Divyank Kushagra Bansal 
McLaren is celebrating 30 years of Ayrton Senna’s legacy with a pair of special tribute liveries that pay homage to his illustrious F1 career, including his three F1 World Championship titles and five Monaco Grand Prix victories with the team (between 1988 and 1993). In parallel with a one-off livery for the MCL38 Formula 1 cars that will be driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at the upcoming 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, a special ‘Senna Sempre’ livery has been hand-painted onto a pre-production McLaren Senna. The latter has been created as part of McLaren’s ongoing association with the Ayrton Senna Institute.
A highlight of the Senna Sempre livery is the Senna ‘Double S’ logo alongside the McLaren badge. The logo is visible on the blue panel bridging the vents housed within the front clamshell, which complements the Senna script on the bright green rear wing. The colour scheme selected for the Senna Sempre livery is inspired by the colours of the Brazilian flag, with bright yellow, green and blue tones brought together using a wash technique newly developed by McLaren Special Operations (MSO) – it allows the paints to blend into each other without creating any additional colours, while also evoking speed and the movement of a waving flag. The same 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 directly 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, the dot matrix effect comes to life from a distance, depicting him on and off track.
Inside, yellow Alcantara upholstery with green perforations has been used. The sills of the black Alcantara upholstered doors are decorated with Ayrton Senna’s signature alongside a quote explaining his ethics and philosophy; “I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence.”
Similarly, the McLaren Formula 1 Team has created a bespoke one-off livery for the MCL38 race car. The vibrant yellow, green, and blue colour scheme is inspired by Ayrton Senna’s race helmet which also features in the Senna Sempre livery.
The tribute McLaren Senna with Senna Sempre livery will be on display in Monaco throughout the extended Grand Prix weekend.
