"What happened to them?" - Bruno Senna, the other Senna

Bruno Senna's racing career could have never gotten off the ground. After his uncle's tragic accident Ayrton at the San Marino Grand Prix on the Imola circuit on May 1, 1994, the Senna family decided to withdraw Bruno from all motor racing. It was not until 2004, at the age of 21, that he took the wheel again in the promotional formula, supported by Gerhard Berger, the former teammate of the triple world champion of F1. His debut in Formula BMW, in Formula 3 British, then in GP2 (ancestor of the F2 current) quickly made people talk about him, beyond his surname.

It was not until 2010 that he finally realised his dream of reaching Formula 1 with the Hispania Racing (HRT) team, formerly Campos, which had just been taken over by José Ramon Carabante. But this dream quickly turned into a nightmare: the team was underfunded and technologically outdated. Driving a Dallara HRT-Cosworth that was struggling to keep up due to major reliability issues, Bruno Senna had to make do with fighting at the back of the grid without managing to show anything other than mediocrity.

Bruno Senna in his Dallara HRT-Cosworth during the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2011 © ERIC VARGIOLU / DPPI

Move to Lotus then Williams

As HRT was seriously short of funds and Bruno Senna's sponsors were not enough, he was not renewed for the 2011 season. The Italian-Brazilian did not shine, he found himself without a seat and joined Lotus as a reserve driver at the start of the season, before being promoted to second driver at the end of August after the dismissal of Nick Heidfeld. His driving did not convince the team director, Eric Boullier, who announced that he would replace him with Romain Grosjean for the following campaign.

Bruno Senna in the Lotus at the 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix © ERIC VARGIOLU / DPPI

Bruno Senna finds refuge at Williams in 2012, his uncle's last team. Here again, his performances were disappointing and therefore insufficient to convince the decision-makers to offer him a long-term contract despite a sixth place in Malaysia. The nephew of "Magic Senna" left Formula 1 at the end of the 2012 campaign, without having really been able to prove his worth. Far from giving up, he signed with Aston Martin to compete in the World ChampionshipEndurance 2013 (WEC) in the GTE Pro category.

Bouncing on land and in the air

For his return to the WEC, Bruno Senna took victory in his first race at Silverstone and won the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas, but luck did not follow him in the 24H of Le Mans. After starting from pole, Frédéric Makowiecki's accident five hours before the end led to the withdrawal of the British team. He then embarked on the adventure of the Formula E for the first season of the all-electric championship in 100, joining his former teammate Karun Chandhok at Mahindra Racing for the 2014-2014 season. He finished tenth in the championship.

Alongside the 2015-2016 Formula E campaign, he joined the GT programme of McLaren by becoming the brand's development driver. Bruno Senna does not re-sign with Mahindra and leaves the car electric at the end of the season. The Italian-Brazilian returned to Endurance with Rebellion Racing for the 2 LM P2017 championship, which he won with his teammate Julien Canal. He remained with Rebellion Racing until 2020, the year in which he climbed onto the second step of the prestigious podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Bruno Senna and the Rebellion team on the 2nd place of the podium during the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2020 © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

Always looking for innovations, Bruno Senna joins airspeeder in 2022, to become one of the pioneers of flying car piloting for a new kind of championship: the EXA Serie. This project, which combines motorsport and aeronautics, aims to revolutionize future mobility through competition. His heritage and experience in motorsport make him the ideal driver to represent and develop what aims to be the "Formula 1 of the air."

Participate in the family legacy

As a McLaren test driver, Bruno Senna is involved in the design of models such as the 675LT. When the brand decided to pay tribute to the greatest driver in its history with the creation of the McLaren Senna, his nephew was naturally chosen to accompany this ambitious project. By providing his technical expertise and feedback on performance, he ensures that every detail of the machine is faithful to Ayrton's legacy.

Beyond its simple heritage in motorsport, Auriverde is also involved in Ayrton Senna Institute to perpetuate the dream of the three-time world champion to help the youth of his country. This association, dedicated to the education of disadvantaged children in Brazil, works to offer opportunities and tools to young people from the most modest backgrounds as Magic Senna wished. By participating in fundraising campaigns, charity events and educational initiatives, while remaining an active ambassador for the Institute internationally, “the other Senna” shows that the true greatness of a name lies in the impact it can have beyond the circuits.

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