Three months after Williams dropped the famous Senna logo from its cars, McLaren has announced that its cars will sport his name from this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

"The decision was that we want to move on in the future," explained Jost Capito in February following the FW44's launch. "We have a new era, we have a new car and we refurbished also our museum where we have a special area to celebrate Ayrton.

"We had to look now in the future and not showing the drivers the 'S' all the time they get in the car and being reminded on what happened," he added.

Now, ahead of a race which the legendary Brazilian won 6 times - 5 times with McLaren - the Woking outfit has announced that its cars will sport the Senna name.

"No driver since Bruce McLaren has been as synonymous with our team as Ayrton Senna," said the team on the opening day of the Monaco weekend, "and from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards, his name will now have a permanent place on our Formula 1 cars.

"The addition to the MCL36 was unveiled at Monaco, where Senna holds the record for race wins, with six victories, including five in a row for McLaren between 1989 and 1993.

"Senna made his Formula 1 debut in 1984, winning six times before making the switch to McLaren. It was here where he truly cemented his status as an all-time great of the sport, winning 35 races and three F1 World Championships, before he was tragically killed while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

"The late Brazilian's bravery, commitment and ingenuity set the standard for our team and continue to be at the core of everything we do. With the support of the Senna Foundation, his name will now be donned on our car's halo.

"The Senna Foundation was created by his sister, Vivianne Senna, with the aim of developing young Brazilians and helping to prepare them for life in the 21st century."

"Ayrton Senna is, and always will be, a McLaren legend," said Zak Brown. "His performances with McLaren, which earned him three Drivers' World Championships, cemented his place as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers. When he tragically passed in 1994, the entire motorsport world felt a sense of irreplicable loss, but his memory lives on in the hearts and minds of Formula 1 fans across the world. We feel it's right that we, as McLaren, should recognise his contribution to our sport by carrying his name with us wherever we go racing.

"Starting from the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, the McLaren MCL36 will carry the Senna logo, marking our commitment to celebrate his legacy. I can't think of a better race than the Monaco Grand Prix to commence this recognition of Ayrton's life. Having won the Grand Prix six times, more than any other driver, Ayrton proved that his skill and ability behind the wheel of an F1 car could rarely be matched. This addition to our F1 race cars will be permanent, and has been added with the support of the Senna family. It will serve as a constant reminder of Ayrton Senna's sensational talent for us as a team, and for all our fans around the world."

Check out our Friday gallery from Monaco, here.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Defiant, 27/05/2022 22:09

"Although I do agree with comments below, I'm still happy to see his logo adorn F1 cars. He certainly is a hero to me."

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2. Posted by meatball, 27/05/2022 16:47

"Just Zak doing what Zak does. I mean it IS his job but it's thinly veiled promotional hog wash. Senna is a legend. Don't sully it by constantly pimping his name."

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3. Posted by ClarkwasGod, 27/05/2022 14:10

"I could not fathom why Williams decided to stop putting the "S" logo on their cars. Given the tragic events of Imola '94, I could understand their reasons to remember him. The "reasons" put forward by Capito were, quite frankly, just BS. But McLaren have no such history. Yes, he won his three championships with them, but to now put the logos on the cars suggest it to be nothing more than a PR stunt. Very much like their naming one of their road cars a "Senna" model, just as did Ducati - nonsense."

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4. Posted by Endre, 27/05/2022 13:13

"I am in total agreement that Senna is his own and not McLaren's legend. However, I am pleased to see that his name will be remembered on their cars, no matter the reason."

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5. Posted by @R1Racing71, 27/05/2022 12:33

"Isn’t the Senna name and logo protected by the family? I suspect McLaren have paid for the privilege."

McLaren to sport Senna name on its F1 cars

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