A celebration of Ayrton Senna’s career and our guide to this weekend’s Silverstone Festival form a special issue of this week’s Autosport magazine, out today (22 August).
Much has been written and said about Senna’s career. Thirty years after the three-time world champion’s death at Imola, tributes and displays have been taking place around the world during 2024 and this weekend’s Silverstone Festival will feature what is believed to be the biggest collection of Senna machines ever assembled.
As well as being your guide to the historic extravaganza, this week’s issue includes Autosport’s own 2024 Senna special. We were fortunate enough to join McLaren as it ran one of the Brazilian’s MP4/4s at Pembrey and talked to some of those that worked with him – and on the car that won 15 grands prix from 16 races in 1988.
Senna first started making his mark in car racing in the UK, and Marcus Simmons talks to Senna’s 1983 British F3 boss, Dick Bennetts. He saw the youngster’s many strengths – and one weakness – during an incredible campaign that launched Senna into Formula 1.
Once there, Senna worked with eight engineers over his 10 and a bit years in F1, and Gary Watkins has tracked down all of them. They give fantastic insights into what made Senna so special and what he was really like to work with.
Two big stories dominate our National section. Some of Motorsport UK’s latest proposals have caused controversy, while the TOCA Junior championship was officially launched last week. Stephen Lickorish delves into both.
Our full report on the Silverstone Festival will appear in next week’s issue (29 August), which will also include full coverage of the Dutch GP as F1 returns from its summer break, plus the latest drama from the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park. We’ll also look ahead to Rali Ceredigion as international rallying returns to the UK thanks to the European Championship.
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