, at 35, became into an icon for world level. And do not hide that you want to take advantage of the “stage” that F1 offers you to transmit your message to the next generation.
Shortly after winning in Turkey, the Briton shared a message on social media where he acknowledges that “equaling Michael Schumacher’s record puts” a spotlight “on himself that he won’t have” forever “:” So, while you’re here , paying attention, I would like to ask you to do your part to help create a more equal world. “
Recalling an “unpredictable year”, Hamilton confessed that the “long downtime” due to the pandemic gave him time to “really think” that “seven world championships mean a lot”, but “there is another race that we have not yet won. “. “I promise that I will not stop fighting for change. We have a long way to go, but I will continue to fight for equality in sport and in the world we live in. Let’s make sure that opportunities don’t depend on social status or skin color. Many told me that my dream was impossible, but here I am. I want you to know that you can do it too. Never give up on fighting. “
