Return to the ‘Lap of the Gods’: Bruno Senna pays tribute to his uncle Ayrton Senna’s iconic opening lap of the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park with a McLaren Senna

29 May 2024

• Ayrton Senna’s drive to victory at the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park circuit in Leicestershire, UK, is famed for his ‘Lap of the Gods’ at the beginning of the race, a lap that is regarded as one of the greatest moments in Formula 1 history
• Thirty years on, Bruno Senna, nephew of Ayrton, drives a McLaren Senna hypercar at Donington Park, in tribute to one of Formula 1’s greatest performances
• Not only was the opening lap spectacular, Senna’s race victory was dominant, and the 1:18.029 lap record that Ayrton Senna set remains the fastest Formula 1 race time at the Leicestershire, UK, circuit
• Now more Senna names enter the Donington history books, with Bruno setting a lap record for a production road car in the McLaren Senna on the ‘GP’ circuit
• Produced in limited numbers in 2018 – 2019, the McLaren Senna is the most extreme road-going McLaren ever and the most track-oriented McLaren Ultimate car
• See Bruno Senna on track at Donington here

The Senna name has returned to Donington Park as one of a series of McLaren milestone moments commemorating Ayrton Senna’s legacy, 30 years after the legendary Formula 1 driver’s final race in May 1994.

Reflecting on Ayrton Senna’s incredible performance at the 1993 European Grand Prix at the Leicestershire, UK, circuit, Ayrton’s nephew Bruno Senna took to the track in a McLaren Senna hypercar in tribute to his uncle’s epic drive.

Held on 11 April 1993, the Donington Park race is forever memorable not only as the scene of one of Ayrton Senna’s most accomplished race victories, but also what is widely regarded as one of the greatest laps in Formula 1 history.

Driving the McLaren MP4/8 in the increasingly wet conditions that his reputation as a special driver was forged in, Ayrton Senna drove from fifth to first position on the opening lap. Recovering from a poor getaway off the line with exceptional talent and trademark Senna instinctive driving skills, the Brazilian driver went off the conventional racing line in places to pass existing and future world champions in incredible style with individual passes at different parts of the 2.5-mile circuit. This accomplishment, one of Senna’s most imperious performances, has become known as the ‘Lap of the Gods’.

This iconic first tour around the circuit was the beginning of a dominant performance in the race that saw Senna win by more than 1 minute and 23 seconds, lapping all but the second^–placed driver to record the largest margin of victory he achieved in his Formula 1 career.

The race’s lore among fans of Formula 1 and Ayrton Senna also extends to the unconventional winner’s trophy*, which was lifted by the victorious and jubilant Senna on the podium.

The Donington Park race was the exact kind of performance that cemented Ayrton Senna’s legacy as a driver with remarkable abilities who could extend beyond the best of the competition, through total commitment to extract the maximum from his talent and car again and again – an ethos that McLaren remains inspired by three decades later.

Honouring the famous display, Bruno Senna took to the track in the McLaren hypercar that bears the Senna name and channels this complete dedication to on-track performance: the McLaren Senna.

The McLaren Senna is the most extreme road-going McLaren ever built and the most track-oriented of the McLaren Ultimate cars. It stands out not only for its incredible level of performance, but for its ability to create an innate connection between car and driver, wholly appropriate in a car inspired by Ayrton Senna’s driving style.

“Ayrton, on that first lap at Donington Park in 1993, was on another planet, in another dimension to all these different elite drivers. It was an incredible achievement to put on such a drive in such difficult, tricky conditions and against more competitive cars. For me, it’s one of those races that you cannot forget, like Portugal 1985 and Brazil 1991.

“Donington is one of the fun tracks and of course the weather can play a part here, but today was quite different to the 1993 race! In a high downforce, super-lightweight car like the McLaren Senna you can really feel the amazing flow and change of elevation – and of course the speed!

“The McLaren and Senna names are intertwined so, so strongly. Having this work together to bring the McLaren Senna out, a car that definitely would have made Ayrton extremely proud, is a great achievement.”
Bruno Senna, nephew of Ayrton Senna and former Formula 1 driver

With a lightest dry weight of 1,198kg, enabled by its carbon fibre Monocage III chassis and body panels, in combination with the 800PS power output from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, the McLaren Senna has a power-to-weight ratio of an astonishing 668PS-per-tonne (659bhp). The extreme aerodynamic package of McLaren’s most track-orientated Ultimate car includes active elements front and rear, capable of generating up to 800kg of downforce, while motorsport-derived brakes provide unprecedented stopping power: braking from 200km/h (124mph) to standstill is achieved in just 100 metres.

