Gasly Honors Senna at Imola with Heartfelt Tribute

Pierre Gasly arrives in Imola carrying the legacy of Ayrton Senna. This weekend, he pays homage to the racing legend with a poignant tribute that captures the hearts of fans worldwide.

Pierre Gasly heads to Imola aiming to also open his season’s account with Alpine F1, as Esteban Ocon managed to do in Miami.

Unfortunately, as Bruno Famin has admitted, this will have to be achieved without any significant upgrades for several races (read more here).

“Miami was ultimately bittersweet, at least from my perspective. We did everything right in the race to be in a position to score points, but other factors didn’t play in our favor and we couldn’t score.”

“That said, the main thing was that the team managed to score with at least one car for the first time this season. I think that’s really nice for the team. It provides a boost of confidence for everyone at Enstone and Viry, but it also shows that we are far from where we need to be as a team.”

“We need to keep working hard and add performance to our car. We’ll take the positives when we can, and the last two races were overall much better than the first ones.”

F1 finally arrives in Europe, starting with the Imola weekend.

“Imola marks the beginning of an intense period in Europe for Formula 1, interspersed with Canada. It was unfortunate to miss this event last year due to flooding in the area. We race while keeping in mind the people affected over the past year. Imola is a fantastic circuit on the calendar and one of the highlights of motorsport and F1. It is technical in places, fast everywhere, and usually provides good races despite a relatively short lap. We also return to a classic weekend format after two Sprint events. We need to be on the pace from Friday morning to be competitive ahead of crucial qualifying.”

Gasly’s Tribute at Imola

Gasly will also be at Imola with Ayrton Senna in mind. A few days ago, he had the opportunity to drive the Brazilian’s first F1 car, a Toleman, built in Enstone by the team that later became Benetton and then Renault F1.

“This weekend will be special for many reasons, particularly as we remember the legend Ayrton Senna, thirty years after his tragic passing. I will pay tribute to one of my sporting heroes and a source of inspiration in motorsport by wearing a special Senna helmet at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. It will be auctioned off after the race to raise funds for the Ayrton Senna Foundation, supporting children’s education in Brazil.”

“A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of getting behind the wheel of Ayrton Senna’s first Formula 1 car, the 1984 Toleman, at Silverstone (see photos below). I can’t remember a more incredible experience. Driving Senna’s very first F1 car exceeded all my expectations.”

“It was so moving. I had never driven a race car older than myself, and the purity of the driving was incredible—just three pedals and a simple steering wheel, unlike what I’m accustomed to in a modern F1. It was a unique moment that I will never forget. Very, very special. This Grand Prix at Imola will therefore be rich in emotions in his memory.”