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Never before has a rookie entered F1 with such high expectations on his shoulders, but Bruno Senna, nephew of three-time world champion Ayrton will be desperate to prove it is more than just a name he has in common with his uncle.

A talented youngster, Senna began karting when he was five, often beating his uncle in races at the family farm. However, when Bruno's father Flavio Lalli died in a motorcycle crash in 1995 shortly after Ayrton's death at Imola in 1994, his mother Viviane Senna Lalli made her son hang up his helmet.

He stayed away from the sport for the best part of ten years, but unable to ignore his passion for racing, started again aged 20, and in just his third race he qualified second in the British Formula BMW Championship. Then, at the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix ten years after his uncle's death, he drove demonstration laps in a replica of Senna's old Lotus 98T, and the talk of his future in F1 started in earnest.

After just five races in the BMW series he moved up to British Formula 3 for a year, before graduating to GP2. After a year racing with Red Bull feeder team Arden International, he moved to iSport International, finishing runner-up in the championship behind veteran Giorgio Pantano.

His first taste of F1 came in November 2008, testing for Honda. Senna was expected to join Jenson Button on the grid for 2009, but when Honda announced they were withdrawing from the sport and Ross Brawn stepped in to buy the ailing team, Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello was the preferred choice for the newly-formed Brawn team.

Senna has a lot to live up to when he makes his F1 debut with Campos in 2010, and he will be determined to prove his reputation as a driver in his own right.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Senna's ability is down to sheer talent, however, his lack of racing experience could prove to be the barrier to emulating the success of his uncle.

Career High
Signing for Campos for his debut F1 season, 2010 is Senna's chance to prove himself and step out of his uncle's shadow.

Career Low
Following the death of his father in a motorbike accident in 1995, just a year after his uncle Ayrton's death at Imola, Bruno's mother Viviane Senna Lalli forced the 11-year-old to retire from the sport. He did not return to racing until 2004.

Quotes
"If you think I'm good, wait until you see my nephew Bruno." Ayrton Senna, 1993

"Of course the name helps me, but my uncle can't drive the car for me - I have to do that myself. No-one's going to give me a drive if they don't think I can handle it. He was a great example to me in many ways and I'm trying to stay true to the way he approached life. But I don't think about him when I'm racing, I don't need him to inspire me - I'm a racing driver because I love motor racing, I love competition. Ayrton Senna was my uncle, but I am my own man."

Trivia
In October 2006, Senna appeared on Sky One show Vroom Vroom, where each week he would race a different car to the top of a multi-storey car park.

Jo Carter November 2009