F1 Champion Reveals Why Legend Ayrton Senna Was a ’B*stard on the Track’

Nigel Mansell was often described as quick, daring, and aggressive. The former F1 driver’s driving style and charisma have earned him a legion of fans around the world. Crowned the Formula 1 World Champion in 1992 aged 39, it didn’t come easy as he had to fight it out with Ayrton Senna. 

However, in an interview, Mansell revealed the conversation he and the Brazilian had after the Briton won the 1992 World Championship. Two world champions, and yet they both had completely different approaches to winning races. Known for his competitiveness and mind games, Mansell retired from Formula 1 shortly after he had secured his one and only title.

When Nigel Mansell won the 1992 championship in Hungary

Driving the Adrian Newey designed highly competitive FW14, Nigel was absolutely dominating the  1992 season. Winning the first five races of the season, he had set the benchmark. Mansell finished second in the Hungarian Grand Prix which allowed him to clinch the Driver’s title.

“He turned to me and said, ‘Now you realize what a great feeling that is right?” Senna said to Mansell. “Now you understand why I’m such a b*****d on the track, because that feeling is the best in the world.” (translated using Google)

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“Some people would do anything to win, especially if they’ve won a championship before, they want to win another one and then another one.”

The podium that day had Senna, Mansell, and Senna’s teammate, Gerhard Berger. As the celebration began on the top step, Ayrton admitted many things to Nigel and to which the Williams driver replied, “Well, at least you admit it!” 

Mansell thinks he could have won Monaco by bumping into Ayrton Senna

Returning to the dominance of the FW14, Nigel Mansell could have notched up his sixth consecutive win with Monaco. Leading away from lights out, the Williams driver had started to pull away from McLaren’s Ayrton Senna. Seven laps from the end, Nigel had suffered from a loose wheel nut and was forced to pit, handing the lead to Senna.

Determined as ever, the famous “Red 5” driver didn’t lose hope. On a fresh set of tires, he hunted down the McLaren. Lapping two seconds quicker than the leader; Mansell took only two laps to be just 1.9 seconds behind Ayrton Senna. Hounding the three-time world champion, Mansell used every trick in the book to force Senna into a mistake.

“With the current regulations, Ayrton would not have managed to keep me behind him,” he said. “He was like a bus, every time I tried to overtake he blocked the trajectory.”

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In the end, Mansell concluded he should have nudged Senna’s McLaren to cause a puncture to win the race. Ultimately, he decided against it as it was not an honorable thing to do. Ultimately, the 1992 World Champion was proud as neither driver had collided with each other in Monaco.