On October 20, 1991, Ayrton Senna won his third Formula One world championship with McLaren. Almost 30 years since then, the Brazilian racing legend’s MP4/6 McLaren returned to a racetrack. While the return didn’t take place at an F1 track, it returned to the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex, UK.
Ayrton’s nephew, Bruno Senna had the honor of bringing the iconic championship-winning car back to life.
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Nephew Bruno brings back the MP4/6 driven by Ayrton Senna
Bruno competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Rebellion Racing, finishing third last year. He raced for HRT, Renault and Williams for one full season each in F1 in a three-year career from 2010 to 2012.
Last year, the 78th Goodwood Members’ Meeting was to take place. However, COVID-19 saw the meeting postponed to this year, with the meeting taking place over this past weekend. Amidst the race cars which graced the Goodwood Motor Circuit, Bruno took to the track with his uncle’s last championship-winning car.
The 38-year-old completed a few unrestricted laps of the track. With its Honda V12 engine producing sounds which fill the sport’s oldest fans with joy, he gracefully handled the car despite its technology being far behind today’s race cars.
After his final lap, Bruno waved to the fans at Goodwood, who showed their appreciation by applauding him for his drive.
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Senna won the 1991 world championship by 24 points
The Brazilian entered the 1991 F1 season on the back of two impressive title-winning seasons in 1988 and 1990. He faced stiff competition from Williams’ Nigel Mansell, who remained in contention until the second last race of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix.
Heading into Suzuka that year, Mansell needed a victory to take the championship to the last race in Australia. However, McLaren produced an impressive 1-2 result in qualifying, with Senna’s teammate Gerhard Berger taking pole and Mansell qualifying third.
Although he tried putting pressure early on, he failed to finish the race due to issues with his brakes. This handed Senna his third world title, and the last of his glorious career.
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