But it also drove him to the worst of his lows.Think back to Japan 1990. This means we’ll be relying on good old percentages to see how they match up. Such airbrushed polish may not help Hamilton’s bid for sporting immortality.The Briton is aware that comparisons will be drawn with Senna now he has passed his hero, in one statistical aspect at least.“I am so proud to be in a position to emulate him,” said Lewis after the grand prix in Japan. Good luck arguing that one.Senna remains perhaps the most venerated driver in the history of the sport, the likes of Jarno Trulli, Rubens Barrichello, Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher rating him as the greatest racer of all time.Even now – approaching a third world championship – there aren’t many who yet talk about Hamilton in quite these terms. The first was in Spa in 1992, when Senna leapt out of his car in the middle of a practice session to help fellow driver Erik Comas, who had been knocked unconscious in an accident. The millennium was Schumacher’s. But why should those factors count against him in the public perception? The reality is that in this hypothetical race of ours – wheel to wheel, lap after lap on a track that exists only in our own heads – will only ever be a dream, albeit a rather compelling one.So Senna vs Hamilton. Senna’s teammates, meanwhile, won only 12 per cent of the races he featured in, claiming third or better just 31 per cent of the time.This suggests one of two things. Lewis Hamilton's Hair-Raising Lap, 2011 Monaco Grand Prix | F1 Classic Onboard - Duration: 1:55. Senna’s 65 poles include the infamous lap at Monaco in 1988, where the McLaren driver was an incredible 1.4 seconds faster than his teammate.“That day, I suddenly realised that I was no longer driving conscious, and I was in a different dimension for me,” said Senna. 2015 is Hammer Time.That takes some doing. I mean he was mortally hurt when Ratzenberger died the day before he died. A failing transmission meant the Brazilian had to finish the race in sixth gear alone, requiring an immense physical effort as Riccardo Patrese closed him down in the final laps of the race. Modern tracks. During his career, Hamilton’s teammates have taken the chequered flag 14 per cent of the time, and made 43 per cent of the available podiums. Looking at the points they scored over the course of their F1 careers, Senna managed 614 from a possible 1491, giving him a maximum conversion rate of 41%. To use an image and the name of Ayrton Senna, you need to have authorization from the Ayrton Senna Institute.Did you know that a monthly donation of only U$10 means teaching one child per year how to read and write in one of Ayrton Senna Institute’s educational programs. Even now – approaching a third world championship – there aren’t many who yet talk about Hamilton in quite these terms. You may not use this website as part of your business or commercial purpose.The name Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna da Silva, Senninha, Senna’s signature and logos are registred and copyrighted trademarks. He cared about people in Brazil, he cared about racing drivers. The Briton is aware that comparisons will be drawn with Senna now he has passed his hero, in one statistical aspect at least.“I am so proud to be in a position to emulate him,” said Lewis after the grand prix in Japan. And when it comes to F1, a new conjectural face-off is looming at the end of the pit lane. And so, seconds after lights out, the championship leader made sure of his rival’s retirement by ploughing into the back of him, putting both their lives at risk in the process.It would take the McLaren driver a year to admit that the move was deliberate.True, Lewis Hamilton has had his fair share of collisions during his time – as Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and several others will attest – but have any of them been the result of such blatant foul play?The 30-year-old has outgrown a certain recklessness of his early years, and it would be hard to imagine him running into Nico Rosberg on purpose to claim a championship The fact that Hamilton’s two world titles to date weren’t won so contentiously must surely count in his favour, though the devilish streak remains, for many, part of the complex Senna magic.The greatest racers, it seems, have the ability to shape their own storylines.It’s not mere victories that define the best drivers. And when it comes to F1, a new conjectural face-off is looming at the end of the pit lane.It’s not often an F1 driver passes a record held by the great Brazilian.
But it also drove him to the worst of his lows. Some victories are earned through careful preparation and faultless execution. The Eighties and Nineties belonged to Senna and Prost. You have no rights to use these images on any other website or in any publications without contacting the owner.All material presented here on this website is copyrighted and owned by their respective owners. “At the same time, though, I am also aware that if he had not passed away he would have continued and won so many more races and championships, because he was that good.“Now I am at the stage where I am getting to the levels he was at, it feels a little like a relay race - that I will be picking the baton up for him and carrying it for the both of us from now on.”Make of that what you will. Hamilton could win four, five, six world championships, but still never achieve the same feats of heroism as his idol in the eyes of those who are old enough remember both. Put simply, Senna outscored guys driving the same car more heavily than Hamilton has done to date.