“He Had, Without Me, Lost His Bearings”: Ayrton Senna’s Greatest Rival Takes Credit for His Success

“If you no longer go for a gap, you’re no longer a racing driver.” Ayrton Senna said this iconic line, signifying what he was made of. Senna is one of Formula 1’s greatest racing drivers. Gone too soon, the world often wonders what the Brazilian could have done. But even without running the full length of his career, he made one of the deepest marks in the sport’s history. However, a legend who raced alongside him takes credit for bringing out the brilliance in him.

Alain Prost, who has 51 Grand Prix wins and four world drivers’ titles, is one of the top 5 drivers of all time. His inimitable smooth-as-silk style earned him the nickname The Professor. The Frenchman took the responsibility of shaping one of the most iconic careers in Formula 1 history. Prost’s battles with Ayrton Senna, who joined McLaren in 1988, were iconic. Their relationship took a turn for the worse in Suzuka in 1989. A collision between the two gave Prost his third world championship title. Ironically, a year later, with Prost now at Ferrari, the same happened, this time with Senna bagging the crown.

As quoted by motorsport.nextgen-auto, Alain Prost, at the headquarters of the French sports daily L’Équipe relived his rivalry days with Senna, “When a young person arrives in a team and he goes fast, we favor him. I experienced that when I arrived at McLaren with John Watson as a teammate. And there, I experienced it the other way around with Ayrton. “It’s natural. The Brits are pragmatic. If it’s in their interest to help the youngster, they do it. But it’s hard to talk about Ayrton because he’s gone.”

He further added, “There was so much communication with Ayrton the day after my retirement. I felt that he was not well. He called me often. Sometimes twice a week. He never called me as long as I was still in the race. He had, without me, lost his bearings. I was undoubtedly his source of motivation. We both lived an incredible human and psychological story. We have to stay on the beautiful memories.”

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The champion, gone too soon, is still considered in the same category as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. The world can only wonder what could have been had he lived to script the rest of his career. However, years after losing their champion, they have found another one in the 7x world champion.

After Ayrton Senna, Brazil found their champion in Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022. This development was extensive coming as the Brazilians had accepted him as their own. A big reason for Lewis to have two home races is his undying love for the late Brazilian champion.

In 2021, Lewis drove one of the most brilliant races of his illustrious career. The race was The Sao Paulo Grand Prix, 2021. He celebrated his win by taking a victory lap around the circuit with a Brazilian flag in his hand. The crowd echoed in awe to relive a moment like the glorious days after Ayrton Senna’s reign.

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A new season will be underway in less than a month’s time. Do you think Lewis can create that magic again?