Don't really have or believe in "heros" as such, but Senna was without doubt one of the finest F1 drivers that has ever lived. His death was such a tragedy, as well as Roland Ratzenberger on the previous day. I saw it all live & could not believe it when they announced his death later on in the day. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened in the following years if he had not died. His style of driving was incredible, his calculated aggression & determination to win were second to none. I don't think anyone could match him, not even Schumacher.
Yes, and of course they were battling at that moment - Michael was right behind him on the track wasn't he? They say Ayrton's tires were very cold, and he was not enjoying driving that year's Williams FW15C, it wasn't working well for him. But he was my guy, terrible shock. Michael is still going strong though eh lads?
From what I have read it was a suspension failure, the onboard footage seemed to show him driving straight into the wall, the car making no effort to steer round. Senna was too good a driver to make a fundamental mistake like go round tamburello(?) flat out on cold tyres. As far as I am aware, the Italian authorities have never released the car back to Williams, I have a documentary about it, I will have a hunt for it & give it a look, just to confirm my suspicions. Funnily enough, Prost saw/walked past Senna the day before, Senna paused for a second, Prost noticed, Prost had the feeling that Senna wanted to speak, but they never did.
I agree but I don't think Senna thought like that, if he did it okay it wouldn't have been a mistake - it wasn't a mistake until he crashed. I think he believed he was the one best suited to circle on cold rubber; that he could fly out in front before others' tires warmed up... Michael was pushing him (on cold tires too) and he must've thought 'I am Ayrton Senna - if anyone can master this miserable car it is me. Watch and learn, young German upstart...' Michael's onboard camera shows Senna was very low, trailing showers of sparks over every little bump. It was just a very unique unusual shunt, survivable except for getting speared through the head by broken suspension - many apparently worse carnage & destruction accidents, the pilot survives. But it was very tough. Alain Prost you would expect would miss Senna less than some... but I'm sure it's not so. Nobody EVER thought Senna could die (and Ayrton was in complete agreement).
i seem to remember something about the car bottoming out for a split second, which effected the steering, and as he corrected he regained traction and it sent him off course. They say it was one of those weird fluke things, like a 1 in a million shot. Didn't they also more or less confirm that it wasn't the impact that killed him, but the front right tire came up and smacked him in the head or something? In either case it was a tragic loss to the racing world, but i doubt he would have wanted to go out any other way. He will never be forgotten, when anyone speaks of F1 greatness, Senna always comes up. I named one of my twins after him, so he damn sure wont be forgotten around my house.
Oh yes, definitely - right before my eyes, couldn't believe it. On television; I was not in Italy. It's like losing a harddisk, it's going to happen (figure of speech) You hear about such things, then Bam! there it is right in front of you, and you are in disbelief the whole time...
I passed Neph's abandoned Gun Thread coupla pages back, looking for the F1 thread ;^) MICHAEL! Yes. Honda very unreliable... McLarens are lurking. Alonso much faster than Fisi in same car. Massa doing much better than Giancarlo... We love Jacques V. in Canada (of course :^) and it was funny to see Fisi yelling at him on Saturday. Fisi called him a 'bastardo' LoL. So cornering speeds are way up this year? I would rather see light cars with serious traction, than heavy sleds on greasy rubber (can you say Nascar?) so for me, it is an improvement. I will see when I stand at the Pit Chicane (turn 14/15) in Montreal - they approach at ~325kph (but maybe not so fast this year...) But standing on the infield side turn 15, it is unbelievable! Your eyes tell your brain what you're seeing is impossible. Every now & then they whack the wall there - this seems to reassure the brain that the laws of physics are still, in fact, intact thank goodness... Can't wait! So, who do you like in Spain, lads?
dont know why but i'm leaning towards kimi in spain. i think the homecrowd pressure will be too much for alonso. but hey he's surprized me before so who knows.
Wow - they have beaten the Lap Records (slaughtered them, actually) in these new 2.4 litre cars! Amazing.
Ferrari messed up this time , with the strategy .. shouldn't have fuelled Schuey so heavy But still it's great to see the them back fighting for the championship again/at last Also , what do we think about the speculation of Kimi driving alongside Michael next year ? [would love to see it myself]
Y'know Herbs, I think Kimi has just had it - he's not so fast compared to last year. Maybe it's just now sinking in how close he came to winning it all last year. He'll be lucky to get back up there again... But maybe Mercedes will come up with a new killa motor, it could happen, McLaren will be fast again. I think I like the new cars & engines this year... I hear they have a particularly nasty sound to them, very hard on the 'drums, piercing and flinch-inducing (and wonderful) all at the same time, LoL :^) Edit - don't get me wrong, Kimi's a great driver and I like him. L8R
I wouldn't be upset if you outright disrespected him [kimi] .. I've been agaianst him winning because I want Ferraris to win every time they take to the track - lol it's just that I am now wondering if Kimi has lost that edge that you're referring to , or is the car that terribly slow compared to usual years/seasons. I think Mercedes have been pumping the money into the wrong part of the company in the last few years (like building the huge upto date , very suave & lavish HQ here in the U.K) and not into making sure they were technologically up with all the top competition. But hey , that may pay off for them in years to come. Anyway , was good to hear another veiwpoint The_OGS .. cheers ears P.S I think Kimi can still be the decent driver he was if he keeps a positive mindset/attitude (he always seemed a bit too arrogant , but I dont watch F1 for their personalities - lol). Plus an interview w/ the Fin seems like hard work trying to listen to his mumbles & understand. heheh
LoL :^) You should be asking 'will Michelin bring tires this year' hehe I mean, really! Mario Andretti and Parnelli Jones etc. were flying around Indy @ 250MPH lap after lap, hour after hour, in the 1960's fer gawdsake. For Michelin to show up and decide their tires aren't up to the job, is just so inept - it's boggling! I was in Speedway Indiana Sept.24/2000 for the first USGP there. Got a Tshirt, mug, foam coolie, and several lucite keychain thingies (one of which I am holding now, still in its sealed package) and I'm not going back anytime soon. I CAN tell you that the place to be is on the infield (Holman Boulevard or whatever they call it). The action from the enormous grandstands seems distant; too quiet and... underwhelming. Going to a F1 race means being trackside Friday 9AM, it is of course a 3-day event, but I missed Friday (and most of Saturday) when I went down to Indy and maybe that's why my memories seem very 'rushed' LoL... Darth, Herbs, all North Americans (Pulsar must fly) should come up to Canada in June and experience a proper roadcourse race setting for F1. The very strong European flavour of the F1 circus is always on display in Montreal - entire blocks of the downtown entertainment district roped-off to traffic, with countless dozens of Ferraris all up one side of Crescent Street, and Bentleys Porches and Lambos all down the other side :^) The fabulous food and drink, limos and private jets, girls and just MONEY on display Saturday night, alone are worth the annual pilgrimage! Race weekend Saturday night, I can always be found in the Super Sex bar on St. Catherine Street. (It's unbelievable ;^) So, who will qualify in Monaco? It's all down to who starts first... could be a McLaren I s'pose - or a Honda!? Rubens on a single blinding fast lap? Qualifying will be the key, Regards
I live near London myself , so obvious choice for me is Silverstone .. but its so fookin' expensive (would be cheaper to drive thru chunnel to France - Magny Cours). I very much concur w/ Spa being fave track too P.S. Heard on qualifying of Monaco today @ lunchtime that Mr.Michellin died recently in freak boating accident (wow).
