Formula 2 drivers pay tribute to Ayrton Senna

This year marks 30 years since the tragic passing of Formula 1 icon Ayrton Senna. Ahead of Round 4 in Imola, a number of drivers sat down to give their tributes to the three-time World Champion, with the likes of Enzo Fittipaldi and Gabriel Bortoleto even running special helmet designs to mark the occasions.

Here is what they had to say…

Enzo Fittipaldi, Van Amersfoort Racing

“Ayrton Senna has always been a hero of mine and my brothers. He is someone that not only Brazilian drivers but all of motorsport and even sports in general, a lot of people outside of racing also had Senna as their heroes. He does mean a lot to a lot of people, for me he means a lot because he has always been my hero.

“Since I was young, I always used to watch his videos on YouTube, I would rewatch his interviews and races. Of course, I wasn't alive when he was racing and that's a shame because one of my dreams would have been to watch one of his races, probably in Monaco.

“But it's very special and I am so happy that I can pay this tribute to him, not only to him but to his family as well. I think Bruno Senna and more of the Senna family are here and I hope they will be happy about this.”

“The back of the helmet is Senna; the side is Red Bull still and the top is Senna as well. It's a bit of a mix. I will be not only using this helmet here, but I’ll also be using it in Monaco. A lot of people also remember Senna because of his amazing laps in Monaco and how close he would get to the walls and it’s the same for me. I remember Senna when we were watching that YouTube video of his pole lap and he was a second and a half ahead of his teammate, which is impressive.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, Invicta Racing

“Senna is my idol, my hero, and the reason why I started racing. I can't put it in words exactly what he means to Brazilians because he means so much. He was the hero; he was the biggest idol Brazil ever had and in the worst conditions Brazil were in at that moment, he was proud to raise the flag when he was winning.

“From what I heard from my parents obviously because I was not alive, he just brought happiness to Brazil at the time when everything was going wrong. These types of people, honestly, they are born with a reason and the reason was he is the best of all time and to bring happiness back to Brazil.

“For me, watching his races and hearing all the history and to be able to do a small tribute to him, I say small because it's nothing compared to what he deserves from Brazilian drivers and people but using his logo on my car, using a special helmet for him is just special. The biggest inspiration for me.

“It's amazing to have the helmet. I got in contact with his family and the institute of Ayrton Senna to make it happen and they were super happy that we could make a version of a helmet that is a mix of his helmet, of his colours with my layout, but with his logo behind and above my helmet as well. For me, it's just special to be able to use this and to be allowed to represent his mark on my helmet somehow.”

Josep María Martí, Campos Racing

“Obviously, I didn't get to watch or enjoy him first hand but like a lot of drivers, you look at him in the videos, you look at him in people's quotes, what people say about him, his press conferences and things like that and you realise how special he was and that he was different to the rest. “There are examples of it pretty clearly, pole in Monaco by more than a second, Donington and that first lap in the wet in '93, there are so many examples of how great he was. He just proved I think day and day again how good he was, how special of a talent he was. It's a shame how we the young guys now didn't get to see him, obviously I would have loved to, but it's clear how special he was for the older generation, what kind of icon he was for the sport and the legacy he lives on.”

Paul Aron, Hitech Pulse-Eight

“If you look at the history and if you look through the years of Formula 1 there is always one name that pops up and that is Ayrton Senna. He is one of the greatest if not the greatest driver of all time. Everyone always talks about his driving, but I've also paid attention to his behaviour and his personality, and he was a really cool person also off the track. “It's great to see that someone is able to be more than just a driver and he was certainly really good at doing both. I've been obviously looking up to him as a kid and I hope that the run today at least pays some respect back to him.”

Sebastian Vettel who organised a track run on Thursday evening in which members of the Formula 1, Formula 2 and 3 paddocks attended also added: “I was very pleased to see the F2 and F3 drivers and paddock members joining today’s tribute run. We’re one big community. One of our colleagues lost his live when he was doing what we all loved. Together, today, we remembered him and all the others who we miss dearly, #foreversenna.”