Almost exactly 25 years ago, Ayrton Senna won the Monaco Grand Prix in the McLaren MP4/8A. A quarter of a century later, the very car in which Senna finished the race on the top step of the podium will now go under the hammer at Bonhams on May 11 in Monaco.
Transitional season
Change was the order of the day in the 1993 season. McLaren had ended its collaboration with Honda at the end of 1992, and the new engines from Peugeot were not expected until 1994. So an agreement was reached with Ford to install the Cosworth "HB" V8 in the rear of the certainly very modern MP4.
Senna was also skeptical, but agreed to drive for McLaren in the 1993 season as long as he thought the car was competitive. He is said to have received around one million USD for each start.
Several podium finishes
The McLaren MP4/8A proved to be much more competitive than feared. In the very first race, Senna was able to drive the car with chassis number 6 to second place in the Spanish Grand Prix, followed by a victory in Monaco. It hadn't looked like it beforehand, as the active suspension played a nasty trick on Senna in practice and he "lost" the car in the Sainte Dévote corner.
But the car could be rebuilt overnight, Senna finished third in practice and then benefited in the race from the bad luck of his two fastest rivals Prost and Schumacher, who retired and retired respectively due to early starts and technical problems.
Eight Grand Prix appearances
Senna drove the number 6 car eight times in the race. In addition to Spain and Monaco, the monoposto was also used in France, Great Britain, Germany and Belgium. However, there were no more victories and Senna ultimately finished second overall behind Alain Prost. Senna took the last two McLaren victories in Japan and Australia with a different chassis.
No official estimate
How can one value such a racing car, which according to Bonhams is in drivable condition and is certainly one of the most important F1 monopostos of all time? Bonhams does not provide an estimated value, but one can assume that expectations are certainly well into seven figures, as the Schumacher Ferrari from 2001 fetched around USD 7.5 million when it went under the hammer at an art auction (!) in New York. Senna can certainly compete with Schumacher in terms of legendary status and the McLaren is also one of the most successful in Grand Prix history.
Further information on the Bonhams Auction of Monaco can be found on their website.
