“Nobody’s Interested in Ayrton Senna”: Las Vegas GP Organizer’s Controversial Comment Infuriates Ex-F1 Boss

Who is that one driver that comes to your mind when you think of the greatest? Maybe it’s Michael Schumacher, or perhaps it’s Lewis Hamilton. Some might even call Max Verstappen the greatest. However, if you ask them who the most capable driver was to ever hit the tarmac, they’d all say it was Ayrton Senna. A former Ferrari boss was infuriated as the Las Vegas GP organizer made a controversial statement about Senna. What was it?

Many people wonder what makes an F1 driver the best. Is it the wins? Is it the championships? Well, while those records are important for the history books, they don’t always tell the full story. Looking at the history book would tell you that both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are far superior drivers compared to Fernando Alonso, but that’s not the truth. The same is the case with Ayrton Senna, who’s not done justice by the books.

The Brazilian was Fernando Alonso’s idol while growing up. It’s a shame that Senna passed away at 34- years old. He had all the qualities to be recognized as the best driver. Fearless, fast, precise, tactical mastermind yet calm and collected: Senna had everything. Yet many people from younger generations just don’t know or care about Senna. Former Ferrari General Manager Peter Windsor was met with a similar situation where a Las Vegas GP organizer said nobody cared about Ayrton Senna. 

Unable to get this statement out of his head, Peter Windsor scrutinized the comment as he said, “We need to respect the sport. That’s what it’s all about: respect. And somebody did say, somebody very high up at the Las Vegas Grand Prix did say, ‘but nobody’s interested in Ayrton Senna today.’ And I’m still trying to recover from that quote. Because he could’ve said Jim Clark, he could’ve said Jackie Stewart, he could’ve said Sebastian Vettel. You know, anybody who’s not racing now. And I find that incredibly short-sighted.”

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While some might say that nobody cares about Senna anymore, most purists do, including Fernando Alonso. Let’s see what Alonso had to say about his idol.

“Always be immortal”: Fernando Alonso hails Ayrton Senna

In an interview, Fernando Alonso was recently asked whether he’s still chasing his third championship and the dream of equaling the same number of titles as his idol, Ayrton Senna. The Spaniard replied that he wakes up and trains every morning because he believes it still is possible. Many years ago, Alonso was asked about Senna, and his reply was nothing but pure emotion. 

According to ansa.it, Fernando Alonso said, “Senna was an idol for me. I was a young kid, I was racing in karts, watching the news, and seeing that it was always him winning in F1, with his yellow helmet. He was the one who struck me the most. I had his poster in my wardrobe. I didn’t get the chance to meet him or race with him. But seeing all these people at Imola today, who saw him race, is a testimony to how much of an impact he made. He will always be immortal.”

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