lewis

Part 2

There’s no doubt the recent partnership of a Brazilian firm and Renault’s owners, Genii capital, has a lot to do with Bruno Senna’s recent promotion. The young Brazilian has had few opportunities to let his talent do the talking, so his surname has had to do it for him.

Like his uncle, Bruno proved to be an excellent qualifier in his return race and started from seventh place on the grid. However his race craft showed signs of rustiness as he braked too late into the first corner, causing an accident that resulted in him being penalised during the race. Despite out qualifying his teammate, he languished four places behind him in 13th place.

With the team recently confirming that Senna will indeed replace Heidfeld for the remainder of the season, it’s up to him to determine whether he will end up like Hill, Villeneuve and Rosberg, living up to and sometimes adding to the prestige of the name. However, the last two drivers to enter the sport on the back of strong names have failed miserably, with Nakajima disappearing into obscurity and Nelson Piquet Jr destroying his reputation in Europe for the sake of Renault F1’s previous dirty tricks.

Ayrton Senna was the most fearless driver of his generation, driving to the absolute limits of the machinery at his disposal. This weekend is the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the fastest track on the Formula One calendar and a throwback to the sport’s yesteryears. How Bruno flings his car around Parabolica and hits top gear down the main straight will be the best place to show the world whether he will be a footnote to the Senna name, or worthy of a new chapter.