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09/04/2008

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SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Senna, a lot of people wonder if the name of your family will be back in Formula 1 next season.

Bruno Senna: We are working on that. The possibility is not very low, but there is no deal signed so far. I'm talking to different people...

SPIEGEL ONLINE: ...to whom?

Senna: There are a few opportunities. Currently, we are measuring which is the best.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: So the decision about the return of the Sennas is in your hands?

Senna: Mmm … yes. Probably.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you consider yourself already good enough for Formula One?

Senna: It's maybe a different challenge compared to GP2, but if I get enough opportunities to do test driving and develop my abilities, I don't see a problem. Formula One is, of course, difficult; the limited testing period makes it very hard for new drivers to prepare. But I always had to jump stages; and I always jumped stages -- successfully. It's just a question of getting there and learning effectively.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Nobody before jumped from one stage to another as fast as you did. You drove your first official race in the end of 2004. To slip through to Formula One so fast, is that some kind of Senna magic?

Senna: Hard work! No magic. It may have been unexpectedly quick, but it was tough.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Did the name Senna open some doors?

Senna: It helped concerning sponsorship and the media. Motor racing is very expensive. Without sponsors I wouldn't have come this far, so the name helped me to get the right deals. But, in the end, teams will take me in for my results. I must win. Especially because I'm a Senna. Formula One is a bit harder for me than for other drivers who want to get into a team.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Why?

Senna: The name promises a lot. And I have to keep it. There will always be doubt: Is he as good as the other Senna was? People want to have proof before they can take the risk to sign me. I have to deliver more.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You often say that you don't see yourself as your uncle's successor...

Senna: ...in a way, Michael Schumacher is much more of a role model for me. It's easier for me to relate to him because he was the driver who dominated racing so much in recent years. And Ayrton stopped racing 14 years ago. It was another era for the Formula One. What Michael did -- for example, in terms of strategy -- is much more interesting to me.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: When your uncle Ayrton died in Imola (in a 1994 racing accident), you were 10 years old and your family forbade you to race.

Senna: On our farm, there was a racetrack. Every weekend, I went there with my grandfather to drive the go-cart. I learned very well. But when the accident happened, I didn't even discuss the possibility of going on with racing -- out of respect for the family. It was a very difficult situation for them. I had to accept that.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Do you remember the day your uncle died?

Senna: I was watching the race, and I saw that big crash. But, being a kid, I didn't really understand how serious it was. I thought he was going to jump out of the car and walk away. That didn't happen. They took him to the hospital. I still thought he would be OK. That didn't happen either. I remember this whole day as a series of events. It took me quite a while to understand the bad news.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Was it a shock?

Senna: Yes. But not such a big shock that it stopped me from enjoying racing or led to my hating it.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Thinking of your childhood days with Ayrton, what do remember most?

Senna: The holidays in our beach house when he was away from racing, mostly at the end of the year. He was quite a family man and spent a lot of time with me and my sister. We were always racing Jet Skis. He was very competitive, extremely ambitious. I was very light, which gave me a benefit, so he put ballast on my Jet Ski and used a fully tuned one for himself -- with more power, special blades and a special turbine.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Did he always beat you?

Senna: On rough seas, yes. But when the sea was very flat, I could beat him. And in the go-cart, I could match his lap time when I practiced enough.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: After his death, did you always imagine going on to race one day?

Senna: I was looking for another career that would allow me to include racing as a part of my life. But luckily it ended differently. When I was 18, my mother asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I told her: racing. She accepted. I don't know if she really knew how serious it was for me.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You have already had some accidents. Do you consider racing safe enough now?

Senna: It is safe enough. Of course, there is always risk, and I take this into account. But I never race with the fear factor inside my head. I try to put the "be-the-quickest" factor first.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Why?

Senna: If you think about danger too much, it slows you down. It is a calculated risk. Very few people don't have big crashes. I've had two so far, but I haven't hurt myself.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: If racing were not as safe as it is now, would you think the same thing?

Senna: Yeah, probably (laughs). Seriously, the standard of safety makes racing more competitive. Everybody is much braver now.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How brave is your family nowadays?

Senna: My mother watches almost all my races.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Has she lost her fear?

Senna: Oh, no. She is always very anxious, very nervous. But that's the same with every driver's mother.

Interview conducted by Jörg Schallenberg