In this episode, we discuss: 0:02:30 - Peter’s interest in motorsports began as a child 0:06:34 - The drama and dangers of F1 0:14:32 - What made Senna special 0:26:58 - What Senna meant to Brazilians 0:31:17 - The cause of the fatal crash 0:45:03 - Why Peter is obsessed with Senna 0:48:22 - Being the best versus having the best record 0:51:46 - Senna’s unique driving style and incredible intuition about automotive engineering 0:58:52 - Back to the day of the dreadful race 1:09:19 - What Peter believes caused the crash 1:20:34 - Views on dying young, in the prime of life 1:29:18 - Senna lives on in his foundation and in safety changes adopted by F1 1:32:34 - Statistics aren’t enough for fandom, and why people like who they do 1:38:00 - The biggest difference between F1 today and F1 in the 80s 1:39:58 - Senna’s driving superpower 1:48:15 - The fastest drivers currently in F1 1:55:55 - Current F1 obsessions 2:01:25 - How hard it is to do what the top F1 drivers do 2:04:00 - Dax’s love of motorcycles and his AMG E63 station wagon 2:14:05 - Awesome Senna mementos from Etsy 2:23:50 - What makes specialists interesting, and Max’s devotion to F1 2:28:19 - What Senna might have done if he had not died that day 2:32:35 - Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen are also top F1 drivers 2:33:55 - Interlagos in Sao Paulo Brazil is always an incredible experience
After 30 years, here we are together again to pay tribute to Senna. Decades will pass, and we will always meet again to say how Ayrton Senna is unforgettable. 🇧🇷🏎🏆
I’m brazilian and Senna died when I was 14. I still cannot comprehend and properly explain how devastating it was. Sometimes I go over his stuff on YT and it wrecks me. I think it’s because he was never perfect, yet no amount of success was enough to have him give up on improvement. He cared and worked hard as fuck.
Best regards from Imola from a german car engineer, who attended the memorial yesterday at the course. Lifelong Senna fan, as I see a lot of the similar flaws and strengths in myself of him. Thanks Peter for that podcast. Never thought I would listen to a canadian md and an american comedian about my favorite driver.
I’m Brazilian and I used to watch F1 as a Sunday ritual like millions in my country. I watched that race with incredulity. I haven’t watch any kind of car race for the last 30 years.
Really enjoyed this - senna such a hero. I’ve been following F1 for years and seen nearly 30 races live. I have to say Lewis is not finished - this guy has such an aura/energy. So happy for Lando this weekend - so deserved. He’s such a lovely guy. Thank you for such an interesting podcast
A fascinating podcast Mr. Attia. I would love to see a Seb interview as his superfan too, he deserves some vindication in the eyes of the DTS crowd, as the third-fourth most successful driver of all time.
That Peter Attia is a very knowledgeable person, that should not be a shocker to anybody. Now, his knowledge about Senna's talent, history, impact and even the intrinsicality that would be impossible for a "foreign" to know about someone from another country it is truly remarkable. As a Brazilian who followed Senna's career since as far as I can remember being alive, impressive!
Thank you Peter for this episode about Senna. May 1st, 1994 was a day I’ll never forget, I starred at the tv for hours and refused to believe what had just happened. Senna , for me, is so much more than the greatest F1 driver, he carried the weight of Brazil in his shoulders . He felt like it was his calling to do the most for his country. On May 1st I’ll be watching the documentary to honor his memory.
Great episode Peter. The reverence and respect you show for a sport that carries such history, but is largely commercial these days is great to see. More of this!
Love this episode. I, like you, grew up in Canada and remember setting the VCR to record the races at 11:30pm Sunday nights (in the mid to late 80s). My parents would let me stay up to hit the 'record' button if I went to bed 'right away', but I'd always treat myself to the start and first 10 laps. There I was, sitting in the dark living room watching my heroes. Fond memories - thanks for recalling them for me. I had yet to watch the fateful race on this day 30 years ago - my uncle told me the sad news of Ayrton's passing. I was devastated.
What a fun episode! I’m fairly new to Peter’s podcasts and F1, and I had no idea he was an automotive enthusiast (I’m a massive gearhead), and I’ve been a fan of Dax for a while now. This episode was fantastic! I could talk to these guys about motorsports for hours!
