$260M Spanish superstar Fernando Alonso gifts iconic element of Senna history to his parents - “Let me use it from time to time”

Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso gifted his parents the iconic McLaren MP4/4-B driven by former three-time world champion Ayrton Senna. The Spanish driver has been racing at the pinnacle of motorsport for over two decades, having first made his debut during the 2001 season with Minardi.

The 32-time race winner had another consistent year in 2024, finishing P9 in the Driver's Championship, scoring 70 of the British team's 94 points. He also signed a new two-year extension with the iconic British brand that would see him race until the end of 2026 at least.

The two-time world champion's fire for rating has not extinguished, despite turning 43 earlier in the year. After the season-finale in Abu Dhabi, Alonso got an opportunity to drive his hero Aryton Senna's 1988 McLaren with his father José Luis.

On Instagram, the $260m net worth driver (as per Celebrity Net Worth) posted about the experience and cheekily poked fun at his father after giving him the priceless gift, saying:

"1984 - 2024. Impossible to compensate for all that my parents have taught me. But today was a nice day watching them drive their formula 1. Thanks so much, enjoy and let me use it from time to time."

When Fernando Alonso got emotional driving Ayrton Senna's McLaren

Fernando Alonso had previously claimed that he was very emotional after he drove his hero Ayrton Senna's McLaren in 2015 after he announced his return to the Woking-based outfit from Ferrari.

Speaking at an event to promote McLaren's 30-year association with TagHuer, the two-time F1 world champion spoke about the unforgettable experience and said, via Autosport:

"It was a very emotional day. The car is legendary; the most dominant car in Formula 1. I had the privilege to do eight or nine laps I think, and to hear Jenson enjoying the differences in the cars. Even if you don't push to the limits, it's something that I will not forget. It was a wonderful experience."

Fernando Alonso further detailed his experience of driving the MP4/4 and was asked if he would swap the cars in the 80s with the ones in 2015 to which he replied:

"Probably yes. The cars were more racy, with big tires, big engines, and not many limitations in terms of creativity for the designers. Now everything is much more strict; there is no testing, there are only simulations, so there was probably a little more time to enjoy it before."

Fernando Alonso's association with McLaren ended at the end of the 2018 season. He took a two-year sabbatical from F1 to race in Le Mans and IndyCar before eventually returning in 2021 with Alpine and later joining Aston Martin in 2023.