Schumacher unhappy with performance
Michael Schumacher admitted that the first day of practice for the Monaco Grand Prix had not gone as well as he had hoped, even though his poor lap time was partly the result of him only using one set of tyres.
The Ferrari driver ended second practice 15th overall on the timesheets and, although there are some who believe the track will favour his Bridgestone tyres the more it gets rubbered in, the seven-time champion was pretty downbeat.
"Obviously, we cannot be too happy with what we have seen so far, although the results can be partly explained by the fact we used just one set of tyres, unlike many of the other drivers," he explained. "But I'm not trying to hide the fact that the situation is not looking that good.
"At the moment we are too slow and we have to study the data to find out why. There is work to do, but we have enough experience to get out of this situation."
Teammate Felipe Massa added: "It was not an easy day for us. We have a lot of work to do to be competitive in qualifying and the race. In the two hours of free practice we worked mainly on finding the right balance on the car, as well as assessing the two types of tyre available.
"We need a tyre that gives us speed in qualifying, but also consistency for the race. Now we will study the data to find the right compromise and this time, we have a whole extra day to look at it."
Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was more optimistic about the team's chances - and believes that the changing track would probably favour them more over the remainder of the weekend.
"Track conditions evolved rapidly during these free practice sessions and the various red flags made the situation a bit more complicated. Honestly, today we did not get the performance we were expecting from the tyres, which suffered from a slight lack of grip.
"However, the aim is for the tyres to be at their best on Saturday and Sunday, not in free practice! Actually, I'm confident the situation will improve as the track gradually offers more grip and when there will be more rubber on the racing line.
"In these conditions, I think we will be stronger than we seemed to be today. The cars worked well and their balance is pretty good. I am optimistic about the rest of the weekend."
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2006 Monte Carlo Grand Prix - Race 7/18
- Thread starter Flibster
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I'm amazed KR can motivate himself to get into that car, the bloke must be at the end of his tether. I guess the pay helps a bit 
but the 10-place punishment (frequently for him!) would depress me!!
but the 10-place punishment (frequently for him!) would depress me!!Brawn regrets Rossi's decision
Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn has admitted that he is disappointed that MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi has decided against a switch to car racing and potentially driving for the team in Formula One.
Rossi announced yesterday that he wishes to concentrate on his motorcycle career despite impressing for Ferrari in private tests in Italy and at an open test at Valencia before the season began.
"We were very impressed with what he was able to do, but he has decided," said Brawn. "I think he feels he has his hands full with his motorcycle career.
"After several championships he was looking for a new challenge, and he's found a new challenge in his [current] career."
Brawn made it clear that he believes Rossi has the talent to make the switch from two to four wheels.
"It would have been very exciting," he said. "It is difficult to predict what would have happened. But he was very impressive in all the running we did, otherwise we wouldn't have taken him so seriously."
When asked whether Rossi could still race in F1 in the future, Brawn said: "The longer you leave it, the harder it will become. But could he still do it? I guess he could, yes, in a couple of years."
Rossi's announcement fuelled speculation that Ferrari have already decided upon their 2007 driver line-up and that Kimi Raikkonen will be named as Michael Schumacher's teammate for next season.
But when asked whether Rossi knew of Raikkonen's and Schumacher's intentions for next year when he made his announcement, Brawn said: "No!"
"The decision does simplify Ferrari's options for next year. Obviously at the end of this year we have to put all the pieces in place, and that's one piece that has been put in place," said Brawn.
"But it would have been a nice challenge to have. It's a shame."
Ferrari reject tyre favouritism claims
Renault boss Flavio Briatore should stop complaining that current Bridgestone teams will gain a significant advantage in 2007 when the Japanese company becomes the sole tyre supplier in Formula One, according to Ross Brawn.
Ferrari's technical director said on Thursday at Monaco that Briatore has only one company to blame if his team are disadvantaged next year - and that is Michelin.
"The situation we have coming in 2007 is because Michelin decided to withdraw from the sport," said the Englishman. "Those teams that are now unhappy about the situation should go and complain to Michelin.
"It's Michelin's fault that they decided to withdraw from the sport. Briatore should complain to Michelin rather than Ferrari, Bridgestone or the FIA."
Briatore said this month that he feared Ferrari, who have a close relationship with Japan's Bridgestone, will be favoured when his team's partners Michelin pull out at the end of the season.
"If we are all on Bridgestone next year, then if you use them already you will surely have an advantage," said Briatore. "I believe what the FIA and Bridgestone need to do is to change the compound and change the construction completely.
