Remembering Ayrton Senna

David Torres2 said:He lived for the moment, pure and simple, and left us with one hell of a show. Mythos!
The only other guy who reached that kind of legendary status was Niki Lauda, you know, the man who literally stared death in the face and walked away.

And what about Gilles Villeneuve?

graniteharbor502 said:And what about Gilles Villeneuve?

If you ask me, Gilles Villeneuve was right up there with Ayrton Senna. Even Niki Lauda belongs in that conversation, despite his brush with fate involving a certain lady and her hair tool. We're talking about those rare talents who pushed just one step further than destiny intended.

I’d also throw Stefan Bellof and Jim Clark into that elite circle.

Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt come to mind too, though I wouldn't quite place them in that top tier.

fadedwalker18 said:If you ask me, Gilles Villeneuve was right up there with Ayrton Senna. Even Niki Lauda belongs in that conversation, despite his brush with fate involving a certain lady and her hair tool. We're talking about those rare talents who pushed just one step further than destiny intended.

I’d also throw Stefan Bellof and Jim Clark into that elite circle.

Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt come to mind too, though I wouldn't quite place them in that top tier.

Good grief

fadedwalker18 said:If you ask me, Gilles Villeneuve was right up there with Ayrton Senna. Even Niki Lauda belongs in that conversation, despite his brush with fate involving a certain lady and her hair tool. We're talking about those rare talents who pushed just one step further than destiny intended.

I’d also throw Stefan Bellof and Jim Clark into that elite circle.

Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt come to mind too, though I wouldn't quite place them in that top tier.

Every single driver you mentioned passed away, which is exactly how they earned that legendary status.
But honestly, there's a massive gap between them and Ayrton Senna.

Niki Lauda was a completely different breed compared to Senna.

There’s this guy living over near Imola who spends a lot of his time walking the inner side of the Tamburello circuit—it’s basically a park there—and he frequently posts some pretty interesting shots to his Facebook feed.
Here is his latest one:



I’m just not entirely sure if this belongs here or in that other thread—you know, the "Post a photo and guess the driver" one...

Milton da Silva—Ayrton Senna’s dad—has passed away.

Rest in peace.

Back in '94, Ayrton Senna actually wanted to jump ship to Ferrari. But since Ferrari actually respected their contracts—and they had Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger lined up (his best buddy in Formula 1, they even pulled double duty at McLaren)—they told him he could join the following year. And man, that turned out to be the mistake of a lifetime. Up until then, Williams was basically dominating because of their active suspension and all those tech gadgets, plus they were rocking the absolute best Renault engines on the grid. But right when Alain Prost left, the rules changed. They banned active suspension, traction control, and pretty much all the electronic wizardry, leaving them with just that powerhouse engine. But even that wasn't enough. Williams stripped out all the electronics, but kept the chassis basically the same—just swapped the sponsor to Rothmans. That chassis was designed for the golden era of tech; it was a championship-winning machine built for a specific kind of driving. Once you ripped the electronics out, the car became a completely different, undrivable beast. Only the engine stayed consistent. From the very first testing sessions, Ayrton was totally crushed because the car was such a nightmare to handle. To make matters worse, the steering wheel was tiny and sat way too deep in the cockpit compared to his McLaren setup. They tried everything to fix it, but nothing worked. It felt cramped inside; he joked that if he ate even one single hamburger, he wouldn't be able to squeeze back into the seat! On top of that, the rear end was constantly sliding out on both him and Graham Hill. The car was just dangerous. It was fast on the straights thanks to that beefy Renault power, but hitting corners? Forget it. Especially exiting left-hand turns, where both cars slid out the exact same way in Brazil. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Ayrton’s frustration just kept building. They were constantly tweaking things, trying anything to stabilize the car, but it was a lost cause. That chassis just wasn't meant to run on passive suspension. They were working on a brand-new chassis in the background, but unfortunately, Ayrton never got to see it. They tried to push the current car to its absolute limit, and well... during an adjustment to the steering rack, it snapped. Ayrton lost control and went straight into the concrete wall at Tamburello—a wall that had zero tire barriers or hay bales to protect anyone. A piece of the suspension mount pierced right through his helmet and killed him instantly. He just had no luck that season. Roland Ratzenberger had died just the day before, and the whole weekend was a chaotic mess of accidents. What a tragedy. He was leading, he was on pole, just like the two races before. Ever since then, we haven't seen another fatality in Formula 1. The guy was truly pulling 200% out of a stripped-down, broken-down junker, but the circumstances were just tragic.🤦

