Award for Senna fails to mask poor 2012
Roar Pro Bruno Senna has been awarded the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy. It’s a prestigious award given to a promising young driver typically just finding their feet in Formula One.
Awarded since 1992, the trophy has been won by the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton.
Bruno Senna, nephew of the late three-time world champion Ayrton, began his Formula One career with Hispania Racing Team in 2010, before moving to Renault as test driver in 2011.
He raced the second half the year after the team dropped Nick Heidfeld, jumping to Williams for 2012.
The 28-year-old’s career to date has been unspectacular at best.
During his debut season he was faced with a sub-par car, run by a team with no understanding of what it took to be competitive in Formula One.
His career looked to have stalled when he accepted a test-driver role at Renault (now Lotus), standing in-line behind Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld.
When German Heidfeld fell out of favour Senna was promoted to the race seat and immediately took his chance by qualifying seventh in his first race for the team.
In the race it all fell apart; he missed his braking marker and skated wide in to Jaime Alguersuari.
He never really recovered and eventually crossed the line a disappointing 13th.
This was followed by a ninth finish in Italy, his first points finish in Formula One.
That was the highlight of what was an ordinary 2011.
Once again Senna’s career looked on the rocks.
He was snapped up by Williams, which was a shadow of its former self in 2011.
He has shown significant signs of improvement this season.
In Spain, teammate Pastor Maldonado drove a supreme race to win.
Senna, meanwhile, endured another disappointing end which ultimately ended in the gravel trap, courtesy of Michael Schumacher.
In effectively two complete seasons in Formula One Senna has done nothing to cement his place on the grid beyond having a famous last name.
His best result has been sixth place. In contrast, his Barcelona teammate has recorded a victory and has constantly out-qualified the Brazilian.
The Bandini Trophy is a strange decision, given that Sergio Perez and Maldonado would have also been eligible.
Perez is on the radar of many top teams, including Ferrari where the Mexican is a member of the Driver Academy.
Perez has muscled a resurgent Sauber onto the podium twice this season.
In doing so, he has reduced fellow hot-shot Kamui Kobayashi to a bit-part role.
The Bandini Trophy, awarded to Senna for his exploits in 2011, is all very well and good but it does nothing to alter Senna’s poor 2012 record.
With Valtteri Bottas waiting in the wings at Williams, Senna is under pressure.
He has underperformed since arriving there, more so in view of Maldonado’s performances.
He needs to lift his game if he entertains any thought of a career in Formula One.
The Crowd Says (14) | Page 1 of Comments
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June 16th 2012 @ 11:23am
k77sujith said | June 16th 2012 @ 11:23am | Report comment
There’s always pressure on an individual to emulate his senior (relative) unfortunately in any sport. The guy seems to have the talent, just needs proper backing I reckon. thanks.
June 16th 2012 @ 3:23pm
Mat Coch said | June 16th 2012 @ 3:23pm | Report comment
There is a surplus of drivers out there who have the raw pace to compete in Formula One, but the sport is far more than the ability to drive a car quickly. Drivers must contend with the media, pressure from younger drivers working their way through as well as providing team valuable feedback to develop the car. Having a fat wallet also helps.
Bruno will be forever linked with his uncle, and those famous comments the triple-world champion made (“If you think I’m I’m fast, you should see my nephew”) and has thus far done nothing to step out of that shadow.
June 18th 2012 @ 7:51am
potter said | June 18th 2012 @ 7:51am | Report comment
Other than his win mal has actually done worse than senna results wise senna has scored in more races this year than mal thus implying he is more consistant
June 18th 2012 @ 10:07am
Mat Coch said | June 18th 2012 @ 10:07am | Report comment
A Grand Prix is more than just what happens for 90 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. Senna has not impressed in qualifying and if it wasn’t for Maldonado’s faux pas in Monaco the situation would be rather bleak for the Brazilian.
He has a marketable name, and that will help him, however nothing in his career to date have suggest he is a future Grand Prix winner.
June 23rd 2012 @ 12:06pm
Flint said | June 23rd 2012 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
The truth is that all of the other drivers have a decade’s worth of experience on Bruno, as he had to sit out from racing when his uncle Ayrton died. I think it’s a mistake, for Williams to take valuable learning time away from him and give it instead to Bottas on Fridays. Maldonado doesn’t have that disadvantage, and he also has the extra ten years’ worth of experience. I think Bruno has made up quite a bit of ground, considering his forced absence from the sport while growing up. It’s simply too early to make knowledgeable, fair, assessments. We shall see if he continues to improve.
June 23rd 2012 @ 3:54pm
Mat Coch said | June 23rd 2012 @ 3:54pm | Report comment
The experience argument doesn’t hold water any more; Kimi Raikkonen had barely twenty races to his name when he debuted for Sauber, Alguersuari was thrust in to competition without ever having driving a Formula One car at just nineteen.
