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Ayrton Senna's family sent Lewis Hamilton an unbelievable gift ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix

What a moment this was for the three-time World Champion.
What a moment this was for the three-time World Champion.

Lewis Hamilton loves the Canadian Grand Prix, having won there no fewer than five times, but after finishing on pole for the 2017 race he has another very unique happy memory from the track.

Hamilton set a searing pace in qualifying which earned him the 65th pole position of his career, moving him level with three-time champion, the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna.

Senna, who is famously a hero of Hamilton’s, died in 1994 after a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix.And having equalled the Brazilian’s record for pole positions, the Senna family presented the Briton, who also has three world drivers’ championships, with one of Senna’s helmets from 1987.

While many thought the helmet was a race-worn one, it was actually a replica – Hamilton will be presented with the real thing at a later date.

Hamilton, who trails Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel this season, was clearly moved by the gesture.

“From a kid I was watching him from five years old,” said Hamilton. “It was a very emotional moment for me, because I grew up watching him, I grew up believing in him, as his country did.”

Lewis Hamilton holds the helmet of former Formula One driver Ayrton Senna
(Tyler Remiorz/AP)

Quite a moment for the 32-year-old, and an emotional one for fans of Formula One.