Ayrton Senna’s First F1-Winning Car Is Going Back To Estoril, 40 Years After THAT Win

It’s been 40 years since the mercurial Ayrton Senna took his first win in Formula 1 at the 1985 Estoril Grand Prix. To mark the occasion, the Lotus 97T with which the three-time Formula 1 World Champion secured victory, will return to the Portuguese circuit for the first time in four decades for several commemorative laps. Scheduled to run on 21 April, 40 years to the day since the 1985 Estoril GP, the drive will be done, fittingly, by Senna’s nephew, and former Formula 1 driver, Bruno Senna.

“It will be an incredible feeling to drive this iconic car, marking the beginning of a series of victories and achievements by my uncle,” Bruno Senna explains in an official statement. “This celebration will bring together fans from all over the world and shows how Ayrton Senna remains a powerful name in motorsport, and a positive influence on society in many ways – from educational impact to sustainable innovation, and as a movement that continues to inspire generations to pursue their dream and never give up.”

Estoril, 1985. “A Drive For The Gods.”

Having already shown his world championship-winning class nine months earlier at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, an event he might well have won for minnow Toleman had rain not forced an early stoppage, Senna took his first win in Formula 1 in blistering fashion. In only his second start for Team Lotus, Senna put the #12 Lotus 97T on pole position four-tenths quicker than fellow front-row starter (and future arch-rival) Alain Prost, and almost a full second faster than 3rd-placed qualifier Keke Rosberg. Despite appalling conditions, Senna retained his lead into the first corner ahead of fast-starting teammate Elio de Angelis, and began to pull away at more than a second per lap. Aafter 20 laps, Senna was already half a minute ahead, and only nine of the 26 cars that started the race were still on the lead lap.

Despite the heavy rain and limited visibility, the Brazilian, renowned for his precision in treacherous conditions, went on to lead every lap, and put every competitor bar 2nd-placed Michele Alboreto a full lap down en-route to a famous win. One that, when speaking with Motorsport Magazine’s Nigel Roebuck years later, and despite his underdog win at the European Grand Prix at Donington in 1993 being considered his greatest triumph, Senna himself decreed the best of his 41 Grand Prix victories:

“No way! I had traction control [at Donington]. It was a good win but compared with Estoril ‘85 it was nothing.”

Ironically, such were the conditions, and in reversed fortunes to Monaco ’84, the race’s two-hour time limit meant the chequered flag was waved three laps ahead of the planned 70-lap distance. And it turns out, when traveling at more than 180 MPH over standing water, even F1’s G.O.A.T. was not infallible…

“Maybe people think I made no mistakes, but that’s not true — I’ve no idea how many times I went off! On one occasion I had all four wheels on the grass, totally out of control… but the car came back on the circuit. Everyone said, ‘Fantastic car control!’ It was just luck…”

The Lotus 97T, And a Resurgence

Alongside the celebrations for Ayrton Senna, Classic Team Lotus managing director Clive Chapman believes the Estoril laps on April 21 will also be a fitting tribute to a team that, following the death of its founder (and Clive’s father) Colin two years earlier, had lost its way by the mid-1980s.

“For Team Lotus, Ayrton’s arrival was a defining moment,” Chapman explains. “His talent, technical understanding and relentless drive helped push the team forward. This anniversary allows us to relive that magic and honor his legacy. Bruno Senna’s commemorative drive at Estoril promises to be an emotional and historic moment, bringing the past full circle and cementing Senna’s enduring impact on motorsport.”

Senna’s win at Estoril, the first for Team Lotus since its championship-winning season in 1978, was the first of three that year for the team: de Angelis was victorious next out in Imola, while Senna would take a second win later that year in Belgium. The Brazilian would also secure pole position seven times in 1985 to de Angelis’ one.

The 97T itself meanwhile, designed by Gérard Ducarouge, is considered one of the strongest Grand Prix machines of latter-day Team Lotus. An evolution of the previous year’s 95T, and powered by a brutal, 1.5-liter turbocharged Renault V6, the 97T used elements of Lotus’ defunct 96T IndyCar project, the most notable of which were the barge boards between the front and rear wheels which significantly improved airflow down the flanks of the car. This was aided further by ‘winglets,’ previously incorporated on the 95T’s rear spoiler but banned for 1985, placed directly on the rear edges of the side pods.

Ahead of its laps in Estoril, the #12 Lotus 97T will complete demonstration runs at the 82nd Goodwood Members’ Meeting in the UK this weekend.

Lotus 97T