We’re calling it: This Ayrton Senna tribute livery that McLaren is running at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix is the greatest one-off* we’ve ever seen. Period.
Just...look at it. In equal parts a radical departure from the team’s usual papaya, and, er, eerily similar to Michael Schumacher’s old 19991 Benetton, it’ll be raced in honor of the Brazilian legend just a week after the sport marked 30 years since his tragic death in Imola.
McLaren, after all, is the team with which Senna scored 35 of his 41 career victories, as well as his three world titles and six wins in Monaco—more than any other driver in history.
Inspired by the colors of Senna’s helmet, the livery is a collab between the Senna brand and McLaren sponsor OKX, which dabbles in crypto and web3… nope, us, neither.
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Anyway, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will both be wearing matching livery overalls this weekend, and naturally there’s a one-off edition of the McLaren Senna road car (duh) dubbed Senna Sempre.
Handpainted by McLaren Special Operations (MSO), it features the same colors as the F1 car and a matrix dot portrait of the great man himself. No word yet on what’ll happen to it after the race.
“The team is proud to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary life and racing legacy of Ayrton Senna through this McLaren livery,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “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 honor to race for him at his most successful circuit in his green, yellow, and blue colors.
“With it being the 30th anniversary of his passing, the team are choosing to recognize and celebrate his life at one of his favorite and most successful places to race, Monaco. We look forward to racing in this vibrant and beautiful livery this weekend.”
Don’t forget that having won in Miami and finishing a close second to Max Verstappen in Imola, McLaren—and Norris, in particular—are in red hot form right now. So there’s every chance you could be looking at Monaco’s next winner here...
*Come on, comments section, tell us how we’re wrong/what we’ve forgotten.
More photos of the Ayrton Senna-themed McLaren Formula 1 livery:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
