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.
Bruno Senna, nephew of Ayrton, killed a dog that had strayed onto the Istanbul Park circuit during the second GP2 Series race of the Turkish Grand Prix weekend. The dog, one of two that had evaded snoozy track officials, niftily avoided being struck by Giorgio Pantano. Senna was more accurate than the sloppy Pantano, and took out the dog with precision that his late uncle would have been proud of. The bizarre accident resulted in the Brazilian sustaining terminal damage to his front-right suspension, and prompted a pit lane rant that his late uncle would also have been proud of - watch another vid of the incident, this time with more Senna agitation for your viewing pleasure:
