Ayrton Senna's McLaren put up for auction

"When I arrived, I had nothing left in my legs. It was God who granted me this victory." These are Ayrton Senna's words when he secured his first home victory on March 24, 1991, at Interlagos, after a physically grueling race. After seven unsuccessful attempts, the Brazilian crossed the finish line first in his Grand Prix, in torrential rain, and after having lost half the gears in his car's gearbox. McLaren.

When the checkered flag was waved, and after laps of agony, Senna was indeed overcome by fatigue, emotion, and cramps in his legs and neck from the exertion. Exhausted, he had to be helped out of his car by medical personnel and barely had the strength to lift his trophy onto the podium. A symbolic moment in the career of the three-time world champion.

"I only came back to reality when I saw the checkered flag."he declared after the race. At that moment, I truly appreciated being alive, being in Interlagos, in my country, and seeing my people so happy. It wasn't the greatest victory of my life, but it was the hardest…

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35 years later, the same carthe MP4/6, will be auctioned by RM Sotheby'sBesides this victory, the chassis in question, the MP4/6/1, the first of the series, was the one that gave the Brazilian his first glimpse of the new MP4/6 when he tested it alongside Gerhard Berger at Estoril in February 1991. Designed by Neil Oatley, under the technical direction of Gordon Murray, the car was equipped with a 3,5-liter V12 engine capable of producing 720 horsepower, coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox, all housed in a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and covered with a carbon fiber body. The car remains one of the most famous of the Formula 1.

Before being sold, the MP4/6-1 chassis was fully restored to running order by McLaren Heritage. The car is fully functional and comes with a McLaren certificate of authenticity and all the necessary starting equipment: external starter, water tank, remote dashboard, fuel priming system, and engine preheater. However, acquiring it will require a hefty price tag, with bidding estimated between €10,5 and €13 million. It's not impossible, though, that this amount could be significantly higher.

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