Formula One is a sink or swim environment and currently Bruno is doggy paddling at best. He has the talent to be there, but thus far he’s shown nothing like the sort of spark the great drivers do. If he had it, we’d have seen at least a glimpse of it by now.
Bottas by contrast has continually impressed throughout his junior career. He is very highly thought of in Formula One circles, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s managed by Toto Wolff.
June 23rd 2012 @ 11:29pm
Flint said | June 23rd 2012 @ 11:29pm | Report comment
I think you’re mistaken. A full decade of missing time behind the wheel has to be factored-in when making a comparison with Raikkonen or anyone else. That’s a huge gap.
June 24th 2012 @ 10:46am
Mat Coch said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Senna racing apprenticeship was longer than Riakkonen’s is the point I’m making.
June 24th 2012 @ 4:38am
potter said | June 24th 2012 @ 4:38am | Report comment
You claim its not all to do with 90mins and its not but he has had three top ten finishes this season to maldanados 2 so even if he is down on points he is more consistantly finishing than his team mate and has had more top tens for someone with less experience that is good and makes him a decent second driver at the least. Bottas won’t settle to being back up when driving and there could be friction between him and mal, my belief is every team should have a no.1 and no.2 driver to avoid the ham alo situation in 07
June 24th 2012 @ 10:51am
Mat Coch said | June 24th 2012 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Williams is a long way from McLaren in ’07. It also manages its drivers differently. Further McLaren for the past three seasons have had Jenson and Lewis running a joint leaders of the team without any animosity.
Perhaps in another year when consistency was more important Senna’s results would be more impressive, however in 2012 the fact of the matter is, for midfield teams, they need those single big results. To prove the point look at where Force India or Toro Rosso are without those big results, then look where Sauber and Williams are having had them.
Maldonado’s win is far more valuable than a season full of ninth or tenth place finishes, and Senna hasn’t looked remotely close to producing anything beyond that while Maldonado has.
Not sure what your point with Bottas was – inference he’ll burst on to the scenes and upset Pastor like Lewis did to Alonso? I doubt that. Maldonado isn’t a driver arriving in a new team as a reigning world champion, looking to stamp his authority early. Valtteri and Pastor already work together.
June 24th 2012 @ 2:12pm
potter said | June 24th 2012 @ 2:12pm | Report comment
Already work together in a full driver reserve driver relationship, when both full drivers it will be completely different. And I beg to differ on force India they both generally perform well and are always considered alongside sauber and williams. In fact I think force india have a faster car than Williams but its not as kind on tires in the corners.
June 24th 2012 @ 2:46pm
Mat Coch said | June 24th 2012 @ 2:46pm | Report comment
Historically (ie last year) the midfield could be considered together. In 2012 it’s far more fragmented as the lines between the front runners and midfield blurs.
Prior to Valencia Force India had not shown any real pace. Sauber and Williams were quick in Monaco. Sauber was quick in Malaysia, Williams also quick in Australia and Spain. Force India have been consistent, and this season that just doesn’t cut it, but that’s a different story since we’re talking about Senna.
His formative years were different to most of his rivals however he isn’t unique and now, three years in to his Formula One career, is no longer a valid excuse. He was a race winner in junior formulae, including Australian Formula 3, but he’s not been able to reproduce that at Formula One level while his teammates have.
Pastor’s personality is markedly different to that of Fernando. Fernando is very head strong and confident in himself where Pastor relies on the team more and is therefore more willing to take direction. Everything the team has told me suggests Bottas is similarly malleable. He is the teams golden child as Lewis was at McLaren, but there are no sheep stations up for grabs at this point – should Bottas join Williams it’d be much the same situation as Di Resta joining Sutil at Force India. I don’t foresee any problems for anyone but Senna heading in to 2013.
June 24th 2012 @ 2:28pm
potter said | June 24th 2012 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
And the point the previous guy made was that most guys learn their trade in karting during their teens then move up the formative years for a driver is karting senna missed these, Kimi although missed a lot of single seater experience had an awful lot of karting experience and had been competing from a young age uninterrupted
June 24th 2012 @ 7:57pm
potter said | June 24th 2012 @ 7:57pm | Report comment
I don’t class the experience he has had as 3 years, the first was no more than a joke with a team that just clearly a year or two too early in f1. I do agree that he won’t be at Williams in 2013 unless they give Bottas another year testing, I can’t see that though he has looked strong, but he will still make a decent driver for a few teams not a top team by ny means he is not ready. I hate the term but he is a lucrative pay driver and the cash he can bring and the attention because of the name is valuable.
Force India seemed to have good race pace in Canada until the tires went and the made considerable headway in Monaco too, but like you said haven’t been consistantly challenging