Britton Lewis Hamilton, an avowed Ayrton Senna fan, has the chance to equal three historic milestones of the Brazilian’s career in the course the Singapore Grand Prix’s weekend. With 40 win in Formula One, the Mercedes driver is just one triumph away from reaching the amount of victories achieved by his childhood hero – a man who is still a role model in his successful career in motor sports.
“If Ayrton had been able to continue he would have won many more races and many more championships, so I think I’m going to be carrying the baton for both of us, striving to win more for the both of us. I think if he was still around, we’d be friends”, said Hamilton in a press conference.
In case he does win this weekend, Hamilton will be also matching the total amount of races that Ayrton competed in throughout his F1 career. In Singapore – a Grand Prix that takes place at night, in Asia – the Britton will be racing fot the 161st time in Formula One, always bearing Ayrton Senna’s iconic colors on his helmet.
“I feel like Ayrton. I want to carry on Senna’s legacy. I’m not approaching this weekend at all thinking ‘yeah, if I win this race I’m going to be equal with Ayrton’. It doesn’t matter if it’s this weekend, or the weekend after, or the weekend after that, I will have eventually the same amount of wins as Ayrton”, added the Britton.
Despite having 16 pole positions less than Senna, Lewis will have the chance to equal another of the three-time world champion’s achievements, on Saturday’s qualifying rounds. Senna was the only F1 driver ever capable of scoring eight pole positions in a row, between the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix and the 1989 USA Grand Prix. Hamilton has done seven consecutive poles, this season, from Monaco to the Italian Grand Prix, the most recent one.
“I have been racing for 22 years, so I would like to think this has been my best year, because I have been learning all of those years. In the last year it has been tiny steps to improve but I do feel like I am driving at the best of my ability. That is my goal: every day is to live to the maximum of my potential. You don’t get it perfect all the time, but so far I have been able to eke out what I have needed, so I am happy with that”, said the Britton.
Despite seeing his numbers increase throughout the season, Hamilton knows that his big goal this year is to win his third world title – a feat achieved by Senna in 1991. AS the championship’s leader, Hamilton has 152 points, 53 more than Nico Rosberg, his teammate, seven races away from the end of the season.