What an amazing episode, I strongly believe that Ayrton Senna, was the greatest racer of all time, the ultimate athlete but also someone that managed to be something bigger and greater than this. This aura of him, will never be forgotten and cannot be replicated. His legacy still lives on and transcends to us on our daily lives. There is hardly a week that I don't think of him or go back to him for inspiration. Thank you Peter
I am Brazilian, and I remember the day that Senna died. I was 13 at the time. The T.V Globo announced here:"Ayrton Senna dead from cranial trauma, after crashing straight into the wall at Tamburello Curve." So I told my mom:"They are going to declare a 3 day National Mourning Holiday in his honor.". And that is exactly what happened. Ah, 1993...a World I miss very, very much.
Senna was an incredible driver and an incredible humam (3 titles), Piquet was equally an amazing driver and a brilliant mechanic (he wasn't from a wealthy family, enters F1 after work on brabhams boxes and got 3 titles also). Fittipaldi in early 70's was a fantastic 2 times champion, lost his third title because he refuses to run on an inappropriate circuit in Italy. He flew away on Saturday and lost the title on Sunday to his teammate who died on track. Those were our Brazilian champions back them. That's why we loved those races. Love your interviews and your work. Congrats from Brazil!
Thanks Pete for your inspiration for our health and this great episode about Senna. As Brazilian, always remember the Sundays expectations for the great races and incredible performances of this legendary driver. Thank you!
I am so glad I stumbled upon this conversation. Ayrton is the best for me, the best ever because I have never felt anything even competitively close to what I was feeling while watching him racing. There was something spiritual about it. Something mystical or magical, intangible. Those who know -- know. The sheer passion, the desperation, the thrill. Senna will never be forgotten and his legacy and legend live on. Rest in peace, Ayrton. P.S. When I am feeling depressed I actually rewatch some of Senna's races because he gave his 110% and fought, always managed to not give up: the ultimate racer. He was so full of life.
41:20 The amazing thing about that race which is often forgotten is Senna and Schumacher lapped the entire field. Shortly before he spun, Hill had been lapped by the leaders, and Hill is no slouch. That is how good Senna and Schumacher were. Really enjoying this episode so far!
Great episode! I went to the same high school as Senna and we had some of the same teachers. I was there in 94. Surreal! I remember we didn't have classes for a week because of the madness in front of the building. 30 y later I have a hard time to believe he is gone and maybe it's because he is not. Legends live forever!
The year he won the Brazilian GP was really special. Just after the finish line, he stopped the car and the crowd just invaded the track. I was one of them. We carried him to the podium. He was so exhausted. For the Last 7 laps he had only the 6th gear... He was really something else.
Hey Petter, I liked you even more after I saw that you are a Senna’s fan. I am Brazilian and I was a kid when he died, 9 years old to be precise. And one of my kid memories is watching Senna on Sunday morning before our bbq lunch. And hearing our national anthem when he won the races. He loved the country and was a true patriot, something that lacks there and something we wish deeply to feel but it’s hard considering all conditions.
I started watching F1 in 1989. I was 5 yrs old. Can still remember Senna and Prost's collision at the chicane at Suzuka vividly as one of my first memories in motorsport. When Senna passed at Imola, it was not the first motorsports death I'd experienced, but it was the first one on track during a race. I was also a NASCAR fan and both Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison had died in aviation accidents so by the age of 8 I'd learned the concept of death and loss, and had an acute awareness to dangerous situations. Then Senna died. I was watching that race live when the crash happened and can remember so much detail about it. It was a formative experience for me because I saw how fragile even the most talented people can be. As both a NASCAR and F1 fan, I was also a fan of Dale Earnhardt's. His death at Daytona in 2001 was like re-living everything I had felt with Senna's loss all over again. Later in life I worked for 10 years as a motorsports journalist and covered the 2019 Daytona 500 as a writer. I feel like both Senna and Earnhardt's deaths gave me a different level of respect for what a driver's job is, and I tended to write with a certain reverence to their mortality. I've seen how easily these people can come and go in an instant. Sometimes I feel like that was an advantage, other times a detriment. Either way, I've always had motorsports in my life, and Senna was a hero to me as a kid. A seemingly normal man, doing extraordinary things with a machine. To the point that once you saw his talents applied, you couldn't really deny yourself the experience of seeing it again and again. Until one day, you didn't have the option to see it again. That's why people don't have the appetite for the level of loss the sport endured from the 60's to the 80's. It feels almost criminal to extinguish the flame of talent that suddenly and just move on to the next...
