Ayrton Senna is inarguably one of the most unforgettable names in the history of Formula 1, and many even believed that the massively hyped Brazilian could become a champion of the century. However, the highly acclaimed two-time world champion succumbed to a fatal crash in 1994, subsequently bringing an early end to his short-lived yet incredibly dominant F1 journey.
What’s more heartbreaking is that the 1994 season was revving up to be one of the greatest seasons of all time. Senna found himself going up against a fairly inexperienced Michael Schumacher, as the dynamic duo went on to deliver a series of nail-biting fights on the track until the race in Imola.
One such incident unfolded at the 1992 French Grand Prix, where Schumacher ended up taking Senna out of the race. During the red flag period, the Brazilian can be seen marching up to the eventual seven-time world champion and engaging in a heated discussion. While the discussion itself remains unrevealed, it wasn’t until recently that Ross Brawn finally opened up about Senna’s mindset, going up against Schumacher.
“I don’t think Michael set out to try and upset him,” Brawn said. “I think Michael was racing him the same way he was racing everyone else, as he should have done. It caused some friction. Ayrton tried to put Michael in his place a few times on the track, which upset Michael.” However, despite the ugly end to their rivalry, Schumacher has more often than not admitted that he looked up to Senna as an idol more than a rival.
Michael Schumacher and his early karting days with Ayrton Senna
Before going up against the man himself, Schumacher opened up about his karting days where Senna left him speechless with his impeccable racing style. “He was my idol,” Schumacher revealed on the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year programme.
“I was 10 years old, I saw him racing go-karts and I thought, ‘Who’s that guy being so fast?’ Driving in the way he did and overtaking in the way he did, I felt, when I was 10, that he was something special. There’s probably only one statistic that counts after the championship, and that’s how many victories you have. Competing on the level of a person like Senna, that means a lot to me,” he added according to Autosport.
Senna wasn’t just an idol for Schumacher, but also for Lewis Hamilton, the record-equaling world champion. Hence, having lured two legendary racing drivers into the sport already, how many more such drivers will spawn from Senna’s brief but glorious F1 career?