It’s the 33rd anniversary, since on December 20, 1992, Formula One legend Ayrton Senna climbed into a Team Penske Indy car at what was then Firebird International Raceway outside Phoenix. Few test sessions in Indy car history particularly one that never led to an actual race start, have generated as much attention or remained as memorable.
At the time, Senna was locked in tense contract negotiations with McLaren in Formula One. Meanwhile, reigning 1992 F1 world champion Nigel Mansell had just stunned the motorsport world by announcing his move to Indy cars with Newman/Haas Racing for the following season. For Senna, a three-time world champion, even the suggestion that he might follow Mansell across the Atlantic was enough to send shockwaves through the FIA and the global fanbase.
With support from Marlboro, a common sponsor of both Senna and Team Penske and the encouragement of fellow Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, the test was arranged. Senna would drive Penske’s 1992 PC-21/Chevrolet, the same car Fittipaldi had used to score four wins that season, during a three-day test that also featured Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy evaluating the team’s 1993 machinery.
Senna arrived at the circuit alongside Fittipaldi, though memories differ on how. Roger Penske recalls a rental car, while Tracy remembers the pair pulling up in a limousine. For Tracy, who was poised to replace the retiring Rick Mears for 1993, Senna’s arrival was unsettling.
“We broke for lunch, and suddenly my seat was pulled out of the car,” Tracy recalled. “They poured a seat for Senna during the break, and then he was in the car. It was cool but in my mind I thought, ‘Uh-oh, maybe I’m not getting this ride.’”
Fittipaldi completed around 20 laps, posting a best time of 49.7 seconds. Senna then took over, initially easing into the car before the team softened the rear springs. Soon after, he recorded a lap reportedly as quick as 49.09 seconds.
“It didn’t take him long to show he was a racer,” said Rick Mears, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner who retired at the end of 1992 and remains part of the Penske organization today.
Mears also remembered how much Senna enjoyed driving the Indy car, especially compared to the increasingly technical Formula One machinery of the era.
“That was one of the things he loved he got to drive again,” Mears said. “He told us, ‘In Formula One, we’re starting to race computers rather than drivers. This is great I get to drive again.’”
News of Senna’s test reverberated across Brazil. Already a national icon, Senna’s brief flirtation with Indy cars elevated the series’ profile dramatically. Helio Castroneves, then just 17, recalled the excitement vividly.
“Everybody was like, ‘Whoa, that’s a big deal,’” Castroneves said.
Tony Kanaan, also 17 at the time, was preparing for his European racing career before eventually turning toward North America. While he believed Senna never truly intended to race in Indy cars, the implications of the test were undeniable.
“That brought a lot of credibility to Indy car racing in Brazil,” Kanaan said. “I was already interested in coming here that sealed it for me.”
The test ultimately achieved its purpose. Senna returned to Formula One with a lucrative McLaren deal reportedly worth $1 million per race in 1993. Tracy soon learned his seat at Penske was secure and went on to win five races that season success he partially credited to what he learned from watching Senna.
“He drove very differently from Emerson and Rick,” Tracy said. “He carried so much speed into the corners. My driving style changed after that carrying more rolling speed. Now, that’s how everyone drives.”
Penske knew from the start the test was a one-off. His 1993 lineup was already set with Fittipaldi and Tracy, and no serious negotiations ever took place.
“If Senna had been available, we would’ve tried to figure something out,” Penske said. “But we made it clear we didn’t have a seat. I think he was using the test as leverage with McLaren, which we understood. Emerson was a key part of our team, Marlboro was a major partner, and it was a pleasure to do business with Senna that day.”
Mears believes Senna may have considered an Indy car career later in life, but that opportunity never came. Senna was killed while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, one of the darkest days in motorsport history.
To mark the anniversary of the 1992 test, Penske later restored the PC-21 to running condition. Given that Senna, Fittipaldi, and Mears all drove it, its legacy is immeasurable.
“Some very special talent sat in that car,” Penske said. “It’s a truly historic piece, and a special one for me.”
