Last week, the Formula 1 world paused to remember Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, who tragically lost their lives during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the historic Imola circuit.
The tributes for Senna will continue this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix, a track where Senna delivered some of his most memorable performances. One such team that will be honoring the legend? McLaren, who unveiled a custom paint scheme for the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix on Tuesday.
Dubbed “McLaren SENNA,” the custom paint scheme incorporates green, blue, and yellow — colors on the Brazilian flag which were featured on Senna’s trademark helmet — and will be on the MCL38 this weekend.
The team shared images of the paint scheme on social media Tuesday:
McLaren also shared this quick video clip, featuring not only Senna’s trademark helmet, but also some of his own McLaren paint schemes over the years:
In the announcement McLaren CEO Zak Brown called it an “honor” to race for Senna this weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix.
“The team is proud to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary life and racing legacy of Ayrton Senna through this McLaren livery. Senna remains revered and respected as Formula 1’s greatest icon, and McLaren’s most decorated driver. His impact on McLaren is enormous, not only through his racing record but also presence within the team, and now his legacy, so it’s an honour to race for him at his most successful circuit in his green, yellow and blue colours,” said Brown.
“It’s great to collaborate on the “McLaren SENNA presented by OKX” campaign with Senna Brand, in partnership with Official Presenting Partner OKX and alongside our colleagues in McLaren Automotive. With it being the thirtieth anniversary of his passing, the team are choosing to recognise and celebrate his life at one of his favourite and most successful places to race, Monaco. We look forward to racing in this vibrant and beautiful livery this weekend.”
Bianca Senna, Ayrton’s niece and the head of Senna Global, called the custom paint scheme “fantastic way to celebrate his life and legacy,” of the legendary racer.
“It’s an honour to recognise Ayrton through these liveries in collaboration with both McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate his life and legacy through his iconic colours on both cars,” said Senna. “McLaren meant a lot to him, and together they achieved a lot of success, much of which he is still remembered for today by so many. It will be special to see it race the streets of Monaco, a circuit which gave him so much joy and many triumphs.”
Michael Leiters, the CEO of McLaren Automotive, hailed Senna’s legacy in a media statement.
“Ayrton Senna was born to race, and his passion for performance and perfection lives on at McLaren. The McLaren Senna bears his name and embodies his spirit – it is the ultimate road-going McLaren for focused track performance, and this masterfully detailed inspiration captures Ayrton’s infectious energy,” said Leiters. “Our collaboration with McLaren Racing to honour the Senna racing legacy 30 years on is a shared celebration of Ayrton’s unique racing abilities, and the Monaco street circuit he made his own is the perfect place to reflect on his incredible achievements.”