"I don't think it is fair to give an advantage to some teams - whoever those teams are. I don't care if it is just Ferrari. I believe we need to have equal possibility to do our job."
Brawn admitted that the current Bridgestone teams will have some advantage next year, even though the tyre company is likely to take "one or two steps back" in the specification of its rubber in 2007.
"There is no doubt that the teams that have built a relationship with Bridgestone will benefit from having done that," he said. "That's entirely fair and proper."
Formula One teams and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) have agreed formally to move to a single tyre supplier from 2008, with the governing body announcing a tender for that contract earlier in the week.
McLaren's 40 years in 40 facts
On May 22nd 1966 Manfred Mann was top of the UK charts with "Pretty Flamingo", the Rolling Stones had the top album "Aftermath" and the Beach Boys had just released the legendary "Pet Sounds". On that same day Bruce McLaren debuted his M2B at the Monaco Grand Prix marking the beginning of one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history.
In the 40 years since that day McLaren has:
1. Competed in 602 Formula 1 Grands Prix.
2. Won a total of 148 of the races they have competed in.
3. Won 11 Formula 1 Drivers' World Championships and been crowned Formula 1 Constructors' World Champions a total of eight times.
4. Won the Indianapolis 500 three times, the Can Am Championship on five occasions as well the 24 Heures du Mans.
5. Finished one-two on the podium on 40 occasions.
6. Started 122 races from pole position.
7. On 70 of these occasions gone on to win the race from pole position.
8. Started 255 Grand Prix from the front row.
9. On 51 occasions occupied both spots on the front row of the grid.
10. Set the fastest lap of the race 126 times.
11. Been on the podium a total of 387 times, this would be the equivalent of 1161 litres of champagne that could have been sprayed by the drivers.
12. Raced on six continents and in 28 countries, of which the team has won races in 25.
13. Been the only team to date to have won all but one race in a whole season when they finished 15 out of a possible 16 races on the top step of the podium in 1988 with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
14. Had 42 different drivers race for the team with 16 different nationalities.
15. Employed 10 World Champions over the 40 years. Of these six have won a total of 11 Drivers' World Championship between them whilst driving for McLaren.
16. Maintained the longest partnership in the sport, with HUGO BOSS supplying the team uniforms for the past 25 years.
17. Only had a total of three Title Partners throughout its 40 year history.
18. Built and moved into the award winning McLaren Technology Centre which was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in May 2004.
In 1995 Mercedes-Benz joined McLaren and since then:
19. The McLaren Mercedes Partnership has claimed 44 victories, 43 pole positions, 58 fastest laps, 134 podiums, 224 point finishes, 14 one-two finishes, in a total of 192 starts.
Since McLaren's Formula 1 debut in Monaco, the team has been dominant on the streets of Monte Carlo.
20. In 1966 the Monaco Grand Prix consisted of 100 laps at 3.130km each, the qualifying lap was 1m29.9 seconds with the top speed reaching 126.080km/h. In 2005 there were 78 laps of 3.340km in length. The pole position set by Kimi Raikkonen was 1m13.644 and the top average speed 158.540km/h.
21. The livery of the original car was white with a green stripe. The reason for this was due to the film Grand Prix. The car featured heavily in the John Frankenheimer movie as McLaren had offered to assist the filmmakers in order to fund their first season in Formula 1. The three hour long film won three Academy Awards.
22. There were a total of four employees that assisted Bruce at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1966. In contrast Team McLaren Mercedes will be sending 137 people to Monte Carlo this year; this figure includes drivers, engineers, mechanics, support crew, marketing personnel and hospitality.
23. Of the original workforce in 1966, two are still currently working within McLaren Racing. Tyler Alexander travels with the team as a systems engineer and Ray Rowe works as a gearbox mechanic.
24. Following their debut it only took 24 races before McLaren won their first ever Grand Prix at the 1968 Belgium Grand Prix with Bruce at the wheel.
25. McLaren first won on the streets of the principality with Alain Prost securing the first victory in Monaco in 1984.
26. Since this win, McLaren have gone on to win the Monaco Grand Prix a total of 13 times. This is more than any other team in the history of the sport. In addition since the 1998 Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren Mercedes has taken victory in the Principality on four occasions.
27. Two years later in 1986 McLaren scored the first of 40 one-two finishes for the team in Monaco with Alain Prost crossing the line in front of team-mate Keke Rosberg.
28. Past McLaren World Champion Ayrton Senna also holds the record for most wins at this track with a total of six, five of which he scored whilst driving a McLaren.
29. McLaren have started the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position on 10 occasions.
30. Last year Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya raced at Monaco with the most precious helmets ever worn by a Formula 1 driver. Both helmets were adorned with a total of 600 Steinmetz diamonds.
31. With Kimi Raikkonen winning the Monaco Grand Prix in 2005 and Juan Pablo Montoya winning in 2003 for Williams, Team McLaren Mercedes will be the only team on the grid competing with two past winners this year.
As we are celebrating our first race 40 years ago, it is a good time to look back on some of the firsts McLaren have introduced to Formula 1 in the last 40 years:
32. In 1981 McLaren raced the first carbon fibre composite chassis, the MP4/1.
33. The 1993 challenger, MP4/8, was the first car to feature bargeboards.
34. Another feature of today's cars, the mid-wing, was originally seen on the MP4/10 in 1995.
35. An important cooling feature on the car, the chimney, was first introduced on the MP4-15 in 2000.
36. McLaren were the first constructor to win in Formula 1, Can Am, Indy 500 and Le Mans.
37. In 1998 Team McLaren Mercedes introduced the first two-seater Formula 1 car the MP4-98T, which has taken 151 passengers for the ride of their life, including His Majesty King Juan Carlos, Jim Corr, Murray Walker, Vanessa Mae and the Russian cosmonaut Vasili Tsieliyev.
38. Over the years McLaren has pioneered in the arena of trackside hospitality, being the first team to introduce double-decker motorhomes and more recently the innovative Team Communications Centre in 2002.
39. McLaren, in conjunction with Corporate Partner HUGO BOSS, were the first to introduce bespoke clothing for the team to wear whilst travelling to and from Formula 1 grand prix and tests.
40. McLaren were the first team to produce their own in-house monthly magazine. Racing Line will publish its 100th edition this June.
Tax Evader said:I'm amazed KR can motivate himself to get into that car, the bloke must be at the end of his tether. I guess the pay helps a bit
Eeeeeeerrrrrr...
What 10 place penalty? His engine didn't go 'foom' just a wiring loom caught fire.
Looking forward to qualifying - should be frantic
Simon/~Flibster
Associate
OK, I know... just the 'potential' penalty, after reading your news post. Let's face it, it'll probably end up being an actual penalty when something does go pop!
Kimi is a car breaker! Definatly. Driving his car too hard and breaking it every other race. Alonso doesn't seem to be as quick as kimi on fastest laps... but he gets the car home every time, and usually in the top 3. Or in the case of this season, the top 2... he's only dropped 6 points out of a total of 60 he could have collected...
Not much news today....bit of a surprise that.
Symonds denies Ferrari rumour
Pat Symonds has renewed his denial that he is looking to change teams.
It was reported earlier this week that Renault's highly-respected executive director of engineering, after being courted by Honda and McLaren, may now be the keen target of Ferrari.
But the long-serving Briton insisted at Monaco: ''I see zero reasons to leave my super team.'' While that is about as clear a denial as will ever be found in a grand prix paddock, Symonds' boss, Flavio Briatore, dodged the question about whether he would be renewing his own Renault contract. ''That is not relevant for me at the moment,'' the Italian said.
Briatore added: ''Whatever I do in the future, I need to be doing the best thing now for Renault. That is the priority.''
McLaren in the hunt, says Alonso
Championship leader Fernando Alonso thinks a new rival has joined the battle for victory in Monte Carlo -- McLaren.
Renault's Spaniard, quickest on Thursday morning in the Principality, was outpaced by a silver clad driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, in the afternoon. ''I believe McLaren are looking stronger here than they have recently,'' the 24-year-old, to switch to the Woking based squad in 2007, said.
Alonso told reporters: ''Ferrari and McLaren seem to be on good form. I think Ferrari will fight for pole, even if they were not up the front (on Thursday).''
The reigning world champion, however, is less certain about how his own Michelin tyres will behave over a quick lap. Like many rivals, he used only a single set of tyres in Thursday practice.
Kimi roasts hesitant marshals
Kimi Raikkonen has criticised dawdling track marshals for nearly putting his Monaco grand prix up in smoke.
The Finn pulled over in Thursday practice with a smoking McLaren, which some had assumed might be an engine problem. It was only a broken heat shield, in fact, which triggered a fire in a wiring loom, but the damage might have been worse had 26-year-old 'iceman' Raikkonen not grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the errant flames out himself.
