When McLaren launched some new merchandise to commemorate Ayrton Senna, the internet was curious, could they go for the iconic red and white or will they go for something more connected to the man himself?
Feature Image: McLaren Racing
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Senna’s Iconic Helmut design will return to the Streets of Monaco
Throughout his career Ayrton Senna wore a distinctive yellow helmet with green and blue stripes, the helmet was designed by Sid Mosca, a well respected artist that had worked with Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet. In an interview that is detailed on senna.com, Sid’s son Alan discussed the iconic design:
Ayrton came here like any other kid, back in his go-kart days. Obviously, we already knew he was a different driver – he was bolder, he was always after better results. And he was already famous in the go-kart world. In 1978, he went to fight for the Go-Kart World Title, and the Brazilian team had four drivers. Two of them stood out: Ayrton and Mário Sérgio de Carvalho. We had to paint all four helmets in four or five days. And Mr. Mário, who was Mario’s father and the owner of the go-kart factory, brought us the helmets saying: “Each country must have its colors on the helmets”. They could all be just one color, but they should follow a pattern. As my father used to say, the helmet’s colors are a driver’s face. Many drivers are better known with their helmets on. That was our focus; that became our main goal: to make each driver identifiable on the track thanks to their helmet’s painting. And my father was able to achieve that. We were more focused on Ayrton, since he was the driver who was better positioned to represent Brazil. ‘Let’s make it like the stripes are coming out of his eyes’. Sid already knew Ayrton, by then. My father had amazing instincts when it came to painting. It’s not like he was psychic, or anything, but he had that feeling. And he was crazy about Ayrton
Alan Mosca discusses how his father Sid came up with the iconic Ayrton Senna helmet design
Who was Ayrton Senna?
Senna would win Three Drivers Championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The Brazilian would draw the attention of a few teams back in 1983, drawing the attention of Williams, McLaren and Brabham, none of the three teams would offer Senna a seat for the following season.
This would mean that Ayrton would head to a small team called Toleman.
Toleman had never finished higher than third, until Senna took an impressive second at the 1984 Monaco GP, a race that he could have won if it wasn’t for the red-flag due to the weather.
Ayrton would continue to impress and then head to Lotus before heading to McLaren, where he would win all three of his Drivers Championships winning 35 of his 41 victories and cementing his iconic status within F1 and the wider motorsport community
He would move to Williams for the 1994 season, which would start in underwhelming fashion, failing to score any points in the first races of the season, unfortunately Ayrton would lose his life at the 1994 San Marino GP to the shock to the world of motorsport and the people of his native Brazil.
McLaren’s Tribute
McLaren launched their tribute to Ayrton Senna, named “McLaren Senna” to pay tribute to the Brazilian and his impact on F1 and McLaren. Monaco is also an indelible part of Ayrton’s legacy, with 6 wins around the streets of Monaco including five consecutive wins between 1989 and 1993.
Both Drivers, Lando and Oscar will wear bespoke overalls for the weekend to compliment the livery.
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.
“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.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing