15 years since Senna died

[XabbaRus]

Senna died 15 years today. I doubt we will see a driver like him again.

I remember watching the Imola race live on tv as it happened. When Senna crashed I remember thinking "That's a bad crash". Roland Ratzenberger had already died earlier in the time trials I think. When crashes happened back then it was almost always a serious thing, not like now when they walk away from serious collisions.

I know it's a cliche but I don't think the Formulas were the same after that. I continued following through the Schumacher vs. Häkkinen - era but after that have pretty much forgotten about the whole 'sport'.

[danlisa]

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

I doubt we will see a driver like him again.

Got that right.

A tragic loss to the sport but those days were about talented drivers who drove right on the edge. Todays racing is about a cars performance. The current emphasis in F1 means that the likes of Senna will never be needed again.

[Skybird]

HighTech and functionaries have brought F1 to death. And with Schumi gone, even any principal interest for it has died for me, too. This years regulations and the scandals that already have been there, I noted en passant - and feel confirmed in my perception of F1 being dead. Now they trade Vettel as the new Schumacher. Maybe he will become a winner, or not. To me it is more a hype pushed by the desire to restarts interest in F1 that in the last 1-2 years has declined drastically.

Workers and employees of Daimler want their company to withdraw from F1. They do not identify with their team - and it has been like that already before the economic crisis hit Daimler and threatened jobs.

Think of Schumacher what you want - but he was the one magican who kept the show alive - whether it be by his skills and chasing new records, or by people seeing him as a controversial figure, it doesn't matter. Without him it just is not the same anymore.

for the record, I am no explicit Schumi fan, but I also never had anything explicit against him. Obviously he did some things both inside and outside the cockpit extremely well, and better than the others.

[Jimbuna]

Yes....a tragic loss to the sport....from an era when the drivers skill made the difference and not the car/machine like now.

[Max2147]

Spare a thought for Roland Ratzenberger, who died the day before trying to qualify for the race. In some ways, his death was even more tragic than Senna's.

Roland never had the money or a rich backer to help him get into F1. He was a regular guy, and by all accounts a genuinely down to earth and nice guy. He pushed his way up through the ranks with sheer determination, talent, and love for the sport. Tragically, that determination would seal his fate. When he went off on his outlap in qualifying at Imola, he was so determined to make the race that he decided to try a hotlap anyways. Tragically, his off had damaged his front wing mounting, and the front wing failed at 200mph while approaching a curve with no runoff. Poor Roland never had a chance.

A touching tribute to Roland: http://www.f1rejects.com/centrale/ra...ger/index.html

[Sailor Steve]

I watched it on TV as it happened. I consider it a great loss, as I do the loss of any driver while racing or practicing.

But...

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

Senna died 15 years today. I doubt we will see a driver like him again.

I hope not. He was a great driver, but I contend that he was no sportsman. I also watched him clinch a championship by intentionally ramming the only other driver that year (Prost) who could have caught him, out of the race, along with his own car. Sorry, but I don't think much of a "Champion" who resorts to those kind of tactics.

I also disagree with Jim on the skill vs car argument. I think skill stopped mattering somewhere between 1968 and 1978, with the coming of wings and downforce bodies. Prost, Senna, Schumaker - they were all the best when they had the best car. But the last time I remember a driver so good he won a championship in a car everybody agreed was inferior was 1957 - Juan Manuel Fangio and Maserati.

Sailor Steve,

you're right, Senna did have his dark moments too. But he was just such a total formula driver that one had admire his commitment. He really shined in Monaco where IMO he was head above the rest and really drove as fast as he possibly could. Maybe his crash wasn't such a big surprise, he did not shy away from danger.

Here's a clip of him driving in Monaco.

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by danlisa

Got that right.

A tragic loss to the sport but those days were about talented drivers who drove right on the edge. Todays racing is about a cars performance. The current emphasis in F1 means that the likes of Senna will never be needed again.

Senna was a good pilot and a god when racing on wet circuits. He became a legend because he died while still on the top and young. Schumacher is no less a legend than Senna is. Even Fangio is a legend. So lets not stop at Senna, good pilots will come along, great pilots who will become legends in their time will also continue to exist.

Those that say that modern F1 is about technology, well they have forgotten all the critics during the 80's and 90's saying that technology had taken the lead in F1 and pilots were just "accessories" to the machine. So in this respect really nothing has changed, a great pilot still makes the difference (if the car doesn't break ).

[Max2147]

What made Senna unique wasn't his driving, it was his personality. He was a truly remarkable person, in both good and bad ways. He was by far the most forceful personality in a sport that's full of those types of people. His absolute self-belief and his eloquence were incredible. He was the first of the modern win at all costs drivers, but at the same time he was absolutely nothing like today's PR robot drivers.

Sometimes those traits showed through in his driving, but he was just as incredible outside of the car as he was inside it.

At the same race at Imola there was also this big crash by Rubens Barrichello. He survived.

[Platapus]

Wow 15 years. Did not realize it was that long ago.

[Max2147]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

At the same race at Imola there was also this big crash by Rubens Barrichello. He survived.

That weekend was probably the worst in F1 history.

Friday: Barrichello has his big crash and gets knocked out.
Saturday: Ratzenberger is killed in qualifying.
Sunday: Several fans are injured when debris from a start line crash flies into the crowd.
Senna is killed early in the race.
Several mechanics are injured when a wheel comes of Alboreto's car in the pits and goes flying into a crowd of mechanics.

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

7
Prost, Senna, Schumaker - they were all the best when they had the best car. But the last time I remember a driver so good he won a championship in a car everybody agreed was inferior was 1957 - Juan Manuel Fangio and Maserati.

Sorry, but I don't think the 1994 Benneton Ford was regarded as the best car in the field. The engine was rather weak and the Williams Renault were definitely better cars. But again Schumacher rammed Hill in the last race to become champion.

[XabbaRus]

for those of you in the UK and others who can get around the restrictions to non UK viewers here is a 1995 documentary of Senna

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/8027912.stm