The giveaway for Bruno Senna came at the end of a lap.
Kimi Antonelli had taken his father Marco up to Tatuí in the interior of São Paulo state in the days after clinching his first Formula 1 title in Mexico City, and he was going round and round the private kart track that his hero had designed. He was fast. He was also precise. Bruno Senna told the Beyond the Grid podcast that watching the 20-year-old Italian find his lines on a bumpy, unfamiliar surface told him everything.
“It was a really cool experience and showed why he’s a World Champion.”
The visit, on the Tuesday before the Brazilian Grand Prix, took the new Mercedes champion to the Fazenda Dois Lagos farm in Tatuí, the Senna family’s estate roughly 150 kilometres west of São Paulo. Antonelli went with his father; waiting at the farm were Bruno, Bianca and Lalalli Senna. The reception when the helicopter touched down set the tone, with Marco Antonelli stepping out in tears.
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Inside the Lotus 98T
Before the karting came the car.
The Senna family had wheeled out Ayrton Senna’s black-and-gold Lotus 98T, the 1986 machine with the number 12 on its nose. Antonelli climbed in. Bruno told Beyond the Grid that the young Italian was immediately absorbed, finding his way around the turbo boost knob, the anti-roll bar switch and the gear lever.
“We had him jump inside the car and he didn’t want to leave the car. So this is something that was quite funny.”
When the subject of a future test in a similar car came up, Marco questioned whether his son could even handle a manual gearbox. Antonelli replied that he could.
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Antonelli’s Instagram tribute
Antonelli left the farm with gifts, including T-shirts, a small replica of a statue of Ayrton and a reproduction of the brown leather jacket his hero used to wear. He posted a tribute to the Senna family on Instagram the same day.
“Unforgettable day. Obrigado to the whole Senna family. It will take some time to sink in, but I will carry these memories with me forever.”
Bruno replied under the post, “Thank you for the karting lesson, Champ!”
Wolff on the ‘Senninha’ nickname
The week added weight to the comparisons that have followed Antonelli since Mercedes signed him. Team principal Toto Wolff told Brazilian outlet Grande Prêmio that the Senna family themselves have taken to calling the Italian “Senninha”, or Little Senna, while warning against stretching the comparison too far.
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“It’s sweet to see how the Senna family embraces him.”
“But maybe at that stage he’s a Senninha and not a Senna yet.”
At the Brazilian Grand Prix the following Sunday, Antonelli took to the Interlagos grid in a yellow-and-green helmet modelled on the one his hero used to wear, before finishing fifth as Lando Norris took the win.
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