Donna Miller4 said:Back in '94, Ayrton Senna actually wanted to jump ship to Ferrari. But since Ferrari actually respected their contracts—and they had Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger lined up (his best buddy in Formula 1, they even pulled double duty at McLaren)—they told him he could join the following year. And man, that turned out to be the mistake of a lifetime. Up until then, Williams was basically dominating because of their active suspension and all those tech gadgets, plus they were rocking the absolute best Renault engines on the grid. But right when Alain Prost left, the rules changed. They banned active suspension, traction control, and pretty much all the electronic wizardry, leaving them with just that powerhouse engine. But even that wasn't enough. Williams stripped out all the electronics, but kept the chassis basically the same—just swapped the sponsor to Rothmans. That chassis was designed for the golden era of tech; it was a championship-winning machine built for a specific kind of driving. Once you ripped the electronics out, the car became a completely different, undrivable beast. Only the engine stayed consistent. From the very first testing sessions, Ayrton was totally crushed because the car was such a nightmare to handle. To make matters worse, the steering wheel was tiny and sat way too deep in the cockpit compared to his McLaren setup. They tried everything to fix it, but nothing worked. It felt cramped inside; he joked that if he ate even one single hamburger, he wouldn't be able to squeeze back into the seat! On top of that, the rear end was constantly sliding out on both him and Graham Hill. The car was just dangerous. It was fast on the straights thanks to that beefy Renault power, but hitting corners? Forget it. Especially exiting left-hand turns, where both cars slid out the exact same way in Brazil. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Ayrton’s frustration just kept building. They were constantly tweaking things, trying anything to stabilize the car, but it was a lost cause. That chassis just wasn't meant to run on passive suspension. They were working on a brand-new chassis in the background, but unfortunately, Ayrton never got to see it. They tried to push the current car to its absolute limit, and well... during an adjustment to the steering rack, it snapped. Ayrton lost control and went straight into the concrete wall at Tamburello—a wall that had zero tire barriers or hay bales to protect anyone. A piece of the suspension mount pierced right through his helmet and killed him instantly. He just had no luck that season. Roland Ratzenberger had died just the day before, and the whole weekend was a chaotic mess of accidents. What a tragedy. He was leading, he was on pole, just like the two races before. Ever since then, we haven't seen another fatality in Formula 1. The guy was truly pulling 200% out of a stripped-down, broken-down junker, but the circumstances were just tragic.🤦

Jules Bianchi.

Jason Campbell70 said:Jules Bianchi.

Man,

Seriously? You already forgot? He passed away later, after being in a coma for nine months because he hit a crane during practice at Suzuka in Japan while it was pulling Sutil's race car out... but we didn't see those classic racing fatalities like Jim Clark, Ronnie Peterson, Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, or Gilles Villeneuve. Still, someone lost their life due to a Formula 1 accident, even if everyone keeps acting like Imola 1994 was the final tragedy...🤦

De Villota passed away about a year and a few months after that testing accident.
It’s just two incredibly bizarre and tragic accidents involving Marussia race cars.

Back in 2000, during the race at Monza, there was a tragic incident where a track marshal lost his life following that collision between Frenzen and Barrichello.

swiftmaker12 said:There’s this guy living over near Imola who spends a lot of his time walking the inner side of the Tamburello circuit—it’s basically a park there—and he frequently posts some pretty interesting shots to his Facebook feed.
Here is his latest one:



I’m just not entirely sure if this belongs here or in that other thread—you know, the "Post a photo and guess the driver" one...

Even Ayrton Senna isn't safe from the weirdos.

Donna Miller4 said:Man,

Seriously? You already forgot? He passed away later, after being in a coma for nine months because he hit a crane during practice at Suzuka in Japan while it was pulling Sutil's race car out... but we didn't see those classic racing fatalities like Jim Clark, Ronnie Peterson, Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, or Gilles Villeneuve. Still, someone lost their life due to a Formula 1 accident, even if everyone keeps acting like Imola 1994 was the final tragedy...🤦

People talk way too much.

28 years since that absolute disaster with Imogene..

RIP Ayrton

Ayrton’s legacy is timeless. He lives on forever. 🙏🙏👍👍

Ayrton Senna branding spotted on the Ferrari during Practice 3 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; July 30, 2022, at 1:40 PM.


Mercedes E400 Coupe 0-60 mph

🙏🙏

fadedwalker18 said:Ayrton Senna branding spotted on the Ferrari during Practice 3 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway; July 30, 2022, at 1:40 PM.


Mercedes E400 Coupe 0-60 mph

🙏🙏

I believe it already appeared in Monaco earlier this year.
Let it stay small and insignificant until the Ferrari crew actually starts performing...

Senna's mark belongs on a Ferrari car for as long as we live.

As of today, we celebrate the birth of the absolute greatest to ever step into a cockpit.
May his legacy live on forever. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

fadedwalker18 said:As of today, we celebrate the birth of the absolute greatest to ever step into a cockpit.
May his legacy live on forever. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

May he rest in peace...🙏