Lewis Hamilton’s fandom for Brazilian great Ayrton Senna is unmatched. We have heard him fanboying over the former champion in multiple interviews. He praised Senna in his autobiography and has worn helmets designed to pay him tribute. Imagine his excitement when he got to drive his idol’s first championship-winning car during his McLaren days.

McLaren’s MP4/4 remains one of the most legendary cars in F1’s history. Winning 15 races out of 16 in the 1988 season, the car sporting Honda’s turbocharged engine remains arguably the most dominant car ever made in F1. The MP4/4 produced 1,200 horsepower and had a 6-speed manual gearbox, making it even more fascinating.

The day Lewis Hamilton got to drive Ayrton Senna’s 1988 championship-winning car

Senna’s No. 1 fan Lewis Hamilton got the chance to take Ayrton Senna’s MP4/4 for a spin courtesy of Top Gear. Walking in towards the space where the car stood, Lewis looked like an excited little kid. And that is an understatement as he revealed how sleepless he was despite coming off of a GP.

In a snippet from Top Gear’s episode that has resurfaced on the internet, Lewis exclaimed, “I can’t believe it, oh Jesus!”. Jeremy Clarkson, the presenter asked him, “You just got back from Canadian GP this morning?” 

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Hamilton replied, “I couldn’t sleep. I just slept an hour or so on the flight. I couldn’t get to sleep.” To this, Jeremy asked him if it was because he was excited to drive Senna’s MP4/4.

The excited champion answered, “Yeah I just can’t imagine what it’s going to be like.”

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As the video progressed, we saw Hamilton go absolutely ballistic on the car, trying to extract every bit of performance he could. Making most of the opportunity, he drove an extra lap.

Ayrton Senna – the only person who could have left Lewis Hamilton star-struck

In his autobiography, Lewis Hamilton: My Story, Lewis revealed he had never been star-struck in his life. He admitted his reverence for boxing great Muhammad Ali. He also revealed how he respected Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard for what they had achieved.

However, he admitted, “maybe I would have been if I had met Ayrton Senna or if I were to meet Michael Jackson, say, I would be star-struck, but I honestly haven’t been star-struck yet.”

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Watching how excited he was to drive the Brazilian champion’s car, we know for sure Lewis would have been left with his jaw on the floor if he met him.