WATCH: Oscar Piastri takes Ayrton Senna’s title winning car for a ride around the McLaren HQ lake

(Background) Third placed qualifier Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren arrives in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 14, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Mario Renzi - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) and (Inset) Ayrton Senna of Brazil and the McLaren-Honda team rounds a corner during the Formula One United States Grand Prix held in Phoenix, Arizona in March 1989. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
Oscar Piastri of McLaren at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and (Inset) Ayrton Senna during the 1989 F1 United States Grand Prix in Phoenix. Getty Images

Oscar Piastri recently drove Ayrton Senna’s legendary 1991 McLaren MP4/6. The Australian driver was seen taking the car around the lake outside the McLaren Technology Centre during a team tribute event on October 12, 2025.

Ad

McLaren was celebrating Senna’s enduring legacy at a time when it finds itself at the top of Formula 1 once again. His teammate, Lando Norris, also drove the historic red-and-white MP4/6.

The clip has quickly gone viral among fans, drawing over 400,000 views and nearly 22,000 likes in hours. It was shared on X by a fan, captioned:

“Oscar driving Senna's car around the MTC lake!”
Ad

The tribute came just days after McLaren secured its second consecutive Constructors’ Championship following the Singapore Grand Prix on October 5. It marked the team’s 10th title overall and its most dominant run since the late 1980s, with Oscar Piastri and Norris combining for 12 wins in 18 races this year.

The short break between Singapore and next week’s United States Grand Prix (Oct. 19) allowed the team to host celebrations at its Woking headquarters. The MP4/6 remains one of the most successful cars in F1 history, powered by a Honda V12 engine, it carried Senna to his third title in 1991.

Ad

Piastri is currently leading the Drivers’ standings on 336 points with seven wins and 14 podiums. Norris is second with 314. They have seven 1-2 finishes so far this season, which is three short of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna's record of 10 1-2 finishes in 1989 in a historic year for the Papaya. With six races left in the 2025 campaign, it is still possible.


Bernie Ecclestone hails Oscar Piastri as “the best driver after Max Verstappen”

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Oscar Piastri of McLaren at Imola. Source: Getty
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Oscar Piastri of McLaren at Imola. Source: Getty

The performances of McLaren’s young pairing have earned wide admiration, including from former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who recently offered rare praise for Oscar Piastri’s calm and consistent approach.

Ad
“He gets the job done,” Ecclestone said (via Sport.de). “When he makes mistakes, he knows he made them and doesn’t blame others or make excuses. He makes sure he doesn’t repeat the mistakes. He doesn’t make them twice; he’s the best driver after Max Verstappen.”

McLaren’s MCL60 secured the Constructors’ title six races before the season finale, breaking Red Bull’s 2023 record for the earliest championship win in F1 history.

Ad

Red Bull’s summer slump has been restored with Max Verstappen getting three straight podiums (Monza, Baku wins, and P2 in Singapore). Since the summer break, he has scored 84 points from four podiums, compared with George Russell’s 65, Oscar Piastri’s 52, and Lando Norris’s 39.

The McLaren pair haven’t won in the last three races, as the title fight remains alive as the paddock heads to Austin for the next sprint weekend.

Quick Links

Edited by Tushhita Barua
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications