Now back with the badge his uncle made famous, Bruno Senna is carving out his own path – shaping McLaren’s future while carrying a legacy that changed racing forever.
This article featured in Issue 14 of Forbes Australia, out now. Tap here to secure your copy.
“If you think I’m fast, just wait until you see my nephew.”
Aryton Senna
Bruno Senna was only five years old, flying around the family’s farm in a go-kart, completely unaware of the weight those words would carry throughout his life.
From that young age, racing wasn’t just a passion. It was in his blood. Taught by his legendary uncle, Ayrton, and encouraged by his grandfather, Bruno grew up on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, with the smell of gasoline and the roar of engines pulsing through his veins.
So, what does it mean to carry on the Senna name and follow an act that’s almost impossible to top?
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Senna says from inside Sydney’s McLaren dealership, looking at the badge Uncle Ayrton put on the map during his illustrious F1 career.
“When I sat in the go-kart for the first time, I drove it even without a helmet,” Bruno recalled of his first foray into racing. “I was absolutely hooked from then. There was no turning back.”
The go-kart became the first taste of what could be. The thrill. The control. The raw speed. For a boy that age, it was magic. But, as he concedes, that magic eventually became burdened with expectation. The world watched as Ayrton’s nephew grew up in the shadow of greatness, asking the same question over and over: “Will he be as fast?”
Ayrton was already a global icon when tragedy struck at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. At 34 years old, Ayrton crashed while leading the race, his death sending shockwaves through the motorsport world and leaving an entire nation in mourning. Brazil still considers him a national hero – a man who embodied perfection in the sport and whose impact transcended racing.
(Left) Ayrton Senna at Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1991 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. (Right) Ayrton Senna with F1 royalty Michael Schumacher. Images: Getty
For Bruno, memories of their time together are not laced with motorsport glory but with simpler, playful moments. “He used to be a good teacher,” Bruno recalls of their time racing go-karts at the family farm. “He would block and push me off the track, teaching me in his way – by doing it. He didn’t lecture; he showed me.”
That hands-on mentorship was interrupted too soon. Bruno was only 10 years old when his uncle passed away. Racing stopped. The family withdrew him from motorsport, fearing the risks it carried. A decade later, Bruno returned to the track, determined to chase the dream that had been abruptly paused. But the absence of Ayrton weighed heavy.
After all, Bruno wasn’t just any aspiring driver. He was a Senna, carrying not just a name but the full expectations of a legacy left unfinished.
His journey into professional racing began with an advantage and a disadvantage all rolled into one – that name. Sponsors came. Doors opened. But in every race and performance, the inevitable comparison loomed large.
“When people thought about me as a racing driver, they compared me to my uncle rather than the people I was actually racing against,” he said.
(Left) Ayrton Senna. (Right) Bruno Senna. Images: Getty
The transition from karting to higher levels of motorsport was swift. He jumped into the world of Formula BMW, British Formula 3, and GP2. He showed flashes of brilliance, victories that sparked a sense of promise. But even in those moments, the pressure mounted.
The stage was set when he finally made it to Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport. The world was ready for the next Senna.
But Formula 1, as Bruno quickly learned, wasn’t just about speed or talent. It was about timing, politics, and luck. Driving for the underfunded Hispania Racing team in 2010, Bruno’s debut season was far from ideal. The car was uncompetitive, and the results were harsh. It wasn’t the glorious arrival many had envisioned or wished for.
In 2011, a glimmer of hope arrived. Bruno was picked up by Renault as a reserve driver, later stepping in to race for the team. He scored his first F1 points, but the success felt muted. It wasn’t a podium finish.
In 2012, a season with Williams seemed to offer redemption, but the promise never quite materialised. “By the end of the season, I was so fed up with not getting a proper opportunity–I hadn’t won a race since 2008,” he said.
“F1 is a tough business – I felt like maybe F1 wasn’t going to give me the pleasure I wanted. I didn’t want to be racing at the back of the grid. That’s not what I started racing for.”
Bruno Senna on calling time on his F1 career
Bruno forged on, moving to endurance racing, where he found success and some respite from the constant comparisons. Endurance racing offered something F1 couldn’t – a place to carve out his own identity, away from the relentless pressure of the Senna name. In 2017, he won the FIA World Endurance Championship.
In 2024, after stepping back from competitive racing, Bruno found a new lane – not on the track, but in McLaren’s development garage. For the past decade, he’s been helping to shape the high-performance cars that bear the badge his uncle made famous.
“It’s been 10 years with McLaren,” he says. “A lot of history together.”
From GT3 racing to road car development, Bruno’s fingerprints are all over models like the 675LT, his favourite. “It’s like a go-kart,” he says of the car’s agility, its ability to move under pressure.
“The 675LT, the 720S, and then the Senna and Senna GTR – it’s been a journey,” he says. “Seeing people love these cars, knowing I had a hand in them, that’s something I didn’t expect to be so rewarding.”
Still in the driver’s seat, but in a way that lets him step out of the shadow, Bruno Senna is happier than he’s ever been shaping a legacy that’s uniquely his.
Bruno Senna: Career Highlights
- 46 Formula One starts with HRT, Renault, and Williams, scoring 33 points.
- 2017 FIA World Endurance Champion (LMP2 class) with Rebellion Racing.
- 11 wins and 27 podiums in endurance racing, including 2nd place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2020).
- GP2 Series runner-up in 2008, with wins at Monaco and Silverstone.
- 5 wins in the 2006 British Formula 3 Championship, finishing 3rd overall.
- One podium finish in Formula E (2014–2016)
