Bruno Senna facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bruno Senna
Senna in 2018
Born	Bruno Senna Lalli (1983-10-15) 15 October 1983 (age 41) São Paulo, Brazil
Spouse(s)	Ludovica Colombotto Rosso ​ (m. 2023)​
Parent(s)	Viviane Senna (mother)
Relatives	Ayrton Senna (uncle)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Brazilian
Active years	2010–2012
Teams	HRT, Renault, Williams
Entries	46 (46 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	33
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last entry	2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
FIA World Endurance Championship career
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Years active	2013–2014, 2016–2020
Teams	Aston Martin, Morand, Rebellion
Starts	42
Championships	1 (2017)
Wins	11
Podiums	27
Poles	11
Fastest laps	5
Best finish	1st in 2017 (LMP2)
Formula E career
Years active	2014–2016
Teams	Mahindra
Car no.	21
Starts	21
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	1
Poles	0
Fastest laps	1
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2009, 2013–2014, 2016–2020
Teams	Oreca, Aston Martin, Morand, Rebellion
Best finish	2nd (2020)
Class wins	0
Previous series
2018–2019 2017–2018 2009 2008 2007–2008 2006 2005–2006 2004	ELMS IMSA SportsCar Le Mans Series GP2 Asia Series GP2 Series Porsche Supercup British F3 Formula BMW UK
Awards
2012	Lorenzo Bandini Trophy

Bruno Senna Lalli (born 15 October 1983) is a Brazilian former racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2010 to 2012. He also won the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class with Rebellion.

Bruno was born and grew up in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the nephew of the famous three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna. Bruno raced in Formula One for three years. He started with HRT in 2010. Then he joined Renault in August 2011. In 2012, he drove for the Williams team. From 2014 to 2016, he also raced in Formula E for Mahindra.

Early Life and Family Connections

Bruno Senna Lalli was born on October 15, 1983, in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the second of three children. His mother, Viviane Senna Lalli, was a psychotherapist and businesswoman. His family owns several businesses in Brazil, including in agriculture and cars.

Bruno started karting at his family's farm when he was five years old. His grandfather Milton and his uncle Ayrton taught him. Ayrton was a Formula One driver for McLaren at the time. Bruno said his grandfather and Ayrton were his biggest inspirations. He learned about mechanics by fixing jet skis and go-karts that his uncle owned. Ayrton believed Bruno had great potential. In 1993, Ayrton said, "If you think I'm fast, just wait until you see my nephew."

Bruno's Racing Journey

Starting His Career

Bruno Senna's 2004 Formula BMW UK car at Rockingham

Bruno's racing career stopped for a while after his uncle Ayrton's death in a crash in 1994. Later, in 1996, Bruno's father also passed away in a motorbike accident. Despite these sad events, Bruno's mother, Viviane, supported his interest in motor racing.

In 2004, Bruno drove his uncle's 1986 Lotus 98T car at the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo. This was a special moment, as it was 10 years after Ayrton's death. Gerhard Berger, who was Ayrton's teammate, became a close friend and advised Bruno on his career. Bruno's sister, Bianca, helped manage his racing business.

In 2004, Bruno raced in six events of the Formula BMW UK series. He scored six points in total.

Racing in Formula 3 (2005–2006)

In 2005, Bruno moved to the British Formula Three Championship. He drove for the Räikkönen Robertson Racing team. He finished on the podium three times and ended the season in tenth place. In 2006, he stayed with the same team and finished third overall. He won five races that year.

Bruno Senna driving a Dallara F304 in a support race at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix

During a race at Snetterton in 2006, Bruno had a big crash. His car went airborne after touching another car. Luckily, Bruno was able to walk away without serious injury. His car was too damaged to continue racing that day.

In 2006, Bruno also raced in Formula Three support races at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. He won three out of four races. He set a new lap record for Formula Three cars at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit. This record was still the fastest non-F1 lap there as of 2016.

Competing in GP2 Series (2007–2008)

In October 2006, Bruno aimed to join Formula One by 2009. He signed with the Arden International team for the 2007 GP2 Series. He finished fourth in his first race and soon won his first race in Spain.

In June 2007, Bruno also raced in the Ferrari Challenge series at Silverstone. He won both races, starting from pole position each time. This helped him learn more about the Silverstone track.

Bruno Senna driving for iSport International at the Silverstone round of the 2008 GP2 Series

For the 2008 season, Bruno joined iSport International. His teammate was Karun Chandhok. In a race in Turkey, Bruno's car hit a stray dog, which damaged his car and forced him to stop. Bruno was not hurt. He won the GP2 Feature race in Monaco, which was special because his uncle Ayrton had also won there many years before. Bruno finished second in the championship that year.

Racing in Le Mans Series (2009)

Bruno Senna driving for Oreca at the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans

Bruno hoped to get a Formula One spot for 2009. When that didn't happen, he looked for other racing opportunities. He joined the Oreca team to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Le Mans Series. His first race with them was the 2009 1000 km of Catalunya, where he finished third.

