The Life of Senna
Page 75
42. Senna enjoys a light-hearted moment while discussing data with Toleman team manager Peter Gethin in 1984. Senna learnt all he could from ex-F1 driver Gethin in that first year.
43. Senna in the Toleman Hart TG184. Not the most competitive of cars.
On the podium
44. Senna followed Niki Lauda and Derek Warwick onto the podium at the 1984 British Grand Prix. Both drivers had vastly superior cars, as did the drivers who finished behind him.
The first Grand Prix
45. The Senna da Silva family share a meal on the eve of the eldest son’s first Grand Prix in Brazil. It was a magical moment, in 1984.
Race of Champions in identical Mercedes at the Nürburgring in 1984. Senna was an interloper but still won
46. Senna joined a host of big names to battle it out in Mercedes 190E saloon cars in the race that opened the new Nürburgring in 1984.
Trying out sportscars
47. Senna was highly inquisitive and wanted to try every form of racing. He shared a Joest Porsche 956 with Stefan Johansson and Henri Pescarolo at the Nürburgring in July 1984.
Senna’s first Formula One win
48. Once he joined Lotus, the first Grand Prix victory was inevitable. It came quickly at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix on Sunday 1st April. He took pole and got the jump from de Angelis, Prost and Alboreto at the start.
49. Senna lines up for the 1985 United States Grand Prix at Detroit in his Lotus Renault 97T, watched by his race engineer, Steve Hallam. His pole position at the bumpy street circuit was one of 16 in his three years with Lotus.
Another great Monte Carlo performance
50. Senna took pole at the 1985 Monaco Grand Prix and led the race for 12 laps before his Renault Engine failed. He was denied victory.
51. Ayrton Senna chats to his 1985 Lotus Renault team-mate Elio de Angelis at Monte Carlo. De Angelis often proved a tricky opponent for the less-experienced Brazilian. The Italian was killed testing a Brabham at Paul Ricard the following year: Senna was devastated by his first brush with death in Formula One.
Four world champions in 1986 on the pitwall, in one of Formula One’s golden years
52. Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell were yet to win championships. But as this picture, taken at Estoril in 1986, got older it grew more historic. From the left: Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet. The unique picture was organised by Bernie Ecclestone for photographers as each driver had a chance of winning the 1986 world championship at that stage.
The top team in 1985
53. Peter Warr, team principal, Gerard Ducarouge, technical director, Steve Hallam, chief engineer, Ayrton Senna and Lee Gaug of Goodyear watch qualifying unfold.
54. Senna took his first-ever F1 pole position in the Lotus Renault at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril.
55. Senna on his way to his eighth pole position in the Lotus Renault at Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro, in 1986.
The Camel Lotus year with Honda in 1987
56. Senna demonstrates his wet-weather mastery in the Camel Lotus Honda 99T during a wet practice session in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
57. Senna receives his first Monaco winner’s trophy in 1987 in front of Lotus boss Peter Warr, Princes Rainier and Albert and third-placed Michele Alboreto. It was his first of a record six triumphs in the principality.
Rare moment of accord: Senna and Nelson Piquet were usually bitter rivals throughout their careers
58. Senna shares a rare joke with Piquet after beating him to victory in the 1987 United States East Grand Prix at Detroit. He disliked Piquet even more than he did Prost.
59. Senna had to wrestle his Lotus Honda 99T at Monte Carlo in 1987. He was stunning, the car was not.
60. The sixth Formula One win came at Detroit, a twisty street circuit were he always excelled.
61. Senna hits the barriers at Portier during the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix from a commanding lead. Calls from the pits to slow down broke his rhythm and he collided with the Armco, as a result handing victory to Prost. He was very upset afterwards.
62. Senna salutes the crowd on his victory lap at the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix.
1988 was the golden year for Senna and Ron Dennis
63. Ayrton Senna won eight times in 1988 in his debut season for Ron Dennis’s McLaren Honda team. He took his first world title from team-mate Alain Prost. The pair gave the team a record 15 victories out of 16 races that year.
64. Senna discusses technical data with McLaren designer and engineer Steve Nichols.
65. Dislikes shows on their faces, but at least in 1988 Senna was on speaking terms with Alain Prost.
66. Senna takes his first victory for McLaren Honda at the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in 1988.
67. Senna, test driver, Emanuele Pirro and Alain Prost at the launch of the 1988 car.
68. Senna receives his trophy from FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre at Imola in 1988, flanked by Piquet and Prost.
69. Hostilities between Prost and Senna came to a head when racing got a little too close at the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril. Here Prost leads Senna into the first corner.
70. Alain Prost was Senna’s biggest rival, and that rivalry was accentuated by the two years the pair had to spend as teammates at McLaren Honda in 1988 and 1989.