Mr. Attia, thank you for this video. I’ve born in São Paulo near Senna’s house and that was a very sad day. Even here in Japan, people loves him a lot🤓🙏🤩
So, some perspective on the Filipino people and their love for Pacquiao…I was in Manila on 12/8/2012 when he got knocked out in the 6th round. I was at a Hard Rock Cafe watch party and the place was packed with ex-pats like me and Filipinos. They were so enthusiastic about Manny and loved him. When he got knocked out, the entire crowd fell silent. Dead silent. Like they’d been punched in the gut. You may be right with the Senna/Pacquiao comparison, but man, what I felt in that moment was different than anything I have ever felt since then…
Terrific episode. I learned so much! My story is that I stopped watching Formula 1 after Senna died. The 'newbies' of the Drive to Survive generation just don't know. But they will after listening to this episode.
I was 12 years old when I watched his last race at Imola. To the people that do not understand, Senna to me was the real version of Superman. His life values, working hard, perfectionism, be the first one to show up the last to leave, fight for what you believe is what stood up. Also, in Brazil during the late 80s early 90s, the country was going thru political and economic issues. As a Brazilian we felt like shit honestly. Watching Senna made us forget about everything. Made us feel proud. He was OUR escape. When he passed away, I felt like our heart went with him. I mean we all waited for every Sunday to watch his races. He was OUR Superman and that 12 year old that saw him perish misses him dearly.
Max is not better than Lewis. His car has been incredibly dominant, period. (Same as the Merc once was) I do find Max is a bit dirty, as was Senna. Senna was a great driver, but he's not in my top 3. He has been so mythologized that now people just assumed he was the best. This discussion just reinforces that general view. And yeah, that finish in 2021 was so wrong- Hamilton was totally robbed.
I feel Elio needs to be mentioned as it was he who was the last person to die in an F1 car before Roland, it just happened in testing and not at a race weekend. Then you have Riccardo Paletti who was the last person to die in a race weekend a few weeks AFTER Gilles
Attia...you've shown us your F1 simulation rig somewhere? I'm with Dax...love the netflix series and likewise grew up an Indy and F1 fan...Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rick Mears...really hit home when you mention boys in their youth gravitated towards cars and boxers in your era; in the same boat with you. Anyway, great episode here...enjoyed it quite a bit.
I was 3 weeks short of my 16th birthday when Ruben’s, Roland & Ayrton crashed. The weekend was an awful weekend. The deaths of Roland & Ayrton upset me a lot. To this day these 2 days have a black cloud over them. I feel low and emotional. It’s amazing how much Roland’s and Ayrton’s deaths still affect me - affecting me more than things that should upset me more. Maybe because I saw people who were superhero’s and invincible actually die in front of me. Terrible terrible weekend. But 30 years ago - unbelievable. RIP Roland & Ayrton
Not sure why Dax thinks there’s only 0.3secs that separates the 20 cars in qualifying. It’s much more widespread than that. 0.3 secs is more like the typical gap between P1 (Verstappen) and whoever is in P2
If you take verstappen out the difference between p2 and p10 in Q3 is usually around 0.5 to 0.6 seconds so he's not that far off but he's obviously overexaggerating. The quali times right now are by far the closest they have ever been.
When Senna was a kid and had a kart, he would go out and drive it in the pouring rain. This is how he developed such a good 'feel' for the car its limits and what was doing. Unknowingly, he was developing and improving his vestibular-proprioception skills.
Bruce Mclaren, Founder of Mclaren F1, On the death of team mate Timmy Mayer The news that he had died instantly was a terrible shock to all of us, but who is to say that he had not seen more, done more and learned more in his few years than many people do in a lifetime? To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone
Appreciate both of your guys opinion, but I found it hard to watch while you disregarded Lewis’s achievements very easily. 😂 You can’t say Lewis is basically stat padding when he’s racing Bottas etc and then say Max is amazing when he’s facing Perez. IMO Max and Lewis earned their way to the top and have reaped the rewards. Obviously luck comes into play a lot but people forget Lewis had won in every single year up till a few years ago AND came up against former WC Alonso as a rookie and beat him. Imagine if Piastri went into the Redbull and beat Max. Even if you’re not a fan of Lewis or any other WC, Michael, Max, Vettel etc. You have to respect the talent and what they have achieved.
Lol, Verstappen already top three of all time but Hamilton out of the question? Winning two championships (dominantly) and a third that shouldn't be is not outweighing seven titles and a record eight stolen yet. Max' two dominant wins (soon three) are also clearly in a dominant car. (not taking away from Max himself being clearly the best now). The one year the cars seemed to be equal, or both cars were best for parts of the season, it was incredibly close and decided by a corrupt official. Peter and Dax only seem to remember the last part of the season were the Merc was indeed the better car. Arround the middle of the season that was clearly not the case. I'm not saying stats is all that matters. But disregarding Hamilton like that is just dishonest. Ah "Lewis doesn't fight". But when Lewis decides to not yield for Max's 'yield or crash tactics' and actually fights him, Lewis should get charged with attempted manslaughter... Ah "Lewis allways got the call from the officials that season". Like when Max parked his car on top of Lewis in Monza? Or when Max didn't even bother attempting to make the corner in Brazil? You guy's memory is just as bad as those claiming 2021 was the biggest injustice in history.