Indeed, the time it took to put out the fire has been linked with an hydraulic problem that also had to be fixed by mechanics.
''Marshals didn't want to do anything,'' Kimi charged. ''That is why the problem was much worse.''
Mercifully for Raikkonen, though - who is wearing a special helmet design for the glamorous event that he won a year ago - his engine itself emerged unscathed.
Pirelli 'seriously considering' F1 bid
Italian tyre company Pirelli have admitted in public for the first time that they are considering a return to Formula One in 2008.
With the FIA having released earlier this week details of the tender for F1's control tyre after next season, there had been fresh speculation that Pirelli could go up against Bridgestone and possibly Michelin to try and gain the contract.
Paul Hembery, Pirelli's motorsport director, confirmed this week that the company are evaluating the possibility of making an F1 comeback.
Pirelli were last involved in the sport from 1989 to 1991, with their last victory coming at the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix.
"We are seriously considering a bid to enter Formula One when the control tyre comes," said Hembery. "As well as that, we are looking at Le Mans prototypes and rally raids as well.
"There's no timescale on any of this, we are considering all of our options. I don't mind what we do, all I have to do is make sure that whichever way we go, we do a good job."
Bridgestone are thought certain to apply for the tender, while Michelin are still undecided about whether to go for it.
Nick Shorrock, Michelin's head of F1 operations, said: "Our position remains the same: we will look at the call to tender and consider our options.
"At the moment we have technical regulations for 2006, but what happens in 2008 is not clear."
Berger expects STR to fall behind V8 rivals
Gerhard Berger expects his 'Toro Rosso' team to drop further behind as the 2006 season drags on.
The Austrian, who bought fifty per cent of the former Minardi squad from Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, reckons the performance-limited V10 Cosworth engine will be a hindrance rather than a help compared to its V8 rivals.
''We want to maintain our current level in the second half of the year,'' Berger, a grand prix veteran of the 80s and 90s, told the 'apa' agency. He said complaints about the team's alleged performance advantage has been all about 'envy' and 'politics'.
Berger insisted: ''We do not expect to make big progress because the other teams' V8 engines, unlike our V10, will be further developed. ''The gap could become bigger.''
Berger said he expected his drivers to qualify between eighteenth and twentieth here on Saturday. ''At present we cannot expect much more,'' he added. ''But anything can happen here and the chaos in Monaco qualifying could be a positive point for us.''
Senna to test STR at end of year - Berger
Gerhard Berger has denied rumours in the Monte Carlo paddock that Bruno Senna, the nephew of his old McLaren teammate, could test a Toro Rosso car very soon.
''During the season it would be difficult,'' the Austrian, who half-owns the former Minardi squad, told the 'Salzburger Nachrichten' newspaper.
But Berger said: ''Perhaps at the end of the year.''
Johnnie Walker salutes 40years of progress at McLaren
Johnnie Walker, the world's number one selling Scotch Whisky today presented Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group and Team McLaren Mercedes Team Principal with a handcrafted bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label decorated with Steinmetz diamonds to celebrate McLaren's 40th anniversary in Grand Prix racing.
The bottle was presented by Paul Walsh, CEO Diageo on the steps of the Team McLaren Mercedes Communications Centre in the Formula 1 paddock.
Earlier in the month Ron Dennis visited the home of Johnnie Walker at the Cardhu distillery to help view some of the casks selected for this historic Blue Label blend.
Monaco is a significant location for both Johnnie Walker and McLaren, with McLaren's Formula 1 debut being at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1966, while Johnnie Walker first appeared on the Monaco track in the mid-seventies.
"There is a natural and historic fit between Johnnie Walker, McLaren and Monaco, both brands have become synonymous with the sophistication and glamour epitomised by this special race," said Ben Anderson, global brand director of Johnnie Walker.
"As a partner of Team McLaren Mercedes, Johnnie Walker is delighted to be here in Monaco to celebrate this historic milestone with the team."
Ron Dennis said "I was invited to the home of Johnnie Walker to see the whisky distillation process for myself and was amazed at how many rare and distinctive whiskies come together to create Blue Label. It was a pleasure to meet Jim Beveridge, the master blender who explained the intriguing art of blending and the attention to detail that goes into creating this excellent blend."
Throughout the Grand Prix weekend Johnnie Walker continues to demonstrate its commitment to responsible drinking through the 'Pit Stop' promotion located at Monaco railway station.
