Vettel, retired two years ago, returns to the track to pay homage to Senna

Sebastian Vettel, a driver who retired just over a year ago, will drive the MP4/8, the car in which Ayrton Senna raced during his time with McLaren. Not coincidentally, the circuit will also be the same: the Autódromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Vettel will be responsible for driving the car in a tribute made by Formula 1 to the thirty years since the death of the Brazilian driver.

The tribute will be paid on May 19th, during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, named after the resumption of the old San Marino GP, the circuit on which Ayrton Senna raced his last race. The German also stated that Senna was an inspiration to him not only as a driver, but also as a man.

_{Sebastian Vettel driving his MP4/8 at Silverstone (Photo: reproduction/JEP/Motorsport Images)}

The MP4/8

The car that Vettel will drive was the machine that took Ayrton Senna to five victories for McLaren in 1993, including the Brazilian GP which, to this day, takes place at the Interlagos race track. It won't be the first time the four-time F1 champion has driven the MP4/8. Vettel was also behind the wheel of the vehicle in 2023, during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, in the United Kingdom. The retired driver owns a car of the same model.

_{Imola Circuit, site of Senna's accident (Photo: reproduction/Glenn Dunbar/Motorsport Images)}

Senna's accident

On May 1, 1994, Ayrton Senna da Silva started in pole position in the GP, which he maintained even after the death of Roland Ratzenberger, an Austrian Simtek driver, on the Saturday of qualifying. The San Marino Grand Prix was the third stage of the world championship. Senna, although upset with the track conditions, ran and carried an Austrian flag with him to honor his deceased colleague if he won.

During the first laps of the circuit, the steering bar of Senna's FW16 came loose and hit him in the head, causing him to lose control of the car, which collided with the corner wall. Tamburellonow transformed into a chicane.

Featured photo: Ayrton Senna after winning the Interlagos GP in 1993, inside the MP4/8 (Reproduction/Edu Garcia/Estadão Conteúdo)