How Senna transcended Formula One like nobody before him

It has been 20 years since Formula One lost its most iconic figure, Ayrton Senna. May 1, 1994, is considered the darkest day in the history of the sport.

Images of Senna leaving the Imola circuit at the Tamburello corner and slamming into the wall is permanently seared into the minds of the masses.

His 161 Grand Prixs, 41 victories, 65 pole positions and three world championships doesn’t tell half the story of his legacy.

Formula One had never boasted a cult figure until Senna’s arrival – even those with no interest in the sport knew who he was – and nor has it since his passing.

This author was sadly too young at the time to have appreciated Senna live, though reading about him and hearing from those fortunate enough to have witnessed him was enough to grasp an understanding.

The 2011 film bearing his name introduced an entire new legion to his exploits.

That crash at Monaco in 1988, or his victory at Brazil in 1991 are but a few examples of Senna as a man engulfed by emotion. And faith.

A lap of Monaco in 1990 demonstrated his unbridled commitment to the task at hand

We talk of Michael Schumacher sullying his reputation due to incidents at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix with Damon Hill, the 1997 European Grand Prix with Jacques Villeneuve and the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix at Rascasse, but Senna also had his share of dubious moments.

As such, he wasn’t without his detractors.

Senna’s faith in God was such that he believed it was his right to win, often blurring the lines between racing and doing whatever it took, no matter how questionable, to come first.

This philosophy is best summarised by his iconic quote: “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.”

The 1990 Japanese Grand Prix is testament to his obsession with being the best.

Leading the standings ahead of bitter rival Alain Prost heading into the weekend, Senna claimed pole position.

Believing he had earned the privilege of deciding which side of the circuit he’d line-up on, he logically requested a switch to the clean, racing side.

This was rejected by FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre – a known sympathizer of French countryman Prost – who held an ardent dislike of Senna.

In the race, Senna promptly continued on a linear trajectory at the first corner, collecting Prost as his nemesis attempted to sweep around the outside, eliminating both instantly.

Thus Senna was champion for a second time. Although expressing regret for his actions, he’d achieved his goal.

If a driver did this today, they could expect to be thrown out of the entire championship.

Schumacher was excluded from the standings for half-heartedly turning in on Villeneuve at Jerez, yet Senna’s pull was such that no sanction was imposed.

In this era, Senna’s philosophy would have no place.

It comes down to how it was then and how it is now, things were very much ‘anything goes’ during his time.

In his later years, the advent of modern technology diluted Senna’s passion for racing.

He found himself in the position of seeking out a berth in an innovation-laden Williams – boasting active suspension – for several seasons in a bid to remain competitive. But the ultimate irony is that several of Senna’s greatest hours came equipped with inferior machinery.

Donington 1993 is widely heralded as Senna’s greatest victory, as the Brazilian lapped all but one car on his way to the chequered flag.

His long-awaited arrival at Williams in 1994 was meant to be the re-birth of Senna as the dominant force of the sport.

Instead, the team languished without the technology it had previously pioneered.

And so to that fateful weekend, where Senna was convinced that rival and eventual champions, Benetton, had continued to use the recently outlawed traction control.

His desperation at the wheel during his final laps at Imola was evident, as he attempted to grasp back the initiative, before the suspension ultimately gave way and Ayrton Senna was lost forever.

It would be remiss not to remember the other fallen man of those black days, Roland Ratzenberger, whose death was equally as tragic.

That the Austrian suffered the fate of the most popular driver of all-time perishing a mere twenty-four hours later, rendered his own demise an unfair footnote.

Ayrton Senna transcended Formula One like nobody before him, nor is anybody likely to in the future.

We remember him.