---
title: "Racing Champ Ayrton Senna’s Former Racing Suit Headed to Auction"
description: "Senna's bright yellow suit features the iconic Honda, Camel, and Nacional sponsor patches."
date: "2018-03-16"
modified: "2018-03-16"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19277/racing-champ-ayrton-sennas-former-racing-suit-headed-to-auction"
categories:
  - "F1"
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
tags:
  - "Auction"
  - "Ayrton Senna"
  - "Formula 1"
  - "Memorabilia"
  - "Monaco"
  - "racing"
  - "RM Sotheby's"
---

# Racing Champ Ayrton Senna’s Former Racing Suit Headed to Auction

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/03/3ba3d69c079768e481fabef3b73d39029dea9eb9.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

RM Sotheby's will be auctioning off [Ayrton Senna's](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/18328/mclaren-reveals-new-information-about-the-senna-hypercar-ahead-of-geneva>) race-worn driving suit from the 1987 Formula 1 racing season. The yellow suit boasts Team Lotus' Camel racing livery, which through the decades (and the banning of tobacco sponsorship) has become one of the most iconic in all of motorsport.

Senna, a three-time F1 world champion, wore this particular suit when he eclipsed race-favorites Ferrari and [McLaren](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/19035/track-only-mclaren-senna-gtr-concept-unveiled-costs-1-4-million>) and emerged victorious at the 1987 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. This particular race is special for several reasons, but primarily because it was Senna's first of six Monaco Grand Prix wins and because it was Lotus team owner Colin Chapman's final victory in Formula 1 as a team owner and director.

![message-editor%2F1521128940851-661961a22d5f1c8151d53dd795fa33e7.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521128940851-661961a22d5f1c8151d53dd795fa33e7.jpg>)
*LAT Images*

![message-editor%2F1521128959115-0116fe346c2166c12ad435d8ab8e925cbb5f612f.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521128959115-0116fe346c2166c12ad435d8ab8e925cbb5f612f.jpg>)
*RM Sothebys*

According to the [listing](<https://www.rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/MC18/Monaco/lots/n0003/645553>), Senna gifted the autographed racing suit to his physiotherapist's brother, who kept it as a "lucky charm" for several years. The suit was eventually sold in Canada, and then resold to a gallery in the Principality of Monaco, where it currently resides.

![message-editor%2F1521128982194-0b7e343dfa75f7c19e9fc38e40f9e9b3bfa295ee.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521128982194-0b7e343dfa75f7c19e9fc38e40f9e9b3bfa295ee.jpg>)
*RM Sothebys*

![message-editor%2F1521128993162-unknown.jpeg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521128993162-unknown.jpeg>)
*RM Sothebys*

Senna suffered a fatal crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, and unlike many racing heroes, his legacy surpasses the confines of the Formula 1 circus and touches the lives of many Brazilians, the majority of them underprivileged, through the works of the [Instituto Ayrton Senna](<https://institutoayrtonsenna.org.br/pt-br.html>).

As a result of his popularity in Brazil and all across the world, any time a former belonging of his, whether a helmet or [an actual race car](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/18057/ayrton-sennas-grand-prix-winning-formula-one-car-is-going-to-auction>), hits the auction block, big news are made and even bigger bucks are raised.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)