Well said. Their recollection of 2021 is clearly skewed and to say all the calls that year went to Lewis is when I couldn’t take them seriously anymore from that season. Clear bias and selective memory showing.
It was a very naive statement by Peter. Like they rate Alonso and yet Hamilton beat him in his rookie year... Plus Max has never faced good opposition in his team... I am no in way a Lewis fan boy the basic facts here were not in the right universe.
I enjoyed this video, but that was the biggest question mark mentioned. The 3 best Formula 1 drivers are unquestionably Senna, Schumacher, & Hamilton, in no particular order. Michael & Lewis were clinical & consistent for majority of their 15+ year careers, but Senna was just insane, like everything they explained in the video. Of course there's also the early legends like Fangio & Clark, and Alonso was unlucky not to have more titles, he's also a honorable mention. I do think Verstappen definitely has the potential to enter that pantheon, but we have to see what more can he do after the Red Bull stops becoming dominant. The only title fight he was in, yes he was quick for majority of the season, but in wheel-to-wheel combat & tense moments he needs to mature a little bit like you mentioned (pushing Lewis off the track all the time).
The year where the cars seemed to be equal or near equal at the top, max was clearly the better and more talented driver. Lewis literally needed to punt max out of a race and then go on to win that race for them to be on equal footing. that's literally a 25 point swing, without that the last couple of races wouldn't have even been exciting since the only chance lewis would've had at the title was max crashing out or having a mechanic failure. If you were coming at it from a level headed standpoint, the 2021 season basically proves how much of a better driver max is compared to lewis and I'm saying this as someone who has immense respect for hamilton but unfortunately I never saw him as a champion that had that innate speed (seeing how many times he has gotten outqualified by his teammates throughout his career especially looking at the bottas years)... what made lewis a great champion was his consistency which obviously is the most important quality to have as a driver with the most dominant car.
Re: stabbing the throttle - I’ve also assumed this was using his right foot to find the traction point, having enough sensitivity to act as an analog traction control device.
I'm Italian born in 1966, grow up in Sassuolo few Km from Ferrari factory I'm totally with you in to this podcast, we too in my area consider F1 as religion I was really saddened by the dead of Gilles one of my F1 heroes, the 126 T2 was a super car but somehow not safe as later Pironi had bad accident and could not finish the season, Ayrton in spite never drove for Ferrari its always in our harts ❤
Also can't possibly fathom believing that the rules were in lewis' favour in 21. I get getting tired of one guy losing but that takes a pretty special slant.
Hi Peter, agree with most of the stuff and you were right about Lando as we saw last weekend, but Lewis is not done yet… he needs a better car, and who knows if Newey goes to Ferrari, what a dream ticket.
I was fortunate enough to have been able to race F2000 in Canada as an amateur against pro drivers. To be a pro athlete in any sport takes a special person with a lot of devotion. In motorsport this is amplified greatly as you can die participating in your sport. While a great deal has been done to reduce the risks, it never has been, nor ever will be safe. But it is a sport like no other.
Damon was WC in 1996. The first great Brazilian Champion was Emerson Fittipaldi, he raced in indy later (in 1993 for instance, he was still driving for Penske, when Mansell moved to the indy series and won his debute season). I really don't like Piquet, I don't even know whether there is anyone, who is able to like that guy, but Emmo (Fittipaldi) was kind of popular. Oh, and the V8 engines revved up higher than V10s (V8 often above 19k RPM, whereas the V10-s were usually below that, though not by much) Thank you for the episode. I really expected it (due to the 30th anniversary) and I found it fascinating. Keep up the great work!
Dr. Attia: Curious what your thoughts are on Formula e? The races seem very aggressive to me. Like Formula 1, I am fascinated by the technology of the cars. Love to hear your take is on Formula e for the future.
Even James Hunt said this: 1990 crash between Prost and Senna was Prost fault if you watch video Senna was on right side and couldn't go right unless to go out of track on Grass so Prost close the door while having Senna on right side Prost run into Senna not the way around. Watch video. Safety got on ANOTHER LEVEL due to his death.
Interesting podcast, but were you watching the same concluding F1 race of 2021 as I did? Even Christian Horner was saying 'only an act of god can save Max now'. The safety car rules were breached in multiple different ways to favor Verstappen, including allowing the unlapped cars only between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap, while leaving the buffer behind Verstappen in place so he didn't have to defend from the car behind. He could focus only on attacking Hamilton on new tires. If applied correctly, the race would have ended on the safety car in that race order.
