Formula One Fantasy - Renault’s Bruno Senna 08 Dec 2011
It’s been a big year for Bruno Senna, drafted into a Renault race seat mid-season after the team opted for youth over experience when they dropped Nick Heidfeld. Retaining that drive for 2012 is now top of Senna’s Christmas wish list, but what else would he like? Perhaps racing the Williams FW15 alongside uncle Ayrton around a Santa Monica street circuit, before clinching the world championship and heading for steak in Sao Paulo…
Q: You must choose a city for a new Formula One street circuit - which city, anywhere in the world, do you choose, and why?
Bruno Senna: I would choose Santa Monica in Los Angeles. The hillside there has some amazing corners that would demand some good driving skills.
Q: If you could choose one former world champion as your team mate, who would you choose and why?
BS: I would choose my uncle Ayrton (Senna) and try to learn as much as possible from him, as well as drooling a bit over what he could achieve in a qualifying lap.
Q: Formula One innovations of the past - ground effect, active suspension, turbocharging, six wheels, the list goes on. If you could bring back one past innovation, what would it be and why?
BS: It would be turbocharging, as they had some amazing horsepower in those cars and they required some serious commitment to drive, especially in qualifying and wet races.
Q: What innovations would you like to see in the future?
BS: I would like to see cars that have as much power as the V10 era, but run on hydrogen or another type of fuel that doesn’t pollute the atmosphere.
Q: You can only drive at one circuit for the rest of your life - which circuit, past or present from anywhere in the world, do you choose?
BS: It would be Spa-Francorchamps. It’s an amazing circuit in any conditions.
Q: Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Tyrrell, March are just some of the teams that have departed the sport. Which former team would you most liked to have raced with and why?
BS: Lotus… And lucky me - I’m racing a black and gold Lotus!
Q: You have to design a new F1 circuit, combining all your favourite corners from other tracks around the world. Which three corners are top of your list and why?
BS: Eau Rouge backwards, the Esses at Suzuka and Copse at Silverstone are amongst the most thrilling corners from circuits nowadays.
Q: You can travel back in time and compete in any decade of Formula One racing, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Which decade would you choose and why?
BS: It would be the 1980s, as there was a massive amount of innovation and the cars were monsters to drive.
Q: What current Formula One regulation would you most like to change and why?
BS: I’d like to change the testing regulations and allow a bit more testing during the year to help teams develop their cars and to give new and young drivers chances to drive.
Q: If you could pick two Formula One greats of the past (from different eras) to watch race against each other, who would you pick?
BS: I’d choose (Juan Manuel) Fangio and Ayrton. Two very different drivers, but absolute masters at what they did!
Q: If you were a team boss, which current driver would you pick first for your team (excluding yourself and your current team mate)?
BS: I’d pick Fernando Alonso, as he’s got the experience to lead the team and the speed to take the car to victory.
Q: Just 19 of the world’s motor racing circuits feature on the current F1 calendar. You can add one more. Which circuit do you pick and why?
BS: I’d pick Magny-Cours, because it’s a very fast and challenging circuit that most drivers like.
Q: You are having a dinner party and can invite four people from the world of motorsport, past or present. Who do you invite?
BS: I’d invite (Formula One group CEO) Bernie Ecclestone, (former FIA President) Jean-Marie Balestre, Nelson Piquet and James Hunt
Q: You are given the chance to drive any legendary Formula One car of the past (excluding those made by your own team). Which car would you choose?
BS: It would be the 1993 active-suspension Williams.
Q: Rooftop swimming pool, bowling alley, revolving sushi bar - just some of the features most F1 motorhomes don’t possess. If you could add one thing to your team’s motorhome, what would it be?
BS: It would be a cool bunch of simulators that the guests and I could play on against each other with the current race tracks and race car models.
Q: Imagine you have just won the world title. Where would you go for your celebratory meal and what would choose from the menu?
BS: For sure I’d go back to Sao Paulo and have a very big churrasco (grilled meat) at Fogo de Chao with many pao de queijo (cheese buns)!
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