There are cases in Formula 1 where the driver defines the team. Mercedes has Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari has Michael Schumacher and McLaren has Ayrton Senna. Senna’s six glorious years with the team was a historic time in the sport and nothing short of remarkable. Additionally, Senna took Bruce McLaren’s legacy to new heights. But having both legends around the table would make for an interesting conversation over dinner.
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But that is the wish of Amanda McLaren, Bruce McLaren’s daughter. The team recently tweeted: “You can invite 2 former or current McLaren drivers for dinner. Who are you inviting and why?”
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Amanda’s answer was simple. “Father and Ayrton.”
The two icons of the sport have made a name for themselves in the sport. From the debut of the M2B in Monaco, to Senna’s four championships, to the longest-running team in F1, second only to Ferrari. McLaren’s legacy weighs heavily on the success of these two.
Throwback to Ayrton Senna and Bruce McLaren
The history of McLaren begins with its name. Bruce McLaren’s versatile skills as an engineer, analyst, manager and most importantly as a racer produced the team we know today. McLaren’s futuristic aerodynamic thinking saw its origins as a designer.
McLaren debuted its first chassis, the M2B, at the 1966 Monaco GP, a race that only lasted nine laps due to an oil leak. However, McLaren spent over two years shaping its car and in 1968 the papaya was born. Switched to the iconic orange livery, the M7A, B and C were great aerodynamic experiments that led to a first win at the 1968 Belgian GP.
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With that, Bruce laid the foundation for greatness. 20 years later, Ayrton Senna stepped onto the McLaren pedal and kept it up for six memorable seasons. A match made in heaven, Senna won eight races in his first season for the team and won the first of four drivers’ titles.
A portrait of Ayrton Senna of Brazil, driver of the #1 Honda Marlboro McLaren McLaren MP4/7A Honda V12 during tire testing for the British Grand Prix on July 7, 1992 at the Silverstone Circuit in Towcester, Britain. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Allsport/Getty Images)
Senna took his McLaren to utter transcendence, with one of his best seasons shining through in his final campaign with the team. Putting his heart and soul into the car, Senna is synonymous with the McLaren name.
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Two racers who drove with relentless ambition; Seeing them on the racetrack rather than on the dinner table is an unfortunate parallel in our reality that we never get to experience.
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