1:30:30 When Senna crashed on Prost in 1990? It was quite the other way around, Prost went over the line where Senna was, it's quite clear, Prost had a lot of space, on the left Senna had none on the right.
I miss the old F1 engine sounds. It is the key part of the atmosphere. We were robbed of Senna versus Schumacher, and we were lucky Michael decided to make a broken Ferrari team winners, he went for a challenge, not every driver would of done that. It created suspense.
Peter is right--Drive to Survive is so boring--as has F1 races been. Mostly just a parade with Max leading the way. But I do love the cars and the tech. Took my wife to Wimbledon for her birthday in 2022 and we went to F1 qualifying the day before at Silvestone. Raining, but it was a blast to be sure.
His rookie year he raced with all f1 world champions in Mercedes Benz same cars and he win.......... The way of gas in the corners comes from Kart The crashed helmet was burned by bell
You can clearly see Senna moving the steering up and down. That is not a normal movement which suggest steering column broke. Williams should have been held responsible
Loved the conversation, however I can’t see how the modern drivers in what has become Formula Yawn in the last 20 years, could have coped with Senna and the other drivers of that time. The mention that Damon Hill is much underrated intrigued me as I am of an age that his father Graham Hill was at his peak when I first was able to see any F1 on TV. I have long argued that of British champions he is probably the most underrated given how late he was to driving a car, also he remains the only driver to win 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500. Clearly hard to compare across generations, I had a hard time liking Senna, but I was devastated at his death, watching that race was awful and frankly I struggled to watch the documentary as I found it too emotional, his legend certainly grew for me after his tragic passing.
The cause of the crash was the low tire pressures due to super slow laps, the car bottom out and lost all grip on the front wheels. The cause of death was in first place a fracture on base of his brain due to the strong deceleration.
The steering rod does not have to snap for it to cause or contribute to the accident. Torsional phase delay alone almost certainly from driver inputs to car output. He would have known the thing was wobbling around before the corner felt it and continued on because he knew if he stopped the championship was over, and his nature was to persevere regardless of circumstances, that is what makes him SENNA. Good on your for buying the steering wheel, I was looking at that myself years ago but yikes $$$$ !!! The asphalt steps also played a role because he complained about them in Italian (youtube has several videos) and Brazilian news articles. Despite the fact of oversteer or not (I believe there was) and Schumacher had better view than the grainy camera the fact that the steering is moving so much seconds before the crash inextricably links it to accident irrespective of the other factors. It is probably a case or primary and secondary cause. We cannot forget the car bottomed out so hard lap 6 the car camera goes black for several seconds and he bottomed out way heavier lap 6 (as does Damon's car on the race feed if you look carefully). I have 1995 Autosport article where designer says the column would transmit torque until it snapped, but with the crack being where it was it would bend more and that alone would very quickly easily result in the car getting out of hand in that high speed. Oversteer, or the front grounding out, or possibly the front end porpoising, my view is that the steering is inextricably linked to the crash.
Really good episode. Senna was one of the greats but there is a bit of a cult surrounding him because he died too soon and during the height of his career and life. Lewis and Max as well as Vettel are greats but the eras they competed in are so different due to cars safety , reliability and number of races let alone points per position differences. Schumacher in different eras and teams, rain pace and what he accomplished with only one gear is just as legendary as some of Senna's exploits. All are greats but impossible to pick the greatest. Comparing drivers across the board is even harder as drivers like Sebastian Loeb who ran and won not just multiple times in WRC but also rallycross, 24 Hour of Le Mans, World Touring car, Dakar, Pikes Peak and so on. Day and night, wet, dry, snow,ice, dirt and pavement. Much of his success is also accomplished on first pass in unseen road or path not lap 35 that doesn't change much.
I'm old enough to remember the shocking accident and death of Ayrton Senna (the day the rules changed), and young enough to enjoy Max Verstappen and all his drama with Team Red Bull.
