Sebastian Vettel struggled with his emotions after a touching tribute to his idol Ayrton Senna before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Former Formula 1 racer Vettel has led the tributes to Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola this weekend, 30 years on from their deaths at the famous Italian track. On Thursday, he led current drivers on a run around the circuit, stopping at Senna's memorial for a moment of silence.
And on Sunday, just before the race, he drove Senna's McLaren MP4/8, which he now owns, around the track. He held a Brazilian flag out of the cockpit as he did so and, after climbing out, held that in one hand and the Austrian flag in the other.
Speaking afterwards to media, including Mirror Sport , the four-time F1 champion was clearly emotional as he described how it had felt. He said: "It's difficult to put into words. It was one of the strongest emotions I've felt behind the wheel, despite being alone on track and not even racing.
"But it was incredible. When I got the flags out, the people... it was so powerful. We had two very strong and emotional moments on Thursday hen we ran the track and another one today. It's overwhelming and I'm happy that I had the courage to address my idea and come forward and invite the Senna family into the idea as well. I only got positive feedback from them and it felt like the right thing to do.
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"Ayrton is a driver who will be remembered but we need to make sure we actively do so, and that weekend also Roland lost his life. Two drivers who were sort of colleagues of mine, but I never had the chance to meet them. It means so much more than just racing."
Naturally, Vettel also faced questions about his future. He retired at the end of 2022 but admitted only weeks ago that a comeback is not out of the question - but insisted on Sunday that a return to full-time driving in F1 is not something to which he is currently giving serious consideration.
The 36-year-old added: "I miss great parts of it. I think it's been wonderful today to be on track and cheered on. A tiny bit for myself, but that was really for Ayrton and Roland. I was very privileged to have had the career and the life that I had, the support. But I don't wake up in the mornings missing those moments on the podium when people shout your name.
"I think I'm quite realistic about life and trying to take on new challenges. I'm content and there are a lot of things that I miss, but a lot of things that I don't miss. It's always a give and take. Formula 1 these days is very intense, if you look at the schedule the amount of races is not just something you feel as a driver - I think you're probably at the luckier en.
"But mechanics, engineers working in the Formula 1 paddock, you guys [the media] as well. It was a tough call when I made it but, yeah, I was thinking about coming back and I know beforehand that I would. But in the end nothing has changed so I'm still very happy with my decision."
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