Ayrton Senna's final McLaren F1 car set for first outing in 33 years at Goodwood Festival of Speed

McLaren has revealed its full plans for July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, with rarely seen cars driven by Ayrton Senna and James Hunt set to feature.

Earlier this week, Goodwood announced that reigning Formula 1 champion Lando Norris would be the headline act on the Friday and Saturday, with the Briton joined by MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi on the first of those days.

McLaren always has a significant presence at the post-British Grand Prix event, which will take place between 9-12 July.

This year, the team will run four different cars up the iconic hill, with Norris 2023 MCL60 on Saturday, and likely completing the seemingly mandatory doughnuts in front of the house.

Reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli will also be in attendance after his recent FP1 outing for the team, and will drive the MCL60 when Norris is unavailable.

For long-time F1 fans, the remaining three cars will provide somewhat of a treat, with James Hunt’s 1976 McLaren M23 being showcased, to celebrate 50 years since his world title success.

The MP4/8 has a special place in F1 history as the last car to take Ayrton Senna to the top step of the podium, an achievement that came at the 1993 Australian Grand Prix.

But the jewel in McLaren’s crown for the weekend will be Senna’s MP4/8B, which was used to test a Chrysler-Lamborghini V12 engine as a potential 1994 development.

The car was run in an all-white livery and has not been seen in public since September 1993. It was the last McLaren ever driven by the Brazilian.

“Goodwood Festival of Speed offers motorsport fans the opportunity to get up close to incredible cars and on-track action, and we’re excited to be part of it again,” said Lou McEwen, McLaren Racing Chief Marketing Officer.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our rich heritage by bringing some of Formula 1’s most iconic cars as well as celebrating current achievements.

“This year we’re celebrating 50 years since James Hunt won the World Championship, so we had to bring the winning chassis, M23. The MP4/8 race-winning car will also drive up the hill. This is the same car Ayrton Senna drove when he won the 1993 Australian Grand Prix. I’m particularly excited to bring the MP4/8B for public viewing for the first time since Ayrton and Mika Häkkinen drove it at a test in Estoril in 1993, a real treat for all motorsport fans.

“We’ll also be celebrating last year’s double Championship win on Saturday, when Lando drives the MCL60 to Goodwood House, a fantastic opportunity to look back at this very special moment for the team.

“Goodwood Festival of Speed is always one of the highlights of the year for us. We look forward to seeing our Papaya family on the ground.”

On driving duties across the weekend alongside Norris and Fornaroli, will be Bruno Senna and Rob Garofall.