The american saying Brazilians in f1 were underdogs and just 3 of them, was funny. Brazil is the 3rd or 4th F1 drivers nation. And the 2nd back when Senna was among us. … btw they drove H gears not sequential
Max over Lewis, in the rain!!!! Oh man, I wanna be on this podcast. Record junkie = Lewis! No man. Learn about his story! Going to Montreal this year. I agree that watching racing at home is a better experience, seeing the race. But the sounds... Unbelievable. The 2021 Abu Dhabi robbery almost made me stop watching F1. But if Lewis could come back, me as a _fan_ had no reason not to. I'm definitely far less enthralled in the sport. I started in 1999. It'll never be the same for me. I still watch but... This was a tough one to watch. So much disagreement
Max are you kidding me? I would vote Alonso or Lewis before Max! If you had the fastest car by 18 seconds, you would win everything too! You know the fastest car wins most of the races. Alonso is one of those drivers that always has people saying “if anyone can pull something off it’s Alonso “ similar to Senna. Hey great photographic memory by the way, awesome!
I can't believe you put Max above Lewis. If you want to see a wet lap look at Austria 2020 qualification or 2008 British GP but if you really want to see some perfect driving look at Singapore 2018 quali. 1)Senna no doubt, 2) Michael 3) Lewis 4) Max for now when he has 7 championships you can put him ahead of Lewis.
Great podcast but I think you guys need some perspective here . Lewis hamilton had better teammates than Verstappen. Lewis has had 2 f1 champions as teammates. One of which was Alonzo who he outmatched for the year together . Also, the year Rosberg beat Lewis; Hamilton had several DNFs due to power unit failures.
Peter - love your shows. You are awesome. Poor use of words on Ferrari and Schumacher era. A French run team? Because Jean Toft…..that’s ridiculous. Yours and Dax implications are not the best. Jean Toft was awesome, team included Brawn (English), Byrne (South African) and many others. Besides these guys there were a team of Italians including the President of Ferrari at the time Luca Di Montezumalo. They have been underwhelming under recent Italian leadership Binotto, Matiacci, Arrivabene. But, that is F1. I guess under your logic McLaren is now an Italian run team because of team principal Andrea Stella…… they are actually improving. Stereotyping is ugly.😅
Great conversation; however it has essentially been limited to their own experience, with the exception of the great Fangio. Yes, Senna was superb, but he drove on roads & in cars that were far safer than those from the 50's & 60's. Any conversation that neglects to include Mssrs. Clark, Moss & the like is to my mind incomplete. Senna's training, road conditions & car(s) were enormously better than anything from the earlier period. I think when one pronounces this to be my big three, such a statement often forgets the exigencies that drivers from another era faced, endured & conquered. I would love to see these three race in the same car & in the same conditions Sterling Moss confronted at the 1955 Mille Miglia, where he averaged nearly 99 mph for slightly more than 10 hours, finishing over 30 minutes clear of the competition. Or how about Fangio having won the 9500 km.Grand Prix of South America. I don't know better measures of a drivers. I've been an F1 fan since the early 60's, an era that bore some resemblance to earlier periods and hardly any at all to the industrial approach of today, having it's formative years overlapping the Prost, Senna, Schumaker rivalries. This industrial approach has yielded some supreme examples of auto design which dominated F1 over periods of time that found in earlier periods. Shumaker, Senna & Verstappen have had the benefit of these particular vehicles/teams. I know that because of the long road of perspective that any claim to best succumbs to one of the many temptations confronting an individual.
In this episode, we discuss:
0:02:30 - Peter’s interest in motorsports began as a child
0:06:34 - The drama and dangers of F1
0:14:32 - What made Senna special
0:26:58 - What Senna meant to Brazilians
0:31:17 - The cause of the fatal crash
0:45:03 - Why Peter is obsessed with Senna
0:48:22 - Being the best versus having the best record
0:51:46 - Senna’s unique driving style and incredible intuition about automotive engineering
0:58:52 - Back to the day of the dreadful race
1:09:19 - What Peter believes caused the crash
1:20:34 - Views on dying young, in the prime of life
1:29:18 - Senna lives on in his foundation and in safety changes adopted by F1
1:32:34 - Statistics aren’t enough for fandom, and why people like who they do
1:38:00 - The biggest difference between F1 today and F1 in the 80s
1:39:58 - Senna’s driving superpower
1:48:15 - The fastest drivers currently in F1
1:55:55 - Current F1 obsessions
2:01:25 - How hard it is to do what the top F1 drivers do
2:04:00 - Dax’s love of motorcycles and his AMG E63 station wagon
2:14:05 - Awesome Senna mementos from Etsy
2:23:50 - What makes specialists interesting, and Max’s devotion to F1
2:28:19 - What Senna might have done if he had not died that day
2:32:35 - Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen are also top F1 drivers
2:33:55 - Interlagos in Sao Paulo Brazil is always an incredible experience
What I wouldn’t give to be a part of this discussion! Awesome!
