Senna's 1994 Williams FW16 car to be auctioned in New York

A Williams FW16 driven by three-time Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna in his final season is going under the hammer in New York. RM Sotheby's is offering chassis FW16B-01 in Sotheby's 'The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction', with an estimate of $4million to $6million. It is the first time the car has been offered for public sale.

The Williams agreed to give Senna one of its chassis if it won the 1994 constructors' championship. Senna died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in chassis FW16-02. Williams went on to win the constructors' title, and at the end of the year gave FW16B-01 to Senna's family. According to RM Sotheby's, it is one of only two surviving FW16s that Senna drove, although he never raced it himself.

The Senna family owned the car from 1994 until 2024, when the current owner bought it privately through RM Sotheby's. The car has never been restored and remains in preserved, unrestored condition.