It’s a bit last minute, but I finally know what I’m asking for this Christmas. I want Ayrton Senna’s 1988 McLaren-Honda Formula 1 racing suit being auctioned by RM Sotheby’s, so I can drink my morning coffee like a champion. Ok, ok, the auction doesn’t happen until February 2025 but I’ll take a 60,000 euro RM Sotheby’s gift card, too.
The 1988 F1 season was historic. McLaren-Honda was dominant, snagging first-place victories in 15 out of 16 races. But unlike Red Bull’s recent dominance, the top spot on the podium wasn’t hogged by just one driver. Senna and his teammate, the legendary Alain Prost, each had an almost equal share of the spotlight. However, Senna’s eight wins, over Prost’s seven, gave him the first drivers’ championship of his sensational career. And this is the suit he did it in.
There are countless memorable photos of Senna wearing this very suit, many of which show him holding a trophy on a podium. For even casual F1 fans, seeing this suit at home would likely bring chills.
Sotheby’s is auctioning off the suit with no reserve in Paris on February 4, 2025. The expected sale price is between 40,000-60,000 euros but I can see it fetching more than that. For F1 fans, this isn’t just any Senna suit, it’s the one he wore while cementing himself as one of the sport’s greatest drivers. It’s the one he wore when he proved he could not only challenge Prost for the title, but actually beat him, sparking a famous rivalry between the two drivers. It’s one that helped him make history. I can easily see a mega yacht-owning F1 fan paying whatever it takes to put that suit on their wall.
Whoever ends up being the next owner will have not only one of the most important pieces of Senna memorabilia in existence, but one of the most impactful, colorful, and downright coolest racing suits ever worn in F1.
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