After 30 years, here we are together again to pay tribute to Senna. Decades will pass, and we will always meet again to say how Ayrton Senna is unforgettable. 🇧🇷🏎🏆
I’m brazilian and Senna died when I was 14. I still cannot comprehend and properly explain how devastating it was. Sometimes I go over his stuff on YT and it wrecks me. I think it’s because he was never perfect, yet no amount of success was enough to have him give up on improvement. He cared and worked hard as fuck.
Not sure how much of your core audience this resonated with, but as an F1 fan, I really enjoyed the discussion. Thanks for sharing.
Best regards from Imola from a german car engineer, who attended the memorial yesterday at the course.
Lifelong Senna fan, as I see a lot of the similar flaws and strengths in myself of him.
Thanks Peter for that podcast. Never thought I would listen to a canadian md and an american comedian about my favorite driver.
The F1 podcast I didn't know I needed...
Had zero interest in the sport but this was fascinating and moving
I’m Brazilian and I used to watch F1 as a Sunday ritual like millions in my country. I watched that race with incredulity. I haven’t watch any kind of car race for the last 30 years.
Really enjoyed this - senna such a hero. I’ve been following F1 for years and seen nearly 30 races live. I have to say Lewis is not finished - this guy has such an aura/energy. So happy for Lando this weekend - so deserved. He’s such a lovely guy. Thank you for such an interesting podcast
A fascinating podcast Mr. Attia. I would love to see a Seb interview as his superfan too, he deserves some vindication in the eyes of the DTS crowd, as the third-fourth most successful driver of all time.
I loved this as a car enthusiast myself. Your great articulation is much appreciated when talking about topics like these
That Peter Attia is a very knowledgeable person, that should not be a shocker to anybody. Now, his knowledge about Senna's talent, history, impact and even the intrinsicality that would be impossible for a "foreign" to know about someone from another country it is truly remarkable. As a Brazilian who followed Senna's career since as far as I can remember being alive, impressive!
Ayrton was so special in many ways...
Thank you Peter for this episode about Senna. May 1st, 1994 was a day I’ll never forget, I starred at the tv for hours and refused to believe what had just happened. Senna , for me, is so much more than the greatest F1 driver, he carried the weight of Brazil in his shoulders . He felt like it was his calling to do the most for his country. On May 1st I’ll be watching the documentary to honor his memory.
Great episode Peter. The reverence and respect you show for a sport that carries such history, but is largely commercial these days is great to see. More of this!
AWSOME Episode. Special indeed.
One of the best podcast episodes ever, Thank you Peter.
Love this episode. I, like you, grew up in Canada and remember setting the VCR to record the races at 11:30pm Sunday nights (in the mid to late 80s). My parents would let me stay up to hit the 'record' button if I went to bed 'right away', but I'd always treat myself to the start and first 10 laps. There I was, sitting in the dark living room watching my heroes. Fond memories - thanks for recalling them for me.
I had yet to watch the fateful race on this day 30 years ago - my uncle told me the sad news of Ayrton's passing. I was devastated.
What a fun episode! I’m fairly new to Peter’s podcasts and F1, and I had no idea he was an automotive enthusiast (I’m a massive gearhead), and I’ve been a fan of Dax for a while now. This episode was fantastic! I could talk to these guys about motorsports for hours!
What an amazing episode, I strongly believe that Ayrton Senna, was the greatest racer of all time, the ultimate athlete but also someone that managed to be something bigger and greater than this. This aura of him, will never be forgotten and cannot be replicated. His legacy still lives on and transcends to us on our daily lives. There is hardly a week that I don't think of him or go back to him for inspiration. Thank you Peter
I am Brazilian, and I remember the day that Senna died. I was 13 at the time. The T.V Globo announced here:"Ayrton Senna dead from cranial trauma, after crashing straight into the wall at Tamburello Curve."
So I told my mom:"They are going to declare a 3 day National Mourning Holiday in his honor.". And that is exactly what happened. Ah, 1993...a World I miss very, very much.
Senna was an incredible driver and an incredible humam (3 titles), Piquet was equally an amazing driver and a brilliant mechanic (he wasn't from a wealthy family, enters F1 after work on brabhams boxes and got 3 titles also). Fittipaldi in early 70's was a fantastic 2 times champion, lost his third title because he refuses to run on an inappropriate circuit in Italy. He flew away on Saturday and lost the title on Sunday to his teammate who died on track. Those were our Brazilian champions back them. That's why we loved those races. Love your interviews and your work. Congrats from Brazil!
Awesome discussion!!! Great episode and much appreciated!!
Thanks Pete for your inspiration for our health and this great episode about Senna. As Brazilian, always remember the Sundays expectations for the great races and incredible performances of this legendary driver. Thank you!
