Looks like Rubens Barrichello is out of a job. We hear that Honda has decided - at last - on its driver line-up for next season. And the two lucky drivers are… drum roll… Jenson Button (no surprise there) and Bruno Senna.
Senna’s name brings with it a lot of financial muscle - enough for Ayrton’s nephew to get the nod over Rubens and Lucas di Grassi.
With new rules in place for 2009, we would have stuck with the experience of Barrichello (Murray Walker agrees), who didn’t do much wrong this year. He may be getting on a bit, but he is still a great driver, with at least one more season in him.
We’re yet to be convinced that Senna is the real deal - hype follows him everywhere, but much of that is down to his famous surname. Senna II will struggle to match Button’s pace, no doubt.
A thumbs-up from Bruno Senna, who enjoyed his first full day of testing in F1 at Barcelona yesterday. Senna, the nephew of Ayrton, is hoping to impress Honda bosses enough to win a race seat for next season, probably at the expense of compatriot Rubens Barrichello.
Bruno set the 15th fastest time, and crucially was more than a second faster than Lucas di Grassi, another young Brazilian who is being evaluated by Honda as a possible Barrichello replacement. Senna enjoyed the experience, saying:
“The first day of my first Formula One test has been just as big a moment as I expected it to be. I have also had a lot of fun and really enjoyed myself.
“This morning I focused on doing as much as I could to prepare for my turn. I listened to the team radio and watched and learned how the team works. I was feeling quite calm but on my first lap out of the garage I realised the significance of the moment.
“This is a very special opportunity and one which has been a dream my whole life.”
Honda has yet to anounce its driver line-up for 2009. Jenson Button will almost certainly keep his seat, but Rubens Barrichello’s place in the highly ambitious team is under threat.
Ross Brawn, Honda’s head honcho, desperately wants to sign Fernando Alonso for next season, and has made no secret of the fact - the in-form Spaniard would be guaranteed a bumper pay day, but we understand Nando has absolutely no intention of signing for a team that can’t put him on the podium on a regular basis.
That’s why Honda may replace Barrichello with a younger Brazilian: Bruno Senna. Brazilian oil giant Petrobas is set to become a Honda sponsor in 2009, and it wants Senna alongside Button. The arrival of Ayrton’s nephew in F1 would generate massive publicity for Honda and its partners.
Bruno Senna, 24-year-old nephew of the great Ayrton, is set to test for Honda’s F1 team next month. “I see myself in Formula One soon, or at least I hope so,” Bruno told Spain’s Diario Sport newspaper. Hint, hint.
Senna will attend the season-closing Brazilian Grand Prix next month, and the test is expected to take place soon after that, although the venue is not yet known. Silverstone or Jerez maybe?
Bruno Senna is not yet an F1 driver but heavyweight sponsors are already lining up to make him the richest non-F1 driver in history. The young Brazilian has just signed a deal with Hilton Hotels to be one of its brand ambassadors. Senna Jnr is in good company: Lewis Hamilton is also a brand ambassador for the chain.
It’s clear Hilton are buying potential here, sticking a flag in Planet Senna before their rivals can claim a piece of him. They are also buying into the Senna name.
Is it presumptuous to think that Senna’s Hilton deal might foretell the Brazilian moving to McLaren next season, to be a test driver? After all, Hilton are one of McLaren’s corporate partners - it’s possible that this deal offers a huge clue that Senna will be McLaren’s test driver in 2009. We’ll see.
And a Senna/Hamilton line-up for 2010 would be a marketing man’s wet dream. Move over Heikki Kovalainen?
No less than five F1 teams are interested in signing GP2 driver Bruno Senna for 2009. They are: Toro Rosso, Honda, Toyota, Williams and BMW Sauber.
Ayrton’s nephew claimed earlier this year that he wasn’t yet ready for F1, but it seems F1 is more than ready to welcome another Senna into its paddock. Think of the publicity his arrival would generate - Wee Bernie Ecclestone must be rubbing his hands at the prospect.
Ayrton Senna’s nephew may graduate to F1 next year
Bruno Senna, the nephew of the late, great Ayrton, is in “intensive talks” with BMW Sauber regarding a test-driver spot in 2009.
Sport Bild claims that the talented young Brazilian, currently competing in GP2, could even replace struggling Nick Heidfeld - we can’t see that happening next year, although Senna’s arrival in F1 is inevitable; think of the huge interest his name alone would generate for the sport.
