It’s the weekend of the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, there are grandstands full of Brazilian fans cheering loudly, and the Honda Heritage mechanics just fired up the 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V10 mounted just inches from your head. You’re sitting in the exact McLaren MP4/5B chassis that your childhood hero Ayrton Senna drove to his 1990 World Championship. The track is empty and the rain is pouring down, but you’re one of the most talented racing drivers in the history of the sport. There’s no traction control, no fancy electronics, no paddle shifters, just your right foot controlling 710 horsepower of high-rev action. Hammer down, let’s fuckin’ go!
I’m almost positive Lewis Hamilton wishes his 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix effort had gone better. Holding off Sergio Perez for tenth to earn a single world championship point is not the kind of thing the undisputed king of F1 finds pleasure in. But for those few minutes aboard Ayrton Senna’s McLaren Honda at the legendary driver’s home circuit, I can only imagine he was in pure heaven. While the MP4/5B is a pretty primitive car when compared to his Mercedes W15, it really puts the emphasis on the driver, which is exactly the Lewis Hamilton wheelhouse.
For the next 11 minutes I want you to put yourself in Lewis Hamilton’s shoes. Click the play button and just sit over his shoulder watching the movements and listening to the scream of that magnificent engine. While this was merely a show of a few exhibition laps, and it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea to push the car anywhere near its limits, this is still a pretty impressive show. I’d give a kidney and half a liver for the opportunity, myself, so I can only imagine how Lewis felt. For these 11 minutes, nothing else matters beyond the pure joy of a Formula 1 world champion traveling backward 34 years to experience what he could only once dream of. That’s the kind of thing that makes life worth living.