Special delivery greets Hamilton as he equals Senna
Briton matches feat of hero by clinching 65th pole Rumours suggest Ferrari could lure Rosberg back
FEATURE WRITER CHIEF SPORTS
Overwhelmed, almost tearful, Lewis Hamilton said last night that he was “shaken and speechless” at receiving a race helmet worn by his idol Ayrton Senna in tribute to his emulation of the Brazilian’s 65 pole positions. The gift, bestowed by Senna’s family moments after he had delivered the fastest lap ever seen here at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, moved him so profoundly that he claimed it meant more than any of his vast collection of trophies.
“I didn’t actually possess any of Ayrton’s artefacts,” Hamilton explained. “For his family to send me this is more special than anything else I have. I am just honoured to be honoured by them.”
The vivid yellow helmet, worn by Senna at Silverstone in 1987 in his Lotus phase, was his reward for an essentially faultless display on Montreal’s Île Notre-Dame, as he produced what he called a “sexy lap” to eclipse title rival Sebastian Vettel by over three tenths.
The roars of the Quebecois fans, as his stunning time of 1 min 11.459 sec flashed up on the giant screens, could have been heard across the St Lawrence Seaway. For this was not merely a peerless performance, but a precious slice of history, as Hamilton elevated himself alongside the man universally regarded as the master of the single, flying lap.
Hamilton has consistently invoked Senna as his inspiration, recalling how he was first drawn to him by the lurid colour of his helmets and that he tried to emulate his aggression and audacity as soon as he grasped a steering wheel. In Monaco in 1988, Senna beat his fel- low McLaren driver Alain Prost by 1.4sec in perhaps the closest display to perfection that F1 has witnessed. It was difficult not to detect echoes yesterday in the breathtaking nervelessness of Hamilton as he swept within inches of Montreal’s Wall of Champions, en route to a time that even Vettel could hardly hope to match.
“I would come home from school and say, ‘If I’m ever lucky enough to get to F1, I want to emulate Ayrton,’” Hamilton said. “Honestly, I can’t believe it.” Looking across at the vanquished Vettel, who still leads the championship by 25 points, and team-mate Valtteri Bottas in third, he reflected: “This has been the hardest season of my career, racing against these two great drivers. I can’t remember having had such an intense moment. We can’t always be perfect, but today I got as close as I could.”
Under azure summer skies in Montreal, the cat-and-mouse tussle between Ferrari and Mercedes showed little sign of abating. The Silver Arrows appeared to have addressed some of the tyre issues that bedevilled their weekend in Monte Carlo last month.
For Hamilton, the chance to bracket himself with Senna was his only concern. He had described the very possibility as “unreal”, and his decisive lap to take pole here had the same other-worldly quality. His first effort of 1-11.791 was staggering enough, even if Vettel came within four thousandths of a second. But with one final blast Hamilton went better again, in the clearest sign yet that the tussle between the two pre-eminent drivers of their generation was poised to run and run.
It was another exasperating afternoon for McLaren, with Stoffel Vandoorne unable even to advance beyond the first qualifying phase. There is a palpable sense that the team’s patience is starting to be tested by the Belgian rookie, who has yet to claim a point this season. “One tenth would have been enough, Stoffel,” his race engineer said over the in-car radio. “I’m sure you had that in you.”
Lance Stroll, the first Canadian to compete in his home race since Jacques Villeneuve in 2006, also fell by the wayside early for Williams, managing only 16th as his dismal debut campaign continued.
It was a day, too, when rumours
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were rife in the paddock that Nico Rosberg could yet be persuaded to make a dramatic return with Ferrari. The reigning champion had suggested he would keep his distance from F1 after his shock retirement last December but has been far more visible of late, even conducting post-race interviews in Monaco. Now Toto Wolff, team principal at Mercedes, has raised the tantalising possibility that Rosberg could be enticed back to the track full-time.
“I’ll give you a little confidence,” Wolff said, during his annual Canadian lunch with local media. “I would not be surprised to see Nico running one day at Ferrari or elsewhere. He’s only 31, he’s still young.”