Lewis Hamilton dedicated pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix to actor Chadwick Boseman, who passed away at age 43 on Friday night.
Hamilton, the only Black F1 driver in history, was in a league of his own at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, finishing 0.5s clear of the next nearest car, Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
While driving back to the pits, Hamilton paid tribute to Boseman.
“That one’s for Chadwick Boseman, man,” he said. “Rest in peace.”
Climbing out of the car, Hamilton did the Wakanda salute Boseman made famous as the title character in “Black Panther.”
Speaking after the session, Hamilton said the news had deeply affected him on Saturday morning and had left him determined to finish the session at the front.
“It’s a really important pole for me because I woke up to the saddest news of Chadwick passing away,” he said. “It’s such a heavy year for all of us and that news just really, really broke me.
“It was really not easy to get back into focus today with that hanging on my heart, but I was like ‘I’ve got to go out there and drive to perfection’ because what he’s done for our people and what he’s done for the superhero shows all these young kids that it’s possible.
“He was such a shining light. Wakanda forever.”
Hamilton had also paid tribute to the actor with a post to Instagram on Saturday morning, sharing a photo of the actor with the caption: “I woke up today to the sad news, our super hero passed away. I’m so grateful I got to meet you brother. Thank you for all you have done for us. Rest in Power, you were the best of us and will never be forgotten. Love, light and prayers I send to you and your family.”