FAST FRIENDS
Kieran Jackson on how black cats and boos turned into hero status and citizenship for Lewis Hamilton in Brazil
“I feel like now I’m one of you,” beamed a bright and blue Lewis Hamilton, radiating unparalleled pride as he received his Brazilian citizenship in the nation’s capital this week. A tale that started with World Championship agony at Interlagos as a rookie 15 years ago – followed by boos from the grandstands 12 months on as he snatched glory from Felipe Massa’s grasp – has turned, in something akin to fairytale fashion.
Now idolised and adored, the seven-time world champion – born and bred in Stevenage, 30 miles north of London, lest we forget – has taken Brazil to his heart but, of greater gravity, is how the country has taken Hamilton to their heart. Because, quite frankly, this fondness for Britain’s greatest racing driver was as intangible as it was improbable at the start of his Formula 1 career.
On Hamilton’s first F1 visit to the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in 2007, an unprecedented debut title triumph was cruelly taken away from him, with a gearbox issue demoting his stricken McLaren to the back of the field. Instead, to the jubilation of Ferrari fans – supporting the Scuderia, represented by Brazilian star Massa – Kimi Raikkonen denied both Hamilton and teammate Fernando Alonso amid a year of scandal and controversy.
Roll on to 2008 and the equation was much the same heading into the final race: the championship was in Hamilton’s hands, with a fifth-place finish all that was required. Massa, as Brazil yearned for a first world champion in 17 years, was his closest challenger.
Only there was more to it than simple on-track mathematics. Hamilton had been subject of vitriolic racial abuse throughout the season, from the stands in Barcelona pre-season testing to language on a Spanish fan website in the week leading up to the season finale. At a sponsor’s function mere days before his crowning moment, Hamilton was handed a toy black cat – a symbol of bad luck in Brazil.
Perhaps it was all too fitting then that, come the conclusion on that fateful Sunday, luck was raining down in literal terms on the then 23-year-old. In need of making up a place approaching the final corner, Timo Glock slowed in damp conditions and… you know the rest. Ecstasy turned to agony at Ferrari and among the home fans, who needed no invitation to jeer the Brit as he hurriedly left the cockpit to celebrate.
From then on Hamilton’s relationship with Massa, and subsequently Brazil, showed no signs of improvement. Collisions and media pen confrontations followed. Tension always seemed to be brewing in the background as both men saw Championships come and go amid Sebastian Vettel’s era of dominance.
So, what was the turning point? Perhaps 2016, as Hamilton drove supremely in the wet to taste victory for the first time at Interlagos at the tenth time of asking, whilst wearing a tribute helmet to his hero and a Brazilian icon of the ages, Ayrton Senna.
And this is perhaps the crux, the fulcrum, of Hamilton’s fascinating relationship with Brazil. Speaking after his win, Hamilton read the room quite impeccably: “This has been the dream to win here since I was about six and watching F1: I saw Ayrton win here and I was like ‘I want to be in that position, I want to do that’.”
For Brazilians, robbed of their favourite son all too soon following his death in 1994, Hamilton became a beacon of hope. The comparisons, both at the wheel and away from the track, are as seamless as they are inspiring.
Senna was well-renowned for his charity work, helping communities both at home and abroad. Outspoken and respected, the three-time world champion was vocal in what he believed in and strived, ultimately, for a better world.
Particularly in the past few years, Hamilton has endeavoured to follow suit and emulate his childhood hero. His work in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, launching Mission 44 to help underrepresented groups in the UK and constantly speaking out against racial abuse and hate speech has resonated, quite clearly, with those across the globe.
Even this week, Hamilton visited and spoke to children in a favela in Rio de Janeiro and, to cap it all off, a giant mural of the Mercedes driver donning the Brazil flag was presented at a school in Sao Paulo on Thursday.
Of course, that image from last year was the defining moment – a moment in time – which epitomises Hamilton’s remarkable turnaround in status in Brazil. Hit with disqualification and engine penalties in 2021, Hamilton was on a different planet as
he thrust himself from last place at the start of the Saturday sprint to first come the chequered flag on Sunday.
Starved of a home F1 driver since Massa’s retirement in 2017, Brazil had their hero. An adopted hero. A tag Hamilton, by this point a knighthood recipient in the UK, was all too happy to embrace.
It truly is a rousing story, culminating in Hamilton’s honorary citizenship ceremony in Brasilia on Monday. But it’s only the story so far.
Because in a season of struggles for the 37-year-old, with a yearon-year F1 winning record still to maintain, Hamilton will be determined to write another chapter yet this weekend at Interlagos. Up against the odds once more, with the unpredictable Brazilian weather set to play its part again, there is no doubting who the crowd will be backing this time around.
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix takes place at 6pm (GMT) tomorrow and is broadcast on Sky Sports F1
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