Mahindra Racing’s Formula E driver Bruno hails from perhaps the most famous racing family of them all. Despite his family name and jetset lifestyle, Bruno is one of the most down-to-earth guys you could ever hope to meet. Find out more about a day in the life of Mr Bruno Senna, with intimate access to the driver as he prepares himself for a Formula E race.
November 18, 2017
Bruno Senna was left in disbelief after clinching the first racing title of his motorsport career on Saturday as a hard-fought victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Bahrain finale saw him be crowned LMP2 champion.
Senna and Vaillante Rebellion co-driver Julien Canal entered the final race leading the LMP2 drivers’ standings after victory last time out in Shanghai, with the Jackie Chan DC Racing trio of Ho-Pin Tung, Oliver Jarvis and Thomas Laurent sitting four points behind in the No. 38 Oreca 07 Gibson.
DC Racing looked poised to beat Rebellion to both the drivers’ and teams’ championships when it enjoyed a 40-second lead at the front of the pack with less than two hours to go. However, some canny strategy play from Rebellion, a mammoth final stint from Senna despite suffering power steering failure, and a fuel pickup issue for the No. 38 Oreca allowed the Brazilian to cross the line 10 seconds clear, clinching the title in the process.
“I can’t believe it really. We pulled over 50 points on Car 38 since Nurburgring, it’s not even from Le Mans,” Senna said.
“The team did an exceptional job of improving and making everybody improve: mechanics, engineers, all the drivers, everybody was just getting closer and closer together and stronger.
“When it came to the overseas season, we started to really get into our groove and we started to win races. And we thought ‘OK, maybe we can do this…’ I have no words.”
The nephew of Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna, Bruno had raced in F1, GP2, Formula E and Formula 3 before making the switch to sports cars. Remarkably though, Senna had never won a championship at any level of his professional racing career until claiming the LMP2 crown on Saturday.
“I don’t know if any of these top drivers have waited as long as I have to win a championship. I’m at 14 years of racing without winning a championship,” Senna said.
“This is the first time. I’ve got close a few times, but no cigar so far. This time is the first one.
“It’s just an amazing feeling. I can’t thank these guys and the team enough for what they’ve done this year. It’s extraordinary.”
