Before the GP in Imola

Here Vettel drives Ayrton Senna’s last McLaren

Sebastian Vettel

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Thirty years after the death of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, Sebastian Vettel climbed into his last McLaren ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola as a tribute to the late F1 world champion from Brazil. But see for yourself - in the video below.

"Now it's my car, before it was his car. It's so emotional," said Vettel, after driving the white and red car with the inscription "Forever Senna" into the asphalt in smoky curls on the start-finish straight. Senna's nieces Bianca and Lalalli as well as Vettel's father Norbert shed tears. "It's an incredible moment. Remembering Ayrton and Roland (Ratzenbeger) is so emotional," admitted Vettel, who retired at the end of 2022.

Here is the video of his drive:

During his commemorative drive, Vettel waved to the tifosi in the stands and waved the flags of Brazil and Austria. After parking the collector's item in front of the grandstand, Vettel got down on his knees in front of the MP4/8 and bowed.

Roland Ratzenberger (l.) and Ayrton Senna

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Vettel had already managed to win over his former driver colleagues for a run around the 4.909-kilometer circuit on Thursday. Wearing commemorative T-shirts, they paused at the Tamburello corner, where three-time world champion Senna left the track in his Williams on May 1, 1994 and crashed into the wall at more than 200 km/h.

Vettel described that time as a "very dark and tragic weekend" in Formula 1 history. One day before Senna (34), Austrian Roland Ratzenberger (33) had lost his life on the same track. The premier class of motorsport then pushed ahead with its safety precautions. For example, the cars became more massive, head and neck restraints became mandatory and the Halo roll bar was introduced.