With Ayrton Senna’s epic lap in mind, while creating the tribute film, which can be seen here,

Bruno echoed his uncle’s exploits, taking the McLaren Senna around the circuit in 1m30.5s to set a new unofficial lap record for a road-going production car on the same Donington Park Grand Prix configuration at which Ayrton was famously victorious.

“Ayrton was a master of displays of incredible performance created through sheer dedication to his craft, always seeking perfection. This tenacious drive for only the best made him a perfect fit for McLaren, where this ethos endures in everything we do on road and on track. To create a new piece of history linking Senna to Donington, with his nephew Bruno in the car named after and inspired by Ayrton’s legacy, is a special moment.”
Michael Leiters, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Automotive

McLaren enthusiasts and fans wanting to know more about the McLaren Senna, which was also available in GTR and GTR LM versions, can find information at https://cars.mclaren.com/gb-en/ultimate-series/mclaren-senna.

Ends

Notes to editors:
*In a widely captured moment, Ayrton Senna was handed a promotional trophy depicting video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the star creations of entertainment company SEGA, which sponsored the 1993 race. McLaren retains this trophy to this day.

A selection of high-resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars.mclaren.press

About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a producer of ultra high-performance, lightweight supercars. Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.

Headquartered at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, Surrey, England, McLaren Automotive is driven by the challenge of creating the world’s most exhilarating, engaging and benchmark setting vehicles. Leveraging the McLaren name’s 60-year history of authentic, racing performance, it has delivered some of the most spectacular supercars ever made.

The company’s product portfolio of GTS, supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed in over 40 markets around the world. Its cars are assembled by hand at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC), based on the same campus as MTC in Woking.

McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis technology into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.

Then in 1993 it designed and built the legendary McLaren F1 road car. Built around a carbon fibre chassis, it established McLaren’s supercar DNA, realised for the 21^st century in 2011 with the introduction of the McLaren 12C – McLaren Automotive’s first production car.

McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™, in 2013. Launching the Ultimate Series of vehicles, P1™ was followed by the McLaren Senna in 2018 and its track-only GTR derivative followed a year later. 2019 also saw the introduction of the Speedtail hybrid hyper-GT. Its most recent Ultimate model, Elva, is the lightest McLaren road car ever.

McLaren’s LT models represent the ultimate expression of track performance in series production supercars. The name stems from the ‘Longtail’ version of the F1 GTR, introduced in 1997, and was incorporated into McLaren Automotive nomenclature in 2015 with the arrival of the McLaren 650S-based 675LT coupe and Spider. In 2018, the LT legend continued with the McLaren 570S-based 600LT. The latest chapter in the LT story was written in 2020 and 2021, with the introduction of the 765LT coupe and Spider.

Also in 2021, the company unveiled its all-new high-performance hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura. The Artura is the first McLaren to benefit from the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA). The MCLA is designed, developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region of England using world-first processes and will spearhead the brand’s electrified future.

2022 saw McLaren announce the Solus GT, a single-seat, closed-cockpit track car which brought to life a futuristic concept that was originally created for virtual gaming.

In 2023, McLaren unveiled its lightest and most powerful series-production supercar, the 750S – a thorough development of the award-winning 720S supercar. McLaren also introduced the new GTS, replacing the McLaren GT.

The McLaren Artura Spider was revealed in early 2024 as the brand’s first high-performance hybrid convertible. Its introduction was part of a major model year uplift for the Artura nameplate, and meant McLaren’s series-production line-up of GTS, new Artura and 750S had been introduced within 12 months of each other.

McLaren Automotive also chooses to partner with like-minded, world-leading companies and organisations who push the boundaries in their respective fields. These include Ashurst, Bowers & Wilkins, Dynisma, Gulf, Monroe, Pirelli, Plan International, Richard Mille and Tumi.

About McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in high-performance supercar production and elite motorsports.

Founded in 1963 by racer, engineer and entrepreneur Bruce McLaren, the Group is formed of McLaren Automotive, which hand-builds lightweight supercars and races them in global series, including the World Endurance Championship; and a majority stake in McLaren Racing which competes in the Formula 1 World Championship, INDYCAR series, Formula E, Extreme E and F1 Academy.

The Group is globally headquartered at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England.

With a reputation for innovation and technological excellence, McLaren is one of the UK’s largest independent companies.

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