bhallg2k wrote:I think it's funny how people demonize Michael Schumacher - and admittedly, some of it is deserved - yet literally worship Ayrton Senna without reservation. I mean, does anyone remember Suzuka in 1990?
Exactly what I was just about to write Bhallg2k.3. It's not only Suzuka 1990 though.
-At the restart of Estoril 1988, Senna squeezes his McLaren teammate over towards the pit wall at 180 mph, close enough to the wall to make nearby team personnel step away from the it. Prost proclaims that if Senna wants the Chamipionship so badly that he's willing to die for it, that he can have it. Senna does win the title that year, though not without a fight from Prost.
-At Imola 1989, Senna renegs on a no-passing pact with Prost. Prosts accuses Senna of being dishonest. Senna retorts, "Are we racing, yes or no ?". But why make the pact if you are not going to stick to it?
-At Suzuka 1989, Senna and Prost collide. Prost is out, but Senna continues on to win the race, and, he thinks, the title. But Senna is excluded from the race for missing a chicane on his restart after the collision, and Prost takes the title.
-Still smarting from the official ruling which handed the 1989 title to Prost, Enraged, Senna warns Prost not to turn in on him at the first corner. Prost does so anyway, and with breathtakingly dangerous determination, as 24 cars bear down on them going into the corner, Senna keeps his foot planted and rams Prost, taking them both out of the race and handing himself the title. A year later, Senna admits the move was deliberate.
After the Suzuka 1990 incident, the FIA fined Senna $100,000 and gave him a six-month suspended ban. Senna, knowing his value to the sport, refused to pay the fine. The FIA threatened to withold his superlicense and demanded an apology for certain comments made in the press. Ron Dennis stepped in and paid the fine and Senna retracted his statements.
-Senna's clash with Nigel Mansell in Canada in 1992.
This is a record the text of a 1990 televised argument between Senna and Stewart over Senna's driving tactics. This is excerpted from Christopher Hamilton's "Ayrton Senna - As Time Goes By". Notice Senna's description of his own tactics, in that he depends on the the other driver to take full responsibility for avoiding an accident as he completes his overtaking maneuver. Also note Stewart's comments about Senna's collision record.
INTRODUCER: Hardly a season goes by in Formula 1 without at leas one major row but never has a controversy split expert opinion so squarely as the one surrounding that first corner collision involving Senna and Prost at Suzuka two weeks ago. For example, our good friend Jackie here believes that Senna's driving has been highly questionable all season. What's more he doesn't mind saying so, even to Senna. In this interview a former World Champion and the new World Champion meet for a frank exchange of views. [FILM OF THE CRASH IS PLAYED]
SENNA: He knew I was right with him, I was not far behind, I was right with him and when I was right behind him he moved to the inside line going towards the first corner, I just chased him then and he opened the gap. And knowing me like he does know, he must realise if there was a gap I was going to try and overtake him. Under those circumstances, he should never have opened a gap in the first corner and then come back again - because, by doing so, he opened the gap, gives the gap and then closes it. In those circumstances there was no way to avoid an incident.
STEWART: Right. But that only happened, Ayrton, because you saw the gap - and I accept that, you're a racer - but a mature racer has to also think if he closes the door again we're going to have an accident. And in fact there was a high-speed entrance so there could have been a very serious accident.
SENNA: Absolutely.
STEWART: So would it not have been more prudent under those circumstances to at least have seen if the gap was potentially going to close?
SENNA: Not at all. He was in a position where he could never - under no circumstances - put his car anywhere near mine in a difficult position, because if we happened just to touch - just to touch - and have a wing damaged or a flat tyre, he had everything to lose. And under those circumstances my understanding was that he would never move against me in the first corner. I was very surprised when I found myself with him moving the car over mine [WAVING FINGER].
STEWART: So in that case you were calculating that he would give way, that he would let you through?
SENNA: Of course. He would not close the way he did from the moment he made the initial room [STILL WAVING FINGER] he would not come back and close the door again.
STEWART: A calculated risk?
