Brazilian F1 legend snubs Lewis Hamilton while naming his top 5 drivers for the Monaco GP ‘Mount Rushmore’
Emerson Fittipaldi believes Lewis Hamilton does not belong in the top-5 list of the Monaco GP winners.
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Only a few days are left for the historic Monaco Grand Prix, and the racers have already arrived at the Principality for the weekend’s events. As Monaco is home to several celebrities and former as well as current F1 racers too, the Circuit dé Monaco is expected to host numerous stars during the race this year. Thus, everyone is looking forward to the street-race showdown in Charles Leclerc‘s home ground, and Emerson Fittipaldi, the two-time Formula One World Champion from Brazil, is also excited about it.
Speaking to VegasInsider, Fittipaldi admitted what draws him to the Monaco Grand Prix every time and why he thinks it is one of the best races on the F1 calendar, saying, “I think it is difficult to supersede Monaco because it has the charm and glamour of the marina, the yachts.” The Monaco GP has been running since 1950, and amongst the 68 Monegasque races that have been held till date, Ayrton Senna has won 6 of them, followed by other F1 heavyweights of the past like Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher.
Among the more recent names who have attained some formidable results at the Monaco GP, Lewis Hamilton deserves special mention. The Briton has amassed the highest score in Monaco among all F1 racers in the history of the sport, according to the modern scoring system that is currently followed. Yet, when Fittipaldi was asked to name his top 5 racers for the ‘Monaco Mt. Rushmore’, the Brazilian left Lewis out of the list, and picked Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Nikki Lauda and Michael Schumacher for the honor.
Emerson Fittipaldi recollects Ayrton Senna’s days of prowess in Monaco, claims ‘it was his style’
The Monaco Grand Prix has been home to arguably the most celebrated race wins in the history of Formula 1, and Lewis Hamilton himself has snatched three of those victories. Thus, Lewis is in the same rank as Sir Jackie Stewart, Stirling Moss, and Nico Rosberg, when it comes to the total number of race wins by a single F1 driver at the Principality. Yet, while naming his Monaco Top-5, Emerson Fittipaldi left out Hamilton but included Jackie Stewart in the run.
When asked about the racers he would like to see on the ‘Monaco Mt. Rushmore’ Fittipaldi said, “It’s difficult after so many years of racing in Monaco, but for sure Ayrton [Senna]. He won so many times [six]. Monaco was his style. I’d say another one who was very impressive was Graham Hill. He won the GP five times. In my time, who I raced with, it was impressive to see Jackie Stewart drive in Monaco. For sure. Niki [Lauda] was very good in Monaco too.”
For the fifth and the last spot on his ‘Mt. Rushmore’, Emerson Fittipaldi included a more recent name, saying, “Then of course, the [Michael] Schumacher era. He was very good. He won five times there. Very impressive.“
While Emerson Fittipaldi proudly picked fellow Brazilian Ayrton Senna’s name among his Monaco Top-5, he left out Lewis Hamilton, who is Senna’s biggest follower and an honorary Brazilian citizen himself. But Lewis will have another chance this year to surpass Jackie Stewart’s total of three race wins in Monaco, and with the new Mercedes upgrades in store, fans expect some good performance from the Silver Arrows.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)