Formula One Career

Bruno Senna demonstrating a Ferrari 312B2 Formula One car at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Bruno first drove a modern Formula One car in November 2008 for Honda. He showed good speed, but Honda later left Formula One due to economic issues. This made it harder for Bruno to find a spot. He decided not to join the Mercedes DTM team to focus on Formula One. He also chose not to race for Team Lotus because of his uncle Ayrton's history with the team.

Driving for HRT (2010)

Bruno Senna driving for Hispania Racing at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix, his Formula One début

On October 30, 2009, Bruno announced he had signed a deal to race in Formula One in 2010 with Campos Meta. The team later changed its name to Hispania Racing. Karun Chandhok became his teammate.

Bruno Senna wore a plain yellow helmet at the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix to advertise a competition where fans could design his helmet for his home race later in the year

After nine races, Bruno was replaced for one race but returned for the German Grand Prix. On January 7, 2011, HRT announced that Bruno would not drive for them in the 2011 season.

Racing for Renault (2011)

On January 31, 2011, Bruno became a test and reserve driver for the Renault team. He helped test the car to prepare for replacing injured driver Robert Kubica. On August 24, Renault confirmed that Bruno would replace Nick Heidfeld for the rest of the 2011 season.

Bruno Senna scored his first Formula One points for Renault at the 2011 Italian Grand Prix.

In his first race with Renault, the Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified seventh. He finished ninth at the Italian Grand Prix, earning his first Formula One points. In the final race of the season in Brazil, Bruno started ninth. He was involved in a collision with Michael Schumacher and finished 17th. For 2012, Renault chose other drivers, leaving Bruno without a spot.

Joining Williams (2012)

Bruno Senna driving for Williams at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.

On January 17, 2012, Bruno was confirmed as a Williams driver. His teammate was Pastor Maldonado. Bruno sought his family's approval before joining Williams, as his uncle Ayrton had raced for them when he passed away.

Bruno scored his first points for Williams at the Malaysian Grand Prix, finishing sixth. This earned the team more points than they had in all of 2011. He finished seventh in China. In Spain, Maldonado won his first Grand Prix, but Bruno had to stop due to a collision. After that race, a fire broke out in the Williams garage, damaging Bruno's car.

Bruno Senna at the 2012 United States Grand Prix

Bruno finished tenth in Monaco and tenth in the European Grand Prix. At the Belgian Grand Prix, he achieved the fastest lap of his career. He finished the season in 16th place with 31 points. Williams replaced him for 2013 with Valtteri Bottas.

Endurance Racing and Other Series

FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans

On February 5, 2013, Bruno confirmed he would race for Aston Martin Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2013.

The #99 Aston Martin Vantage GT2 belonging to Bruno Senna, Robert Bell, and Frédéric Makowiecki at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans

Bruno and his teammates started well, winning at Silverstone and getting another podium at Spa. At Le Mans, their Aston Martin car started from pole position but had to stop after a serious crash. Luckily, the driver was not badly hurt.

In 2015, Bruno became a factory driver for McLaren's GT3 project.

Rebellion Racing (2017–2020)

The #1 Rebellion R18 belonging to Bruno Senna, Andre Lotterer, and Neel Jani at the 2018 6 Hours of Shanghai

In 2017, Bruno joined Vaillante Rebellion Racing. He and his teammate Julien Canal won the LMP2 world championship. In the final race in Bahrain, Bruno's car lost power steering. Despite this, he bravely drove for the last 50 minutes to win the race and the championship.

Formula E (2014–2016)

Bruno Senna competing for Mahindra Racing at the 2015 Berlin ePrix.

On May 26, 2014, Mahindra Racing announced Bruno and Karun Chandhok as their drivers for the 2014–15 Formula E season. Bruno stayed with the team for the 2015–16 season. He left the series before the 2016–17 season.

Airspeeder (2022–)

On March 10, 2022, the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) racing series Airspeeder announced Bruno Senna as a development pilot and global ambassador. Bruno helps develop the sport and its safety technology.

Television Work

On March 7, 2014, Bruno joined Sky Sports F1 as a commentator and analyst for several races. He also appeared on The F1 Show. On March 8, 2016, he became part of Channel 4's Formula One coverage.

Awards and Recognition

On July 15, 2012, Bruno Senna received the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in Italy. He was the 19th driver to get this award.

Helmet Design

Bruno Senna's helmet design is a special version of his uncle's helmet. It is yellow with green and blue S-shaped stripes. The green stripe has a blue-and-white outline, and the blue stripe has a green-and-white outline. There is also a green stripe under the chin and a blue shape on top.

Personal Life

Bruno Senna dated Ramóna Kiss, a Hungarian TV presenter and actress, in 2011.

Racing Record Summary

Career Overview

^† As Bruno was a guest driver, he was not eligible to score points.

See also

In Spanish: Bruno Senna para niños