‘He Didn’t Want To Leave’: Bruno Senna Tells How Much Kimi Antonelli Loved Sitting in Ayrton Senna’s Car

Bruno Senna, nephew of Ayrton Senna, has revealed that Kimi Antonelli loved sitting in the former F1 driver’s black and gold Lotus 98T during his visit to Brazil last week. Antonelli visited the legendary figure’s farm ahead of the Brazilian GP and met with his family during a heartwarming visit.

“We had him [Antonelli] jump inside the car and he didn’t want to leave the car,” Bruno revealed on the “F1 Beyond The Grid Podcast.”

“So this is something that was quite funny. I said, ‘Kimi, we’ll organize next year when Lotus wants to do something or McLaren wants to do something. We can try to organize for you to drive one of these cars’.

“Because he fits really well in the car, his height is perfect for it. He was like, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ And his dad was like, ‘I’m not sure if you can drive the manual car.’ And Kimi’s like, ‘Yeah, sure I can.’ So it was like a really funny banter moment,” he added.

Bruno also revealed that he and Antonelli then drove on the go-kart track at the farm, which was designed by Senna himself.

Antonelli visited the Senna family on the Tuesday before the Brazilian GP last weekend. The Italian driver considers Ayrton his role model, and even visited his grave in Sao Paulo before the race.

Antonelli also uses the number 12 in F1, which was partly inspired by Senna. At Interlagos, the driver also used a Senna tribute helmet which featured the iconic yellow design to pay homage to the 35-year anniversary of the three-time world champion’s first-ever win in Brazil.

Kimi Antonelli Left ‘Emotional’ After Visit to Ayrton Senna’s Farm

After his visit to Senna’s farm, Antonelli told the media during the Brazilian GP that the trip was emotional for him. The newly crowned world champion revealed that the Senna family was accommodating towards him, as he expressed his gratitude for being able to make the visit.

“I was truly emotional. A very, very special day, a day that I will remember forever. That’s why I will always be thankful and grateful towards the Senna family for allowing me to see that, and to even sit in the car, which was very special,” Antonelli said.

“It was an amazing day. I actually didn’t want to leave, I tried to stay as long as I could there, because it was such a nice experience. The Senna family was very open about showing places where Ayrton used to spend most of his time,” he added.

Antonelli also added that he was in disbelief during the visit, as he imagined Senna actually living in the rooms that he was touring.

Antonelli and his father Marco were joined at the farm by Bruno, as well as Ayrton’s nieces, Bianca and Lalalli.

Mercedes Boss Comments on Comparisons Between Kimi Antonelli and Ayrton Senna

Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff has said that Antonelli is currently a ‘Senninha’ (Little Senna) rather than Senna, as he reflected on the comparison between the two drivers. He also added that it is ‘sweet’ to see how the Senna family has embraced the 20-year-old Italian.

“It’s sweet to see how the Senna family embraces him. They say that it’s the first time that it looks like there is a second ‘Senninha’. That is the first time that you can say, ‘Okay, he’s a little bit like him,’ ” Wolff said at the Brazilian GP.

“But maybe at that stage he’s a ‘Senninha’ and not a Senna yet. So let the ‘Senninha’ develop, let him become a Senna,” he added.

Wolff also added that he isn’t always keen on comparing different drivers from different eras. He added that setting a standard as high as Senna’s on Antonelli could put him under a lot of unnecessary pressure, and that he simply needs to be ‘Kimi’ rather than Senna.

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