The activity was launched on Wednesday by a personal appearance by Juan Pablo Montoya, who arrived by train and helped the Johnnie Walker Pit Stop crew to raise consumer awareness on how to enjoy the Monaco Grand Prix responsibly.
Mika: Kimi should stay at McLaren
Two time world champion Mika Hakkinen feels that Kimi Raikkonen has a better chance of achieving lasting success by staying with McLaren.
The 38-year-old has been a long-term driver for Mercedes but won both his world championships in a McLaren. He says that Raikkonen would be better served by looking to solve the problems with his team rather than searching for a new one.
"Personally I believe Kimi should continue with McLaren-Mercedes," the Mercedes DTM star told Autosport magazine.
"I think he should work closely with the team and focus on the problems and try to make things better.
"Maybe it doesn't come for the next race, or the race after, or even this year, but you have to look long-term at what is the best."
There has been plenty of speculation that Raikkonen will join Ferrari next season, with some pundits saying it is already a done deal.
But Hakkinen, who only drove for two teams in his F1 career - Lotus (1991-'92) and McLaren ('93-'01), warned Raikonnen that a switch in teams could damage his long-term prospects in the sport.
"If you start jumping left, right and centre, suddenly you realise 10 years have gone by," he said.
"It's a tough one, of course. It's difficult for a young driver to make a decision.
"The question is: do you want to win it 10 times or do you want to win it once."
Hmmm....
"If you start jumping left, right and centre, suddenly you realise 10 years have gone by," he said.
Coooeeeee?? Button? Read that ^^^
Changes at Spa
The Societe Wallonne de Gestion et de Participations (SOGEPA), a company owned by the regional government of the Belgian region of Wallonia, has announced a restructuring of the company that runs the Spa Francorchamps racing circuit.
SOGEPA exists to invest in companies that will help develop the economy of the region and has now decided to take over the company and replace the current management with a new board of directors headed by socialist politicians Libert Froidmont (who is head of SOGEPA) and Jean-Louis Rolle.
The next step is to sign a new contract for a Grand Prix and then work out who will promote the races at the Francorchamps.
Ferrari reject tyre favouritism claims
Renault boss Flavio Briatore should stop complaining that current Bridgestone teams will gain a significant advantage in 2007 when the Japanese company becomes the sole tyre supplier in Formula One, according to Ross Brawn.
Ferrari's technical director said on Thursday at Monaco that Briatore has only one company to blame if his team are disadvantaged next year - and that is Michelin.
"The situation we have coming in 2007 is because Michelin decided to withdraw from the sport," said the Englishman. "Those teams that are now unhappy about the situation should go and complain to Michelin.
"It's Michelin's fault that they decided to withdraw from the sport. Briatore should complain to Michelin rather than Ferrari, Bridgestone or the FIA."
Briatore said this month that he feared Ferrari, who have a close relationship with Japan's Bridgestone, will be favoured when his team's partners Michelin pull out at the end of the season.
"If we are all on Bridgestone next year, then if you use them already you will surely have an advantage," said Briatore. "I believe what the FIA and Bridgestone need to do is to change the compound and change the construction completely.
"I don't think it is fair to give an advantage to some teams - whoever those teams are. I don't care if it is just Ferrari. I believe we need to have equal possibility to do our job."
Brawn admitted that the current Bridgestone teams will have some advantage next year, even though the tyre company is likely to take "one or two steps back" in the specification of its rubber in 2007.
"There is no doubt that the teams that have built a relationship with Bridgestone will benefit from having done that," he said. "That's entirely fair and proper."
Formula One teams and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) have agreed formally to move to a single tyre supplier from 2008, with the governing body announcing a tender for that contract earlier in the week.
Briatore, Todt want less technology in F1
Formula One needs to be more entertaining and less technology-driven, Renault and Ferrari team bosses agreed on Thursday.
"I would say that Formula One, in my opinion, does not need as its first priority technical challenge," Ferrari's Jean Todt told a Monaco Grand Prix news conference.
"It needs show, it needs people fighting on the track. And very often, with the more technology you have, the less opportunity you give to the drivers to fight on the track."
Flavio Briatore suggested that those teams calling for more technology were those who had delivered least.
"Everybody talks about technology and fighting for technology but it's the people who have never won a race, or it's a team that won a race eight or nine years ago," he said.
