Honouring memory of Senna

Few drivers in the history of Formula One have the mystique and aura of the Brazilian great Ayrton Senna. His duals with the likes of Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell will live long in the memory. His tragic death in the early stages of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was mourned the world over, and to mark the 30^thanniversary of his passing McLaren unveiled a new livery across its range of sporting assets in honour of Senna, using the instantly recognisable green and yellow colours of the Brazilian flag as their touchpoint. MOB were tasked with creating two short videos to mark the occasion ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, a race Senna won a record six times in his career. The production window was tight, the technical requirements immense, and MOB were trusted to enter McLaren’s revered HQ in Woking, England to execute the film with the utmost of secrecy to showcase the much anticipated F1 and Automotive cars.

Filmed at the McLaren technology Centre in Woking, the shoot required a 360-degree camera rig upon which 72 digital cameras were positioned with a ‘bullet rig’ to produce the effect of the spinning car. Morphing from the iconic orange and white colours that have been the McLaren trademark for decades into the new Senna livery, all to a high-octane soundtrack of authentic Senna F1 recordings, and the spinning yellow and green helmet that made Senna so instantly recognisable. Using a body double and replicas of Senna’s iconic race overalls, the shoot – which was turned around from go-ahead to concluded production in just three weeks – yielded a conceptual film showcasing the original Senna F1, the new F1 livery and the one-off McLaren Auto road car, the Senna Sempre.