ON TRACK IN THE SENNA

It’s the brakes that blow you away. The sheer power to stop the car from ridiculous speeds (approaching 175mph on the main straight at Estoril) and to do so with such stability, authority and confidence.

In a car with downforce, everything stems from the brakes – how it transitions from slowing to cornering, how you trail off the brakes as you slow and turn in. No other road car does it as effectively as the Senna. Almost none can match its 2g cornering potential on the more track-orientated Pirelli Trofeo R tyres. It’s that first section of the corner that’s most impressive, how hard and late you can brake without the back getting light or moving around.

That’s because the active aero (the wing at the back and flaps at the front) works in harmony with the active suspension, helping to keep the car level and the air working effectively. This is tech that’s not permitted in most racing series and means the Senna is only five seconds a lap slower around Estoril than McLaren’s slick-shod GT3 racing car.

On the way out of corners, it’s marginally less mighty. You have to manage traction out of slow corners, but through the quick ones, where the downforce (up to 800kg at 155mph) remains active, the car feels ultra-stable. Above 120mph the thunderous acceleration starts to tail off as drag builds, but you’re never going to say the Senna feels slow. It also handles relatively benignly – a bit of understeer if you push too hard into slow corners and a bit of oversteer on the way out.