Highly regarded as one of the best Formula 1 drivers of all time, Senna was quick for sure, but what really made him legendary was his ability to drive beyond his abilities
3rd June 1984. Monaco Grand Prix. In his debut Formula 1 season, a young Brazilian
qualified in 13th on the tight street circuit that has been regarded as one of the best
venues in the sport since eternity. Driving a bespoke Toleman-Hart Senna ploughed through
the field in an unabashed display of racing talent that had never been seen before or
since. In torrential downpour Senna was catching Prost at around three seconds a lap when
stewards finally red flagged the race for undriveable conditions on lap 32. Senna was
classified 2nd. Ayrton Senna had arrived.
Highly regarded as one of the best Formula 1 drivers of all time, Senna was
quick for sure, but what really made him legendary was his ability to drive beyond his
abilities. Ayrton had an aura about him that made everyone sit up and notice when he
walked into a crowded room, let alone when he was obliterating the competition on a race
track. His sheer will to succeed, to win and to be the best is what drove him to heights
of perfection. Ayrton Senna was the best thing to have happened to Formula 1.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Brazilian – he was constantly
fighting a largely political scenario within the Formula 1 fraternity. Senna was a man who
believed in God and often openly stated that he had found the Almighty himself when he was
driving a race car – a phenomenon that he believed explained his trance-like drives
in his ten year F1 career that saw him break and set multiple records. So complex was the
man’s character that he valued human life, but wasn’t afraid to crash into
another car for the pure thrill of racing. Senna died at the age of 34 while driving a
Williams in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix on 1st May when car failure caused him to crash
into the concrete wall at Tamburello and a piece from his front suspension
penetrated through his crash helmet. There was no other injury to his body.
Senna did a lot for the upliftment of social conditions in Brazil and was
given a hero’s funeral in Sau Paulo that was attended by some of the most prominent
F1 personalities in the world. Michael Schumacher may be the most successful F1 driver in
history, but when it comes to the best driver of all time, none can beat Ayrton
Senna.
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