Sebastian Vettel will pay tribute to Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna and drive the late icon's McLaren MP4/5 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend.
The German racer will be in attendance at Imola, where the Brazilian legend tragically lost his life in 1994, to recognise the legacy left by the three-times world champion. Vettel will make use of the vehicle in which Senna competed with in his final season at Williams in 1993.
The 36-year-old former Red Bull star owns the car and will drive it on a demonstration on race day. Senna produced a celebrated wet-weather win in the MP4/8 at Donnington's European Grand Prix on his way to five victories and second place in the driver's championship that season behind Alain Prost.
Vettel was keen to pay tribute to one of F1's heroes and to mark 30 years since his passing at Imola. He spoke highly of Senna's character in addition to his ability.
“Ayrton Senna was not only a driver who I valued highly for being one of the best racing has ever seen, but also a man of great compassion,” Vettel said on Instagram.
“It’s been 30 years since his accident and I would like to pay tribute to Ayrton. I will be in Imola for the grand prix to drive his car, the McLaren MP4/8. I hope to see you on Sunday, May 19.”
Vettel's outing at the Emilia-Romagna, which was cancelled in 2023, will mark his return to the F1 environment after retiring at the end of 2022. His only competitive race since then has been an appearance at the Race of Champions last year.
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There have been hits of a return to F1 in the meantime, while the racer tested Porsche's Le Mans Hypercar in March. Following the endurance test, Vettel admitted he been involved in conversations with Mercedes' Toto Wolff over a possible return.
The Mercedes team principal admitted that the four times world champions could not be discounted in returning to the sport. The constructor remains in need of a new driver for next term with Lewis Hamilton to depart.
Wolff said: “Seb I think is flirting with the idea of going racing again. You can see he’s done a sportscar test with Porsche and has been enjoying it, and I think maybe there is the idea that came back of maybe coming back to Formula 1.
“Sebastian has been a good friend since a long time, I respect him as a driver a lot. Therefore it’s never a name you can discount and say ‘no it’s not for us’, it needs to be part of any discussions going forward.”