Ayrton Senna’s secret IndyCar test with Penske was closer to greatness than anyone realized – Jalopnik

Ask any Formula 1 fan or driver on Mount Rushmore and Ayrton Senna’s face is probably there. With 41 Grand Prix victories and three championships to his name, the Brazilian showed brilliance in all aspects of his career. Charismatic off the track and lightning fast on it, it’s no wonder Netflix has retold the legend of Senna.

However, in the many renditions of Senna’s story through film and television, one chapter is almost always overlooked. At the end of the 1992 season, both McLaren Racing and Senna were stable in performance after Senna’s back-to-back titles in ’90 and ’91. Even with three victories to Senna’s name, he was no match for the technically equipped rocket ship of Nigel Mansell and Williams Racing.

Moreover, the team was about to lose its strongest asset: Honda. After years of dominance with McLaren, the Japanese brand had achieved everything it had hoped for in Formula 1. After Senna had driven Honda to four consecutive constructors’ titles and helped develop the NSX, the brand parted ways with him and McLaren at the end of 1992. When his contract expired, Senna was left unsure whether to stay with the team he called home for the past five years.

But everything changed at the end of 1992, when Senna was given a unique opportunity: an IndyCar test with the legendary Team Penske in Phoenix. In what would be Senna’s only time behind the wheel of an American open-wheeler, his handful of laps in the Arizona sun would cause a stir in the motorsport world, securing his place in F1 for 1993 and becoming a major ‘what if’ in a storied career that was tragically cut short.

The test was the brainchild of Marlboro Racing’s John Hogan, who presented the idea to Roger Penske. It would be a phenomenal look for Marlboro, as the tobacco brand had its logos on both Penske and McLaren cars. Moreover, it would be a perfect sale, as the team already has a three-day test planned at Firebird Raceway, and because Senna is already close to Penske driver and compatriot Emerson Fittipaldi.

But for Senna it wasn’t just a chance to test IndyCar, it was also a way to send a message straight to McLaren CEO Ron Dennis. Seeing the star driver test with IndyCar’s top team in a contract year would undoubtedly put pressure on the team to lure Senna back with a competitive car in ’93, and also put pressure on the entire F1 paddock as this generational talent had the chance to walk away.

And so, on the morning of December 20, Senna climbed into the cockpit of the Penske PC-21 IndyCar. The Penske chassis and Chevrolet power plant were much heavier and slower than Senna’s Formula 1 counterpart, but unsurprisingly Senna learned quickly. With some minor adjustments to the setup after the opening stint, Senna was able to complete laps three-tenths of a second faster than the benchmark times set by Fittipaldi earlier in the day.

Even more impressive for four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears was how enthralled Senna was behind the wheel. “He said, ‘In Formula 1 cars we’re starting to race with computers instead of drivers,'” Mears recalled in the documentary ‘Senna: The Test’ (according to indycar.com). “He said, ‘This is great, I can drive again.'”

Despite Senna’s pace and excitement, both sides ultimately knew the test would lead nowhere. With Paul Tracy and Emerson Fittipaldi locked up, Roger Penske had no interest in bringing in another driver for the 1993 season. And Senna did not view this test as a trial run for ’93, but to shake the people of Europe.

It worked. At McLaren, Dennis not only found an engine partner in Ford Cosworth, but also signed Senna to a contract for the following season, earning as much as $1 million per race. In his final year in red and white, Senna would win five more races with McLaren before finally parting ways with the team for Williams in 1994.

That same year, however, Senna’s former opponent, Nigel Mansell, made waves with his own move to IndyCar. Driving for Newman/Haas Racing, “Manselmania” ended with the Briton winning the 1993 championship and finishing third in the Indy 500. How quickly Senna could adopt IndyCar’s more physical racing style, and how competitive Penske was at the height of his partnership with Ilmor Engineering, many wondered: What if Senna had actually pulled the trigger on IndyCar? How would he have fared on the ovals?

For reasons we all know too well, it was a question he was never able to answer. At the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Senna lost his life as the field leader – a tragic end for one of racing’s most beloved drivers. And the Phoenix test remains in fans’ memories as a true demonstration of Senna’s talent, and of what life after F1 might have been like for one of the all-time greats.