‘It’s almost like Senna is talking to me and keeping me focused’

Lewis Hamilton believes a vision from Ayrton Senna helped inspire him to victory at a rain-hit Singapore Grand Prix.

The British driver claimed he required a miracle to win after starting only fifth. A dose of wild weather just 15 minutes before the start, and Sebastian Vettel’s 120mph three-way collision with Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the short run down to turn one, paved the way for him to complete his unexpected victory.

Hamilton’s idol Senna crashed out from the lead of the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix. So furious was the emotional Brazilian that he abandoned his Mclaren at the scene of the accident and headed straight for his apartment without speaking to a single member of his team.

It was not a scenario Hamilton wished to emulate. “Every now and then Senna pops into my mind,” said Hamilton. “It was the Monaco Grand Prix where he was in the lead and he hit the wall.

“That always comes back to me and it reminds me not to do that. I have had experiences like that, of course, but it is almost like he talks to me and says ‘stay focused and keep it together’.”

The race under the floodlights of the Marina Bay circuit had been billed as a mustwin for Vettel given that this twisty, slow-speed track suited his Ferrari car.

Had he won and Hamilton finished where he started – a scenario which seemed probable given Mercedes’ shortage of pace in qualifying – the German would have led the title race by 12 points. A 40-point swing in the opposite direction now leaves Hamilton as the overwhelming favourite to claim his fourth world championship title.

“It was the perfect result given we’re at a circuit where Ferrari and Red Bull are in another world, but the conditions were fortunate, fell into our direction, and we capitalised on it. God blessed me today for sure,” added Hamilton.