Lewis Hamilton credits late Ayrton Senna for guiding him to victory

A jubilant Lewis Hamilton has explained how the late Ayrton Senna helped him to an emphatic Singapore GP victory in the rain on Sunday.

Hamilton has long heralded Senna as his Formula 1 idol and says he had the Brazilian’s 1988 Monaco GP crash in his mind as he remarkably led Sunday’s Marina Bay race through every lap despite starting fifth.

“Every now and then Senna pops into my mind,” Hamilton explained. “It was the Monaco Grand Prix where he was in the lead and he hit the wall. That always comes into my mind, and it reminds me not to do that.

“I have had experiences like that. It is almost like he talks to me and tells me to stay focused and says keep it together.”

But Hamilton also admits he was incredibly fortunate after an extraordinary sequence of events at the night race.

The Briton, who now leads the Drivers’ Championship by 28 points with six rounds to go, said he needed “a miracle” after qualifying on the third row and claims he got just that when the heavens opened before lights out.

Hamilton has only ever been defeated in one wet-weather race since 2014, and has won his last eight rain-affected Grands Prix.

“We were all starting from scratch and on a level playing field,” the Briton added. “And if anyone is going to find the grip faster than the other, I truly believe I can do that.”

Hamilton went on to comfortably keep Daniel Ricciardo at bay, but was also helped by Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen’s and Kimi Raikkonen’s dramatic start-line crash – a potentially definitive moment in the title race.

If all drivers finished where they had qualified, Hamilton would have been staring at a 12-point deficit to Vettel – instead he was blessed with a 40-point swing as Ferrari self-destructed under the lights.

“In the morning we were talking about damage limitation as we know that Singapore is our Achilles heel – and then we leave Singapore with first and third!” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told the official F1 website.

“So from our perspective it is a fantastic result. But when something like this happens you kind of feel for Ferrari. I have been in the situation of losing both cars – I know how bitter this is.

“But then we are not here to take prisoners. So once Lewis was in the lead it was all about delivering the best possible result.”

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