Mystery buyer to bid for Senna's McLaren. Is it Hamilton?

Interest in the great Ayrton Senna's 1993 Monaco-winning McLaren MP4/8 is ramping up before the historical car goes under the hammer at Bonhams in May.

The famous auction house, which will handle the sale at its annual event in Monaco on May 25, has apparently received strong inquiries from three people, according to Mark Osborne, Bonham's head of motorsport, one of which is a well-known high-profile individual.

Lewis Hamilton's admiration for Senna is well documented, the four-time world champion often proclaiming his massive respect for the great Brazilian driver.

• Flush with cash? Bid for Senna's Monaco-winning McLaren!

Estimated to fetch up to $6M at the auction, the race-winning machine's high value is still within Hamilton's means.

Another man who could fit the bill as a potential buyer is Ron Dennis, who acquired as many McLarens as the market offered during his days at the helm of the company, many of which presently sit in solemn silence in the reception area of the McLaren Technology Center.

Bonham's Osborne obviously would not reveal the identity of the mystery buyer, but added a detail which could exclude both Hamilton and Dennis as the prospective buyer.

Osborne said the interested party asked to see the car ahead of the sale and "hear it run", a demand which seems more typical of a rich impassioned fan rather than of a professional F1 figure and connoisseur.

Wait and see...