"If somebody needs to talk about technology, then it is Renault and Ferrari... I believe like Jean says that we need real racing. What we need is overtaking, we need people enthusiastic to watch Formula One."
Formula One's next big battle is over the technical regulations for 2008 now that peace has broken out between the major carmakers and the commercial rights holders over the division of revenues after years of debate.
Some manufacturers are eager for the sport to remain the pinnacle of motor racing through cutting-edge technology, while others and the governing body are adamant that costs must be slashed to ensure smaller teams can compete and survive.
Todt and Briatore said they were happy with the FIA's proposed technical rules for 2008, the first season after the expiry of the current commercial agreement.
"We don't need to negotiate any more because already we have seen how long it takes to negotiate a commercial deal," said Briatore.
"Three years ago we had a better deal. Now we have signed a worse deal and it has taken six years to put this together."
Senna name back on track in Monaco
The name Senna has as much resonance in Monaco as the reverberating roar of Formula One cars howling through the tunnel and along the harbourside.
This weekend, 12 years since three times world champion Ayrton Senna crashed and died in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the name is back.
Bruno Senna, 22-year-old nephew of the great Brazilian who won a record six times in the Mediterranean principality including five in a row, is competing in a Porsche support race.
He is not just along for the ride, either.
"My main reason to come here was to learn the track for the future," he told Reuters in an interview on Friday.
That future, inevitably, is Formula One but Senna is prepared to bide his time.
"The ultimate aim is not only Formula One, it's being successful there," he said. "There's no point in arriving there and being kicked out so that's why I'm not in a hurry. I need to get well prepared before getting there."
Bruno has racing in his blood. The son of Viviane Senna, Ayrton's sister, the resemblance to the late great is immediately apparent.
The two used to race go-karts together, with Bruno usually winning.
"I was too light, he couldn't keep up with me," he recalled. "I knew my way around the track very well because I had tested there every weekend. I would do the same laptimes as him...he could catch me on the corners but on the straights I just pulled away so he was a bit frustrated."
The idyll fell apart after Imola 1994. His grandfather, who had taken him to his kart races, lost interest and Bruno's father died in a motorcycle accident.
"No one was really keen to have me racing," said Senna. "So I kind of took that decision and I just stopped. But I never stopped liking it. No one ever told me to stop. My grandfather never mentioned it again. I think it was just enough and I was so young I couldn't really force anything."
When he was 18, his mother took him aside and asked what he wanted to do with his life. It was the chance he had been waiting for.
"I said 'Race'. First thing. She was surprised because it had been so long since I had spoken about it," recalled Senna.
"She said 'okay, let's try.' She wasn't taking me very seriously but after almost two years breaking ribs and everything she realised I really wanted to do it and gave me the opportunity of going to a race car."
The family name helped, as has Ayrton's former teammate and close friend Gerhard Berger - now the Toro Rosso part-owner in Formula One - but Senna has shown his talent too.
He has won three of the first four races in the British Formula Three championship this year - a series his uncle won in 1983 before moving directly into Formula One - in a team part-owned by McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen.
"It's not the name that drives the car, I drive the car," he said firmly.
One of those wins was in the rain at Donington Park, the circuit where his uncle took one of his most memorable victories in similar conditions in 1993.
There has been speculation already, particularly in Brazil where expectation is already at fever-pitch, that Berger could fast-track Senna into a drive at Toro Rosso but the Brazilian poured cold water on that prospect.
"Gerhard is always giving me good advice, he's always helped me with my career," said Senna. "But the only way he is going to give me an opportunity is if I really show potential and really do well. Right now there is nothing going on, and with no other Formula One teams as well."
That is not to say he has not been noticed.
"He's doing a good job isn't he?," Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters. "It's not just the name. He's doing a good job without the name."
Frank Williams, the team boss in whose car Ayrton died, has also been kept up to date although he ruled out any suggestion of a test.
"Our experience has shown that there is a vast gulf actually between being a very successful F3 driver, and he is just beginning, and a worthwhile occupant of we hope a competitive grand prix seat. Quite a bit to go," he said.
"He's not on our radar at the present time."
That does not trouble Senna. On Friday, he was simply enjoying himself in the Monaco sunshine.
"It's a very good feeling, people are being very kind to me. Most of the people probably worked when Ayrton raced here and they are being very nice to me and telling me stories. It's a good reception," he said.
Fabulous to see the same back at Monaco.
All we need now is to get him in the Lotus 96T and to hurl it round Estoril.....in the rain..