The nephew of Ayrton Senna says he’s amazed at how fanatical Australians are about the late Formula One legend.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the three-time world champion’s fatal crash during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Italy, in 1994.
And as part of celebrations, Senna’s 30-year-old nephew Bruno will head to Sydney next week to host a world-first tribute to his uncle at the Top Gear Festival.
The exhibition will include Senna’s 1988 McLaren MP4/4 – the last turbo F1 car to win a world championship before the engines were replaced by non-turbo V8s.
A former Formula One driver himself, Bruno has been Down Under several times, including for the 2010 and 2012 Australian grands prix.
“The first time I came to Australia back in 2006, I was absolutely amazed by the amount of supporters Ayrton had there and how passionate people were about Ayrton,” he told AAP on Thursday.
“I think since then, every time I go to Australia for racing, it’s just madness and I’m really fond of the fans there because of that.
“They are great fans for the racing itself, but (they’re) also super fond of Ayrton.”
No driver deaths have been recorded in F1 since Ayrton’s accident, thanks to a slew of safety innovations and new rules.
This season, which kicks off in Melbourne on March 16, will herald the introduction of some of the sport’s biggest ever technical regulation changes, including smaller 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines, aerodynamic modifications and a greater emphasis on energy recovery systems.
Senna said there are some aspects of the modern era he knows his uncle wouldn’t like.
“Ayrton was a huge purist in terms of motor racing. So even going from a manual gear change to a sequential gear box, he wasn’t particularly fond of it,” he said.
“I think this year, for sure, with the regulation changes, it’s part of the development of the world. We need to have the technologies be more a part of motor racing, and I think he’d never go against that.
“But probably DRS (drag reduction system) and things like this I don’t think he’d ever be particularly happy with because it just makes it more artificial.”
