Ever since his arrival into Formula 1 in 2007, Lewis Hamilton has gone on about his admiration and desire to emulate his idol, Ayrton Senna. After equalling Senna’s haul of championships three weeks ago, the Brit has talked about taking the baton from the legendary Brazilian, and building on it. This weekend’s race will be held at Interlagos this weekend, the spiritual home of Senna. Hamilton is talking about saluting his hero by winning there for the first time. Now is the time to compare both drivers, and talk about why Lewis Hamilton is taking the baton from Ayrton Senna.
Many critics will argue that Senna was a better racer, and it is hard to disagree with that. The Brazilian drove in the 1980s and ’90s, where it was more about physical driving, whilst in Hamilton’s era, the racing has being more focused on efficiency. Drivers in that era had less technology and fewer driver aids than today. Now, one sees less of the drivers’ raw ability. Formula 1 is completely different to what it was 20-odd years ago, for better or worse. Therefore comparing their driving abilities is extremely difficult, and unfair not just to the drivers, but to their eras in the sport.
What can be compared is how they are viewed in their own times. This is where similarities are seen. Both are arguably the fastest men of their generations. Senna won 40.12% of the pole positions in race weekends he participated in, whilst Hamilton edges his generation with 29.7%. The way they won their three titles is also quite similar. Their first two were in tight battles, whilst the third was was more comfortable. They’re also known as arguably the best overtakers of their days.
Their high risk, daring manoeuvres shows their desire to go for any gap, exciting the generation of fans that are and were viewing. This has also led to them being viewed as controversial figures of the sport. Even though he is viewed as one of the greatest, Senna’s legacy is tainted with his on-track antics, where his competitive edge over-spilled into sometimes dangerous incidents.
The best example of this came in 1990. When going for his second title, he rammed rival Alain Prost off at turn one, at high speed, in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to prevent the Frenchman taking the championship off him. Hamilton himself has been involved in many incidents over the years, and been called numerous times to see the stewards. His darkest season was in 2011, where he seemed to be involved in endless on-track incidents with his 2008 title rival, Felipe Massa.
Whether fans and critics like to admit it or not, Hamilton does appear to be the Senna of this generation. The question is: what legacy can be left by the Brit that Brazilian was unable to? In 1994, a new rivalry seemed to be brewing. Michael Schumacher had burst onto the scene in 1991 and, now at Benetton, was in a position to fight for championships. With Senna moving to Williams, it looked like these two would be the latest chapter in the book of great rivalries in the sport. At Imola, with Senna’s death, that chapter was left to be unwritten. Schumacher went on to win a record seven titles and break many other records to make himself, statistically speaking, the greatest F1 driver of all time.
Twenty-one years on, could that unwritten chapter look to have a fresh start? Whilst Hamilton is on a career high, like Senna was after his third win, another German is lurking to pounce on his parade. Sebastian Vettel, who was inspired by Schumacher, and later became close friends to him, has been arguably the driver of the year. If Ferrari can improve over the winter, then there is a real possibility that the Brit has a big fight on his hands to remain top dog in the sport.
If Lewis has Ayrton’s baton, then Seb has Michael’s soul. They, like their childhood inspirations, are the best drivers of their era. Both drivers have stated that they have another seven years in the sport, and this generation has a lot to look forward to in terms of rivalry. Lewis talks about taking the baton from Senna and what better legacy to leave than to resurrect the rivalry that this sport lost the chance to see with Senna and Schumacher in the shape of one with Vettel.
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