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FormulaNerds enjoyed unrivalled access at the Silverstone Festival, learning the secrets behind the spectacular Ayrton Senna tribute.Â?
The Silverstone Festival is one of the highlights of the British motorsport calendar. This year, the flagship event’s theme was one of its most iconic: celebrating the life and achievements of the incomparable Ayrton Senna. Thirty years afterÂ?his death at Imola, his legacy resonates with fans and paddock insiders alike.
The weekend featured a tribute to the Brazilian, with his most iconic cars on display, sourced for a truly staggering exhibition. But, not for the first time in 2024, the weather impacted proceedings on day one.
The Senna cars chosen for the run were due to be in their awnings in the international paddock when gates opened on Friday. However, heavy winds forced them to stay in the garage, but this had an unexpected outcome.
All of Senna’s cars curated for the tribute were on display in open view. This was a treasure trove for any F1 fan, and seeing these icons of history up close is a privilege. One could feel the history and achievement of these cars, driven by one of F1’s greatest drivers. Fans could see Senna’s entire career in this room, from karts to his legendary F1 cars.
The collection featured his first F1 car, the 1984 Toleman TG183B-05, the iconic 1988 McLaren MP4/4, the 1985 Lotus 97T, and his final title-winning car, the 1991 McLaren MP4/6.Â?
All six of the tribute cars on display have a unique story behind them. The MP4/6 debuted a semi-automatic gearbox at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Lotus is the car in which Senna demolished the field in Monaco, lapping all other cars.
The Ford Sierra Cosworth and Honda NSX are lesser-known pieces of Senna history to F1 fans. These cars from the 1980s have a unique part in Senna’s story. The 1985 Ford is one of six prototypes created. It was driven by Senna on a special Welsh rally stage in 1986. The NSX on display was driven by Ayrton as part of his work to refine the chassis ahead of launch.
Bruno Senna describes the collection
We spoke to Bruno and his sister Lallali in garage one on Saturday, thanks again to a sudden deluge forcing us to move indoors. The view around us was spectacular. Seven of Ayrton’s cars graced the garage in a stunning display that left all media and the Senna’s stunned.
Ahead of his eventually abandoned run thanks to the weather, Bruno gave an insight into his emotions and seeing these icons of history together in one place:
“It’s always a great time to be at Silverstone even when the weather is being very Silverstone like. It’s fun, and to see so many of his cars here being being enjoyed by so many people.
“I think also not only race cars, you have like some motorbikes and some rally cars, and some road cars. So it goes to to show that everything was a lot bigger than just racing definitely.
“Seeing them all together, brings back so many memories as well. It’s a real experience to see. I see some McLarens together when I go to McLaren as I work with them, but seeing like a mix of cars together, it’s a real, special occasion,Â? and we’re super thankful for Silverstone to put this amazing tribute together”
On the fans and Ayrton himself
We were not alone in garage one. At the edge of the cars, a crowd of people were waiting behind the barriers to speak to the nephew of the legendary three-time world champion. We asked Bruno what it meant to see the fans’ continued engagement with Ayrton’s legacy and to see his iconic cars once again take to a track he had so much success on.:
“Well, first of all, Seeing a lot of young kids here, you know?Â? A lot of young people and especially kids had never even got to see anything about Ayrton.
“And so the fact that their parents are still pushing and teaching their kids about about Ayrton is absolutely incredible and, they are helping us keep keep the memory alive.
“So for us, it’s whenever I go to these events, not only here, but in many places, this really sort of takes me by a bit, not surprised but you know, makes me emotional because it’s an amazing. That Ayrton was able to touch people in this way, where they keep his memory so close to themselves is not only like a sports person but it’s someone that is part of their life. So incredible really.”
It is the nature of Ayrton’s ability to touch all those who knew him or hear his story that makes it near impossible to describe the three time world champion in one word. We asked Bruno what he believed his special quality was. His answer revealed just how unique and one-of-a-kind individual Ayrton was in global sport:
“I think, one thing that I hadn’t had that maybe set him apart a little bit apart from his amazing talent. He was just an amazing human being, you know, he was someone that had so many complexities. He was able to be ruthless and extremely kind at the same time.
“It’s a mix of traits. That is very rare in anyone and he was able to spread this message of being kind and being honest and humble throughout his career.
“Normally, an athlete has to be completely ruthless. Otherwise, he cannot succeed, and he was able to succeed being being a kind person. So, maybe it’s a good message for the world.”
An emotional demo run
The weather improved dramatically for Sunday, allowing two Senna cars to take to the track. Fans were treated to seeing the Toleman and Lotus once again power around Silverstone.
Both cars now sat in the open for the public to inspect and marvel at. As is often the case, classic F1 cars prove to attract equal interest as the current ones.
Both fired into life, the engine revs being felt four floors up from the garage in the media centre. Those involved in putting together this incredible display made their way to the pit wall to capture the historic moment as both blasted past the pits a minute later.
After three laps, the demo ended, and the cars returned to the pits. With that, the Senna tribute was complete. Ayrton Senna’s legacy and enduring story continue to fascinate. We must never forget the talent of Ayrton Senna nor his impact on motorsport, even thirty years later.
Feature Image Credit: FormulaNerds via James Phillips