Past meets future in the latest F1 advert

In what was one of motor racing’s most catastrophic moments, Brazilian-born three-time F1 world champion Ayrton Senna tragically lost his life when his car spun out and crashed while racing in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

To commemorate Senna’s astonishing driving career during his F1 years, watch manufacturer Tag Heuer (as well as sponsor of the McLaren F1 team), have teamed up with current F1 drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso for a brand new commercial.

Not only do Tag Heuer understand how to make beautiful watches with a broad range for men and women, but they’ve created a watch advert that is both poignant and captivating. The video is part of the Tag Heuer’s new #DontCrackUnderPressure campaign for the recently released Ayrton Senna Edition watch. Before his untimely death, Senna was an ambassador for Tag Heuer from 1988 to 1993.

In the commercial, we see Button and Alonso race full-throttle in current and Senna-era MP4/4 Formula One cars against one another. Alongside pounding orchestral music, we hear Senna’s inspirational voice over recorded in 1988. The two-minute advert treads exquisitely between promoting a new product and a fantastic homage to one of F1’s greatest racing drivers.

In the official unveiling of the Senna Edition watch, Fernando Alonso was joined onstage with none other than Senna himself – albeit in the form of a hologram. At the opening, Alonso spoke of Senna’s influence on his childhood dream of becoming a professional race driver:

“I grew up watching Ayrton race – he was my idol. And I still vividly remember seeing those iconic red and white McLarens battling at the head of the field during the 1980s and 90s – it’s one of my earliest memories of Formula 1, and it remains a formative experience for my own desire to race. To be able to sit inside one of Ayrton’s cars was a genuinely moving experience; to do it in the very chassis with which he won his first world championship – one of the most iconic and successful cars in F1 history – was simply incredible. Thank you TAG Heuer for making this unforgettable moment possible.”

This isn’t the first time that Ayrton Senna has been graciously remembered, as a remarkable documentary simply titled Senna was released in 2010. In addition, photographer and friend to Senna, Keith Sutton, displayed a photo exhibition in 2014 to commemorate the driver’s incredible legacy.

The editorial unit

Watch the Tag Heuer advert here: