NORRIS AND RICCIARDO’S BUCKET-LIST AYRTON SENNA DRIVE
Bucket-list opportunities were evident across the event, but the chance for current Mclaren Formula 1 stars Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo to sample one of Ayrton Senna’s grand prix-winning cars will surely be etched into their memories forever.
The Mclaren duo were both lucky enough to climb aboard the Mclaren MP4/5B that one of F1’s all-time greats took to six wins on his way to the 1990 world championship.
The enormity of the moment got to Norris, admitting he was so scared not to damage an incredibly valuable piece of F1 machinery while navigating the 1.16-mile hillclimb. “It feels and sounds incredible,” said Norris of the Honda V10-engined car. “I would love to take this out on a race track one day if Zak Brown [Mclaren boss] lets me. It’s cool to be back and see all the fans again.
“I didn’t get out of second gear – I was a bit scared. I get really nervous driving cars like this. It was a privilege.”
Ricciardo, who was hampered by drizzle on his run, added: “I still consider myself lucky [to drive this despite the conditions]. I’ve never come here with the intention of going hard. This is definitely a bucket-list moment to drive it.”
F1 hopeful and current Red Bull junior Liam Lawson received his first experience of F1 when he was called upon to drive Sebastian Vettel’s 2011 championshipwinning Red Bull RB7. “It was pretty unbelievable and I think it’s a little bit more special, the fact that I remember being nine years old watching that car dominate in 2011,” Lawson told Autosport.
Fans were pleased to see 2009 world champion Jenson Button return to the event driving Keke Rosberg’s 1982
Williams FW08, which he shared with Karun Chandhok over the weekend.
Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 world champion, also piloted the first F1 car he raced during his career, the head-turning pink-andblue Brabham-judd BT60B from 1992.