McLaren pays tribute to Ayrton Senna with unique liveries inspired by his legacy
McLaren pays tribute to Ayrton Senna with unique liveries inspired by his legacy, showcased on a heritage McLaren Senna and the MCL38 Formula 1 cars that raced in the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. Share
The Senna Sempre livery is a stunning tribute to legendary Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, who raced for McLaren from 1988 to 1993, winning three Formula 1 World Championships. The evocative artwork was created by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) on a pre-production McLaren Senna from McLaren’s heritage collection. The vibrant colours were chosen to reflect Senna’s personality and Brazilian nationality, with further elements paying homage to his race performances at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Senna Sempre livery was created in parallel with a bespoke livery for the MCL38 Formula 1 cars that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri drove at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. Both liveries are part of a McLaren initiative commemorating Ayrton Senna’s racing brilliance, 30 years after his passing in 1994. The unique McLaren Senna in Senna Sempre livery will be on display in Monaco throughout the Grand Prix weekend.
McLaren is marking 30 years of Ayrton Senna’s incredible legacy of performance with a powerful and emotive tribute that visually represents his vibrant personality, his three Formula 1 World Championship titles, and five Monaco Grand Prix victories with McLaren. In parallel with a one-off livery for the MCL38 Formula 1 cars that were driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren Automotive celebrates Ayrton Senna’s talent and racing achievements with the Senna Sempre livery. This unique, hand-painted tribute to Ayrton is applied to a pre-production McLaren Senna from McLaren’s heritage collection.
The Senna Sempre livery has been created as part of McLaren’s ongoing association with the Ayrton Senna Institute. It showcases the peerless paint mastery and craftsmanship that McLaren Automotive delivers through McLaren Special Operations (MSO). The distinctive visuals honour the Formula 1 career of Ayrton Senna, his tenacious drive for perfection, Brazilian nationality, and McLaren racing history, including his performances on the streets of Monaco. This is achieved through bright and bold paint colours and bespoke interior treatments.
The McLaren Senna, revealed in December 2017, is the most extreme McLaren road car ever made. Designed, engineered, and developed as the ultimate track-oriented car for the road, it delivers total commitment to uncompromised performance.
In creating the Senna Sempre, McLaren transformed the visuals of a pre-production McLaren Senna that is part of its heritage collection. It was one of the cars at the global media test drive, held at the Estoril Grand Prix circuit in June 2018. Retained by McLaren as a pre-production car, it has featured in high-profile media performance tests and been part of landmark McLaren moments, including the royal opening of the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in Sheffield, attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Inspired by Ayrton Senna’s legacy and philosophy, the McLaren Senna bears both the name of the legendary Formula 1 driver and champion and the Senna ‘Double S’ logo alongside the McLaren badge. The Double S also features within the intricate paintwork, as one of many individual visual tributes to Ayrton Senna that align with details on the bespoke MCL38 Formula 1 car. The logo is visible on the blue panel bridging the vents housed within the front clamshell, complementing the Senna script on the bright green rear wing.
Paints selected for the Senna Sempre livery reflect the colours of the Brazilian flag, with bright yellow, green, and blue tones brought together using a wash technique newly developed by MSO. This technique allows the paints to blend without creating additional colours, evoking speed and the movement of a waving flag. This effect is also applied to the McLaren badge on the nose of the car.
Green and white border lines running around the car’s glasshouse and the venting at the base of the windscreen are inspired by the detailing on Ayrton Senna’s iconic race helmet design. On the panels shrouding the large air intakes on the side of the car, MSO’s paint technicians have created two distinct representations of Ayrton Senna. Applied by hand and requiring exceptional attention to detail, the dot matrix effect comes to life from a distance, depicting him on and off track.
