Vettel to honour Senna ahead of F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel attends the German Sustainability Award ceremony. Vettel to honour Senna ahead of F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Henning Kaiser/dpa

Former Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel has organized several activities to honour the late F1 great Ayrton Senna during this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.

The four-time world champion has invited the current drivers on the grid to a track walk on Thursday at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where Senna suffered a fatal crash 30 years ago.

They will meet at the start-finish line and stop near Senna's monument at the Tamburello corner, where he crashed, for a minute's silence.

After the drivers' parade ahead of Sunday's race, Vettel will drive a McLaren MP4/8 around the track. The model was driven by Senna in 1993, his last season with McLaren before the move to Williams.

Under the motto "Forever Senna," Vettel also had T-shirts produced in memory of the three-time world champion from Brazil. The profits will be donated to charity, with half of it going to the Ayrton Senna Foundation.

"I was only seven years old when the accident happened. My father told me what a great driver Ayrton Senna was. He was a big fan of Ayrton and gave me a small Senna toy car as a present," Vettel said.

"What I particularly appreciated about him later on was that he was not only one of the best racing drivers of all time, but that he also showed compassion and support for the often difficult social problems and poverty in his home country of Brazil," he added.