No, Liberty Media didn't screw up its Senna fan festival image

©Formula1

A day after announcing that a special fan festival dedicated to Ayrton Senna is set to take place in Sao Paulo next month, Liberty Media should be blushing with shame according to some.

Formula 1's commercial rights holder will celebrate Senna's life and achievements with a special happening held on the weekend before next month's Brazilian Grand Prix.

The event's promotional image depicts an overhead view of Senna onboard a JPS Lotus 97T featuring a #11 on its nose cone.

However eagle-eyed F1 journalist Szaguldo Cirkusz took to Twitter to point out that the great Brazilian had in fact never raced in F1 with #11!

While Cirkusz's remark was factually correct, Formula 1 shot back, tweeting a picture of Senna at the wheel of a Lotus #11 taken at Jacarapegua in April 1985, when the Brazilian was likely sampling his teammate's n°11 car during practice.

As it turns out, both Cirkusz and F1 Media were right, but for the wrong reasons.

As stated above, the former correctly says that Senna has never raced with #11. And the latter is also correct because the shot is authentic.

But contrary to what F1 Media tweeted, the picture wasn't taken at the Brazilian GP in April 1985 but during a test session at Rio in January 1986, at least according to per Motorsport Images' database info.

Case closed. You're welcome.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.