McLaren Shares New Photos of the Iconic F1 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog Trophy

Racing team McLaren has shared some brand new photos of "one of the most iconic trophies in the history of Formula One" - 1993 European Grand Prix's Sonic the Hedgehog - in remembrance of late F1 racer Aryton Senna.

The social media channel of McLaren's esports and gaming team, McLaren Shadow, posted a number of images of the trophy from all kinds of cool angles, including from behind where you can see the detail on the blue (bronze?) blur's spines. The post describes it as "the Legendary SEGA Sonic trophy from the 1993 Formula One European Grand Prix, also known as the XXXVIII Sega European Grand Prix."

SEGA, which was riding high at the time with huge mainstream appeal for its Mega Drive console and the wild popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog, sponsored the famous F1 event, which took place in Donington Park in the UK on 11 April 1993. As part of this, it produced this one-of-a-kind trophy that featured Sonic holding a prize cup, complete with a moving arm that could go up and down. The race was won by legendary racer Aryton Senna, who was signed to McLaren at the time.

Senna, one of the most acclaimed racers of his time, tragically lost his life the following year during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. Today would have been the racer's 64th birthday - on McLaren's main F1-related social channels, there are multiple posts celebrating his life and career. It explains why the esports arm of the organisation saw fit to share new photos of Senna's SEGA trophy.

In August 2023, it was revealed that McLaren still held on to the iconic Sonic trophy, posting the above photo of the statue next to the vehicle that helped Senna win the race in 1993 - the McLaren MP4/8.

What do you think of this iconic trophy? Were you there when Senna competed in the 1993 Grand Prix? Share your thoughts and memories in the comments section below!