Jonathan Noble: Online

Ayrton Senna, in his new role as McLaren consultant and ambassador, grabbed Lewis Hamilton's arm as he left the sanctuary of the team's motorhome to head to his car for the start of the British Grand Prix.

The Brazilian, still with very few grey hairs considering he is now just two years short of his 50th birthday, then leant over to Hamilton's ear and whispered into it two brief words: "Assentar cabeça."

After a difficult couple of weeks off track, sparked by his pitlane crash at the Canadian GP, Hamilton was well aware that things were getting tough for him, and the pressure was mounting. So he took on board Senna's choice of words; knew exactly what the message was. He patted Senna's arm, smiled and walked on...

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Jo Ramirez and Lewis Hamilton © XPB

The above scene is one we can only imagine, but for an observing Jo Ramirez at the British GP, it is one he would have loved to have witnessed. The former McLaren coordinator knew Senna well and, having watched Hamilton's progress closely, was delighted with what he saw on Sunday.

Ramirez was there at Silverstone, watching Hamilton from the McLaren pit garage and then standing there with the masses outside the team's motorhome (sorry, Brand Centre) as tunes blasted out on Sunday evening.

And it was particularly fitting getting some insight from Ramirez about what he thought of Hamilton's performance after a drive that some compared to Donington Park in 1993, when Senna had shone so much.

"There are quite a few similarities between Ayrton and him," smiles Ramirez. "I caught him this morning, before he went out, and I said: 'Be sensible, it is your weather!'

"And if Ayrton was our consultant or ambassador after racing, still involved with McLaren, he would say to Lewis: 'Assentar cabeça.' Which, in Portuguese, means keep your head up and don't make mistakes. Just concentrate.

"And Lewis did it. He was walking down to the drivers' parade and he grabbed my arm and gave a wink. It was nice. Especially since he had got so much bad press for things he did on the track and outside the track, and he needed to gain that back.

"But then you saw what he was doing on the drivers' parade, when he was the only one looking at the public - not just talking with the other drivers. He was thinking: That's my public. They pay to come and see me, so I will treat them well. That's good thinking!"

Ramirez openly predicted that Hamilton would cause a surprise before his sensational rookie season in 2007 - and equally admits now that it is no shock to see the young Briton have a few hiccups in his sophomore campaign.

"Last year he had no pressure. Nobody expected him to go better than the world champion, so he had no pressure and he did a fantastic job.

Lewis Hamilton © LAT

"Then, at the end of the year, when he had a world championship in his hands, the pressure came and he made mistakes.

"Now this year the pressure is there, and people are asking if he is going to deliver. He is not a nobody anymore. He showed that he can do it, but he is more prone to making mistakes.

"You see in history a lot of the top drivers have a very bad second year. They seem to struggle. But I think Lewis is very demanding with the team and demands perfection, like Ayrton used to do.

"He doesn't tolerate mistakes and he tolerates his own even less. But it's the mistakes that make you stronger."

That's why coming through the terrors of Montreal and Magny-Cours have made Hamilton a better driver and better man. He kept his head up, and answered his critics in the best possible way.

Senna would have been very proud.