71. A victorious Senna leads Prost and Thierry Boutsen to the podium at the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix, guided by race director Roland Bruynseraede and a marshal. After two seasons together, Prost would rarely smile and shake hands when Senna won.
72. Senna and Prost in anxious discussions with McLaren Honda boss Ron Dennis under the awning at Detroit in 1988. Senna was a master of the street circuit, and took pole and won the race that year. None of the men were as happy as they should have been.
1988: The Golden Car at Monza
73. Arguably the best Grand Prix car ever raced, the almost invincible McLaren Honda MP4/4 should have won every race of the season. In the event it took 15 out of 16. Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari ruined the party.
Ron Dennis keeps the peace in 1989
74. Ron Dennis gives instructions to Senna and Prost before a press conference. He had a tricky time and many difficult moments in 1989.
75. Senna and Prost do battle at Hockenheim in 1989.
1989: The year of discord between Senna and Prost
76. Senna and Prost collide at the Suzuka chicane in 1989, an incident that decided the world championship in the Frencman’s favour.
77. Senna steers his broken MP4/5 into the pits for repairs. Prost watches on his way back to the garage, aware that his 1989 championship could be resting on the outcome of the stop.
78. Alain Prost celebrates a controversial 1989 world championship in Japan. Senna’s disqualification from the race left the Frenchman with an untouchable points lead.
The showdown for the 1989 world championship
79. Qualifying was a vital time for McLaren Honda during practice at the Japanese Grand Prix in 1989. But for Senna it proved to be a poisoned chalice getting pole, which as usual was not advantageous at Suzuka.
Another showdown in Suzuka in 1990
80. There was a sense of déjà vu at Suzuka in 1990, when Senna and Prost collided for the second year in succession. Prost’s Ferrari leads into the first corner; but Senna determinedly refuses to give up the line; the rivals thunder into the gravel trap locked together; both are eliminated from the race and they trudge back to the pits together, Senna the new world champion. The following year Senna admitted that his actions had been deliberate to even the ground after the controversies of the previous year.
1990: The second world championship
81. Ayrton Senna was baked a cake to mark his 50th pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in 1990. The occasion was marred by Martin Donnelly’s heavy crash in qualifying in a Lotus.
Senna and Ron Dennis watch the action unfold in 1990
82. Senna was a lot more comfortable with Gerhard Berger as h
is team-mate. Senna also found him a faster driver in qualifying than Alain Prost, although Berger could not match Prost’s race craft.
83. Senna and Berger celebrate a one-three for McLaren Honda in the Belgian Grand Prix in 1990.
The story of the 1990 season
84. Ayrton Senna’s McLaren Honda MP4/5B leads Prost’s Ferrari at the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez de la Frontera.
A lot of talking got done
85. Senna smiles as he considers his second world championship at a press conference during the Australian Grand Prix weekend. He gave journalists hours of his time at the race, where he philosophised on life, death, God and motor racing in no particular order.
86. Pierliugi Martini climbs from his Minardi Ford at the scene of Martin Donnelly’s crash at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in 1990. The Irishman was extremely lucky to survive the heavy crash.
Martin Donnelly’s accident on Friday 28th September 1990 at the Spanish Grand Prix
87. The remains of Donnelly’s Lotus, showing the exposed rubber fuel cell, testify that the accident could have been even worse.
88. Senna was visibly upset as he attended the post-qualifying press conference following Donnelly’s accident.
89. Straight away Watkins reassured Senna, telling him Donnelly would survive.
90. The scene that shocked Senna. Martin Donnelly lies motionless on the track with the monocoque seat back panel still strapped to his back. Miraculously he survived under the care of Professor Sid Watkins.
Another wonderful season in 1991 as Ayrton Senna wins his third world championship
91. Senna and Gerhard Berger enjoy a joke in Portugal in 1991 as they dominated in a less-than-competitive car.
92. Senna and Berger had the most wonderful relationship as team-mates.
93. In Montreal that year Senna, Honda Chief Osamu Gotu and mechanics celebrate 50 Formula One victories for McLaren’s engine manufacturer, Honda.
The shine wears off at McLaren in 1992 as Honda doubts grow
94. As Berger and Senna are interviewed for television at the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal in 1992 they were looking for the exit, believing Honda would pull out. Senna knew before Ron Dennis and tension grew between the two men, who had achieved so much success.
95. Senna leads Berger at the 1992 Canadian Grand Prix. Senna’s retirement due to electrical problems would hand Berger that victory.
1991 and Nigel Mansell and Williams Renault serve notice on McLaren Honda. The spell was broken
96. Nigel Mansell and Senna dice into the first corner in Mexico in 1991. Mansell would take the championship fight to the penultimate round.