SENNA: Of course. [SHRUGS SHOULDERS]
STEWART: OK, let me ask you another difficult question. If I were to count back all the World Champions - and, after all, this is the 500th grand prix, if you totalled up all of those great champions [SENNA SMILES LANGUIDLY] and the number of times they had made contact with other drivers, you in the last 36 months or 48 months have been in contact with more other cars and drivers than they might have done in total.
SENNA: I find it amazing for you to make such a question, Stewart, because you are very experienced and you know a lot about racing and you should know that by being a racing driver you are under risks all the time. Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people and if you no longer go for a gap that exists you are no longer a racing driver - because we are competing, we are competing to win and the main motivation to all of us is to compete for a victory. It's not to come third, fourth, fifth or sixth. Right?
STEWART: But hasn't that always been the case?
SENNA: Sorry?
STEWART: But hasn't that always been the case with all the great champions?
SENNA: Absolutely. [FILM OF THE CRASH IS PLAYED AGAIN] And if you go back… [TALKING TOGETHER]
STEWART: But it didn't happen…
SENNA: But if you go back in history and talk about the incidents and so on, then you'll find that I've been myself leading most of the races and finding back-markers in front of me and I was never involved in leading races with other people. [FILM OF A CRASH WITH BERGER IN BRAZIL, THEN THE CRASH WITH PROST AT THE CHICANE, SUZUKA 1989, IS BEING PLAYED] There were three, four events only when I was leading a race at the first corner and like many other people I've been involved.
STEWART: I have to believe though, Ayrton, there must be some fault and I respect totally your ability, you're the fastest grand prix driver in the world but I have to speculate that it can't all be right that you have this many collisions, if you like [SENNA STONE FACED] whether it be with back-markers or whether it be with lead changes, it just happens too often. Don't you question yourself if...
SENNA: But I think it's all irrelevant, all what you are saying Jackie is really irrelevant because I am a driver [VOICE RISING A LITTLE] that won more races than anybody over the past three years, I am a driver that's been on pole position more than anybody in history and I am a driver that won two titles in the past three years. I cannot comprehend how you can try to [RAISES LEFT HAND, PLACES TWO FINGERS HORIZONTALLY AND TWISTS THEM IN A CORKSCREW MOTION] turn things around to say that I have been involved in more accidents than anybody — because that is not true as well. I don't really understand the point.
STEWART: I'm sorry, I don't agree with that because…
SENNA: Then you should go back [POINTS FINGER AT STEWART THREE TIMES], you should go back ten years from the date of today and [WAGS FINGER] look not only at the leaders, you should look at the middle [HAND WAVING] the middle field drivers and the back field drivers
STEWART: I speak of the champions…
SENNA: ….. and find, find by yourself that what you say is not quite right [FLICKER OFA SMILE].
STEWART: Well, I would be happy to go back with you and go through the Fangios and the Clarks and the…
SENNA: No, you only have to go back ten years, you only have to go back ten years, the modern Formula 1, that's what we are talking about [THIN SMILE].
STEWART: So you feel totally comfortable that the technique of driving that you use has not in any way developed into a situation where the gap opens up and it's taken spontaneously - because you do go for gaps, and we have all done it in our careers.
SENNA: When there is a gap [RAISES HAND], when there is a gap it is designed for being in a competition at a very high level [meaning the gap happens in a very high level of competition] with cars going so close as they go today, with the same horsepower, with the same level of grip, with the same low aerodynamics, you all know with the different circuits where it is very difficult for overtaking - because the circuits are designed not in an appropriate manner for overtaking manoeuvres - you either commit yourself as a professional racing driver that is designed to win races [WAVING HAND] or you come second, or you come third, or you come fifth and I am not designed to come third, fourth, or fifth. I race to win as long as I feel it is possible. Sometimes you get it wrong, sure, it is impossible to get it right all the time but I race designed to win [WAVING LEFT HAND] and as long as I feel I am doing it right some people agree, some don't. In the end I am the one who is doing it, I am the one who is driving and I can only do what speaks for my mind [meaning what I think].
quite possibly the best conspiracy therory yet
