Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna is one of the most celebrated figures in the history of Formula One. We have already written a lot about Senna on Portal F1.si. Think you already know everything about him? Check below for your time 10 the facts of the best driver of all time according to many.
1. Monaco was his venue
Senna won the race at the Monaco Grand Prix six times, which so far has failed anyone. In fact, he also set the record five times in a row (over the years 1989 and 1993) in Monte Carlo stood on the highest podium . He proved his track record in his first Monaco race of the year 1984 when Toleman's uncompetitive car, despite a heavy downpour, managed to get to a very high speed and almost caught Prost. His worst run in the Monte Carlo Race was 3rd (1986).
2. Chess also mastered
Ayrton was not only a top driver, but also an outstanding chess player. He often challenged Williams' manager Frank Williams to the chess game, even though they were on opposite teams at the time. Frank later stated that Ayrton was able to plan three moves and four counterattack in advance.
Video: Ayrton Senna at the wheel of Williams for the first time
3. He designed his philosophical view of racing
Over the years, Senna has developed a special philosophical view of racing. He described racing as something metaphysical:
»On a certain day, under certain circumstances, you think you have a restriction. And then you go to that limit and you reach that limit and you think, 'OK, this is a limit.' When you reach that limit, something happens, and you can go further all at once. With your strength of mind, determination, instinct and experience you can fly very high. I suddenly realized that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was driving it by some instinct, I was in another dimension myself. “
4. He predicted death in Imola
Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger reviewed at the Imola race course how security could be improved on the Tamburello bend. Berger and several other drivers have already experienced the traps of this route, and this is where the most accidents occurred. Senna wanted to move the protective fence further back, but this was not possible due to the proximity of the Santerno River. Senna at the time confided in Berger that he feared that anyone would die at this point. Five years later, his words turned out to be true.
5. Winning GP Brazil 1991 despite gearbox failure
Towards the end of the race, the gearbox on his McLarn broke down, leaving Ayrton unable to use third, fourth and fifth gears. He was forced to continue driving in sixth gear and managed to finish the race without being overtaken. He won the race for the GP of Brazil 1991 with strong will and skill driving. After the victory, he was so exhausted that they had to help him out of the car, but he was a hero for all of Brazil, which made him even nominated as a saint.
6. He took care of one of the best laps in the race
Race to the Grand Prix of Europe 1993 at Donington Park brought one of the craziest rounds in the history of Formula 1. Ayrton Senna has once again proved himself to be the undisputed king of rain. Already in the first lap of the race he moved from fifth to first place. One after another he chased down the big names of Formula One, such as Schumacher, Wendlinger, Hill and Prost.
7. In Brazil, the Audi plant is to its credit
Right before his death, Ayrton went to Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, and signed a contract to import the A3 model to Brazil on behalf of the family business. A few years later, they built a factory where they started making their own A3 and also VW Golf. The factory is still in operation but is now in 93 – owned by Audi.
8. Rescues the driver and contributes to safety
At the Race in the Spa of the Year 1992, Eric Comas s hit his Ligier hard and lost consciousness. Senna stopped immediately while the others continued racing and ran toward the car. He switched off the engine on the Comas car to keep it from burning, stabilizing his neck until doctors arrived. Senna has warned about the importance of safety throughout his life, and his death has helped to make a profound change in security, resulting in far fewer accidents with serious injuries. In fact, since the death of Senna, only one driver has died as a result of a collision in a race.
9. He died with the Austrian flag
Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in San Marino qualifying. Ayrton Senna wished him the honor of unleashing the Austrian flag the next day, which he had put in his protective clothing pocket before the race. But fate had different plans. Senna did not have the opportunity to honor his driver's colleague, as his life ended too soon. We thus experienced two deaths in one weekend.
10. Williams bears his image
Brazil declared days of mourning at the death of Senna. Millions of people flocked past his closed coffin and more attended the funeral procession. Ayrton Senna was even more popular among the Brazilians than Pele. From the moment he died until today, every Williams F1 car bears a tribute to Senna – an image of his face or logo.
11. He wandered off with Prost before he died
Senna and Prost understood each other as cat and dog . They both won the World Cup at the expense of the opponent making a mistake and colliding. Free even had a contract with Williams that explicitly prohibited the team from bringing Senna as a teammate. It was only after the withdrawal of Formula One Prost that they began talking, in fact, the evening before the fatal crash on Tamburell, they discussed how to make the sport safer.
12. Berger was his best friend among drivers
Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger were teammates at McLarn in the seasons 1990 – 1992. The mutual pranks were part of their friendly relationship. For example, Berger pasted a photo of a male genitalia through his photograph through Senna's passport. Senna owed him no debt; he pasted all of Berger's cards into his wallet. Their favorite joke was at the expense of their shoes – they were competing as to who would destroy them more innovatively. So Senna filled Berger's shoes with shaving foam, and Berger spread all his shoes with butter.
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