Lewis Hamilton announces 'Ferrari first' for Brazilian GP

Lewis Hamilton has revealed the special nature of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix for him as a Ferrari F1 driver.

Hamilton is a three-time Brazilian GP winner, and has endeared himself into the hearts of the Brazilian crowd over the years, regularly sporting helmet designs in tribute to Brazilian motorsport legend Ayrton Senna.

Senna was a three-time world champion of the sport, but sadly passed away aged just 34 after a tragic incident at the 1994 San Marino GP.

Hamilton has regularly described Senna as his hero growing up, and he is still inspired by the great man's legacy.

It has allowed Brazilian crowds to feel a further connection to the seven-time world champion, and Hamilton even became an honorary citizen of Brazil back in 2022.

Now, Hamilton has opened up about his excitement of racing the Interlagos track in a Ferrari for the first time, claiming that he always wondered about Senna moving to Ferrari having achieved so much success with Lotus and McLaren.

"It's a strange feeling, because I remember growing up watching Ayrton and, like everyone else, I always wondered what it would be like if Ayrton was in a Ferrari," Hamilton told GQ Brazil.

"And now, for the first time, you're going to see a helmet with the Brazilian flag rolling around Sao Paulo in a Ferrari."

Hamilton's Brazilian GP legacy

Hamilton's relationship with the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace actually got off to a bad start, when the Brit was plagued by gearbox issues in the 2007 event and therefore ended up losing the championship by a single point that weekend to Kimi Raikkonen.

Then, in 2008, Hamilton claimed revenge with a last lap overtake on Timo Glock which handed him his maiden world title. But, it was at the expense of Brazilian home hero Felipe Massa, who lost that championship by a single point.

Since then, however, Hamilton's bond with Brazilian F1 fans has only grown stronger, and he won the event three times during his dominant spell at Mercedes.

He returns to the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in the red of Ferrari for the first time, the team with whom Massa used to race.

READ MORE: Hamilton branded Ferrari failure in team relationship criticism

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