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lewis idolized senna growing up and sebastian idolized schumacher. this we can take as a given. they both talk about it all the time. but i think how that manifests for them both is so interesting.

lewis never met senna; senna died when he was nine years old. lewis has talked about being "in love with ayrton," and then this person he has imprinted on is taken away. so what do you do with all that powerful emotion?

Now those whose love we wanted but didn't get, we emulate them. That's the only way we have, in our power, to get the closeness and love that we needed and desired. - Bruce Springsteen

the year after senna dies, 10-year-old lewis walks up to the man running the team senna won his championships with and says "i want to drive your cars." when he talks about rivalries, he projects himself and his competitors into memories he has of senna racing wheel-to-wheel with mansell and prost. when he matches senna's record for pole positions, he is given one of senna's helmets by the senna family, and he says, "When I was on top of the car, I was kind of hugging [the helmet], because it's the closest I can get to Ayrton." senna secretly donated millions to help brazilian children and focus on education; lewis both becomes an ambassador for the foundation the senna family started but starts his own foundations focused on kids and education.

and then we have sebastian and schumacher.

it's the opposite—for a while. not only does seb get to meet his hero, he actually gets to race against him. then he gets to race WITH him. the german press call him baby schumi. schumacher talks about how proud he is of sebastian; he lets him by in brazil 2012 to help ensure that seb wins his third title. sebastian has that closeness. until he doesn't.

and unlike lewis, sebastian screams from the rooftops at every possible opportunity that he doesn't want to emulate schumacher. he doesn't want to take his place. he doesn't want to break his records. he doesn't want to be a father figure to mick. he thinks he'll be forgotten; he wants michael to be remembered.

but...less than a year after schumacher's accident, sebastian announces that he's going to ferrari. that he wants to help lead that team out of the wilderness and back to a championship. when mick joins formula one, sebastian looks out for him. when his career begins to fade after an incredible series of championships, he sticks around on a midfield team anyway instead of going out on top. he prioritizes his family. sebastian doesn't want to be schumacher. but he remembers him.

Reporter: Between Lewis and Sebastian, you have seven World Driver’s titles—

Lewis: I was thinking that, yeah.

Reporter: —emulating Michael Schumacher. Question to both of you: do either of you ever see yourselves emulating Michael’s total? Or if not, do you think it’s just not possible anymore?

Sebastian: I mean, if we manage together, it’s a good thing already, matching Michael.

Lewis: I think for Sebastian—obviously, being from the same country, that will be for sure Sebastian’s, I would imagine, target. As for me, as I said, it was always to get to three that Ayrton had. Of course, he wasn’t from the same country as me, but he was the guy that inspired me as a youngster. So now I’m like, I don’t know what’s gonna come next. But there’s no one else that I look to that I want to equal or emulate now. I’m just gonna start—I said one race ago, I feel like I’ve got the baton now for myself and Ayrton, and I think I’m just gonna carry it as far as I can, as strong as I can, and keep building, and see where I take it.

Reporter: Sebastian?

Sebastian: Um—

Lewis: I’m gonna stop you from getting to it, don’t worry. [to press] Did you hear that?