Watch: Sebastian Vettel swarmed by fans as he comes to the circuit for the F1 Imola GP

Former four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was swarmed by fans as he entered Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari for the Imola GP this weekend. The German driver will be driving Ayrton Senna's 1993 McLaren MP4/8 at the track where he tragically lost his life 30 years ago.

To commemorate the anniversary and pay his respects, Vettel will drive the iconic car that gave Ayrton Senna his final race win in the sport in 1993.

The former Ferrari driver who retired from the sport at the end of the 2022 season remains a fan favorite and was expectedly greeted by a hoard of fans outside the gates of the Imola track.

In a clip floating on social media, Sebastian Vettel appeared joyous inside his car while greeting the fans before entering the track.

The former Red Bull driver had announced the news about driving the car on Instagram while paying tribute to the legendary Brazilian. He said:

“Ayrton Senna was not only a driver who I valued highly for being one of the best racing has ever seen, but also a man of great compassion. It’s been 30 years since his accident and I would like to pay tribute to Ayrton.

"I will be in Imola for the Grand Prix to drive his car, the McLaren MP4/8. I hope to see you on Sunday, May 19.”

Sebastian Vettel drove Nigel Mansell's iconic Williams FW14B at Silverstone

Sebastian Vettel had previously driven the McLaren MP4/8 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year while also driving Nigel Mansell's championship-winning FW14B.

The ex-Aston Martin driver had the pleasure to drive one of the most dominant cars in F1 history during the 2022 British Grand Prix to celebrate Mansell's 30 years of the title-winning season in 1992.

Speaking to F1.com about the experience of driving the iconic Williams around Silverstone, Vettel said:

“It was my idea – it’s my car – I bought the car some years ago because it’s ‘red five’ – that means a bit more than just a car from 30 years ago. I’ve got the number five on my car, I won my championship with the red five – even if it was a little bit smaller on our car – I was wearing number five in karting quite a lot, and I have number five now, so there’s a link there.

“And I think the early 90s are the [earliest] memories I have from Formula 1 – the first memories are that car and the years after. So it was my idea and I thought exactly 30 years after it won the championship in 1992, and the British Grand Prix, it was a great idea.”

It will be interesting to see which next iconic F1 car Sebastian Vettel drives around the track to continue to honor the legacy of the sport.