97. Senna celebrates his first victory in Brazil in 1991, scarcely able to hold his flag because of the pain from cramps in his arms.
98. Senna barrel-rolls at Peraltada during qualifying for the 1991 Mexican Grand Prix. He was trapped upside down in his car, but unhurt.
The great relationships that Ayrton Senna built during his career
99. Soichiro Honda was very fond of Ayrton Senna and believed he was the finest driver Honda had ever worked with.
100. Murray Walker adored Ayrton Senna and handled his death very carefully on live televison on Sunday 1st May 1994.
101. Julian Jakobi’s management of Senna’s career soon after he entered Formula One made him millions.
102. Juan Manuel Fangio, five-time world champion, was a huge Ayrton Senna fan. The two men had a serious professional respect for each other.
103. Engine genius Osamu Goto created three winning engines for Ayrton Senna: a turbo unit in 1988, a V10 in 1989 and 1990 and a V12 in 1991 and 1992.
The great battle of Monaco in 1992
104. The most entertaining race of 1992 was Ayrton Senna’s great battle around the streets of the principality with Nigel Mansell. When Mansell had to pit for tyres near the end he lost the lead, and no matter how he tried he could not get it back. It broke his sequence of race victories. Senna was superb that day against a vastly superior car and engine.
The end of the feud in 1993
105. Senna salutes Alain Prost on the occasion of the Brazilian’s last victory and the Frenchman’s retirement at Adelaide in 1993.
106. Senna exits the first chicane in Adelaide in 1993 in his final race for McLaren, which he won.
107. McLaren team coordinator Jo Ramirez presents a parting gift as Senna prepares to leave McLaren at the end of 1993. Ramirez and Senna were extremely close friends.
European Grand Prix, Donington Park, April 1993. The best lap ever driven in a Formula One car
108. After passing Michael Schumacher when exiting the first corner, Senna picks off the Sauber of Karl Wendlinger before hunting down the Williams Renaults of Damon Hill and Alain Prost on the first lap of the 1993 European Grand Prix.
109. Senna passes Hill to take second place, and begins his pursuit of Prost.
110. Senna waves a Brazilian flag to celebrate victory at Donington.
111. Senna shows off his Donington trophy with circuit boss Tom Wheatcroft.
The final farewell after six glorious years
112. Ron Dennis embraces Ayrton Senna on the occasion of one of the last of the Brazilian’s victories for the team, in Japan, 1993. All the old acrimony was forgotten. Dennis was convinced he would return before the end of his career.
113. Senna proudly holds his trophy aloft after victory in his home race at Brazil in 1993 – one of five that year against the odds.
114. Winning at Monaco in 1983.
Ayrton Senna in his trademark helmet.
115. Examples now fetch in excess of US$50,000.
116. Emerson Fittipaldi checks that everything is running smoothly as Senna prepares to drive an IndyCar for the first time at the Firebird West circuit in Phoenix in December 1992. It had been Fittipaldi’s idea for his friend to test his Penske Chevrolet that winter.
117. Senna describes his IndyCar experiences to regular Penske driver Paul Tracy and his team engineers. After just two runs in the car he was able to provide a very detailed comparison between the Penske and his Formula One McLaren.
118. Senna takes the Penske Chevrolet PC21 out onto the twisty Firebird track in Phoenix, Arizona. Despite limited running, he set a better time than Penske’s star driver Emerson Fittipaldi in the car that day, and would have liked to have raced in the Indianapolis 500. Privately he told friends that he had never really been interested in American car racing but was glad of the opportunity to try the car out.
The IndyCar test session in December 1992
119. Fellow Brazilian world champions, Senna and Emerson Fittipaldi, were firm friends – they met when Senna used to visit the Interlagos track to watch Formula One testing in the 1970s. He introduced Ayrton Senna to Penske team owner Roger Penske (left).’
120. Senna tries out the Penske’s cockpit for size as Emerson Fittipaldi looks over him and Paul Tracy perches on his rear wheel.
121. Senna went about his only IndyCar test in a methodical way, gleaning as much technical knowledge from the car as he was able.
122. Ayrton Senna sprays the champagne after his Belgian victory in 1991. It was one of his favourite photographs, printed all over the world.
Seven world champions who won 19 world championships between them, pictured in 1990
123. Seven world champions are photographed in Adelaide at the Australian Grand Prix in 1991. From top left: James Hunt (1976) Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971 and 1973), Denny Hulme (1967) Nelson Piquet (1981, 1983, and 1987), Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1957) Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990 and 1991) and Jack Brabham (1959, 1960 and 1966). Since that photo was taken, Hunt, Hulme, Fangio and Senna have died.