I am so glad I stumbled upon this conversation. Ayrton is the best for me, the best ever because I have never felt anything even competitively close to what I was feeling while watching him racing. There was something spiritual about it. Something mystical or magical, intangible. Those who know -- know. The sheer passion, the desperation, the thrill. Senna will never be forgotten and his legacy and legend live on. Rest in peace, Ayrton.
P.S. When I am feeling depressed I actually rewatch some of Senna's races because he gave his 110% and fought, always managed to not give up: the ultimate racer. He was so full of life.
Great new informations Mr. Thank you very much I didn't know some of informations GreaT episode
41:20
The amazing thing about that race which is often forgotten is Senna and Schumacher lapped the entire field. Shortly before he spun, Hill had been lapped by the leaders, and Hill is no slouch.
That is how good Senna and Schumacher were.
Really enjoying this episode so far!
Great episode! I went to the same high school as Senna and we had some of the same teachers. I was there in 94. Surreal! I remember we didn't have classes for a week because of the madness in front of the building. 30 y later I have a hard time to believe he is gone and maybe it's because he is not. Legends live forever!
The year he won the Brazilian GP was really special. Just after the finish line, he stopped the car and the crowd just invaded the track. I was one of them. We carried him to the podium. He was so exhausted. For the Last 7 laps he had only the 6th gear... He was really something else.
Hey Petter, I liked you even more after I saw that you are a Senna’s fan. I am Brazilian and I was a kid when he died, 9 years old to be precise. And one of my kid memories is watching Senna on Sunday morning before our bbq lunch. And hearing our national anthem when he won the races. He loved the country and was a true patriot, something that lacks there and something we wish deeply to feel but it’s hard considering all conditions.
I started watching F1 in 1989. I was 5 yrs old. Can still remember Senna and Prost's collision at the chicane at Suzuka vividly as one of my first memories in motorsport. When Senna passed at Imola, it was not the first motorsports death I'd experienced, but it was the first one on track during a race. I was also a NASCAR fan and both Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison had died in aviation accidents so by the age of 8 I'd learned the concept of death and loss, and had an acute awareness to dangerous situations. Then Senna died. I was watching that race live when the crash happened and can remember so much detail about it.
It was a formative experience for me because I saw how fragile even the most talented people can be. As both a NASCAR and F1 fan, I was also a fan of Dale Earnhardt's. His death at Daytona in 2001 was like re-living everything I had felt with Senna's loss all over again. Later in life I worked for 10 years as a motorsports journalist and covered the 2019 Daytona 500 as a writer. I feel like both Senna and Earnhardt's deaths gave me a different level of respect for what a driver's job is, and I tended to write with a certain reverence to their mortality. I've seen how easily these people can come and go in an instant. Sometimes I feel like that was an advantage, other times a detriment.
Either way, I've always had motorsports in my life, and Senna was a hero to me as a kid. A seemingly normal man, doing extraordinary things with a machine. To the point that once you saw his talents applied, you couldn't really deny yourself the experience of seeing it again and again. Until one day, you didn't have the option to see it again. That's why people don't have the appetite for the level of loss the sport endured from the 60's to the 80's. It feels almost criminal to extinguish the flame of talent that suddenly and just move on to the next...
Mr. Attia, thank you for this video. I’ve born in São Paulo near Senna’s house and that was a very sad day. Even here in Japan, people loves him a lot🤓🙏🤩
So, some perspective on the Filipino people and their love for Pacquiao…I was in Manila on 12/8/2012 when he got knocked out in the 6th round. I was at a Hard Rock Cafe watch party and the place was packed with ex-pats like me and Filipinos. They were so enthusiastic about Manny and loved him. When he got knocked out, the entire crowd fell silent. Dead silent. Like they’d been punched in the gut. You may be right with the Senna/Pacquiao comparison, but man, what I felt in that moment was different than anything I have ever felt since then…
The genius of Attia...just talking about things he loves, gaining audience, getting paid.
The car model hanging on the wall is actually a MP4/6. The MP4/4 was powered by a turbo engine and had its roll bar exposed.
Peter Attia, thank you so much for your interesting video. Please if possible turn on auto subtitles that many people can understand you. Thank you.
Terrific episode. I learned so much! My story is that I stopped watching Formula 1 after Senna died. The 'newbies' of the Drive to Survive generation just don't know. But they will after listening to this episode.
I was 12 years old when I watched his last race at Imola. To the people that do not understand, Senna to me was the real version of Superman. His life values, working hard, perfectionism, be the first one to show up the last to leave, fight for what you believe is what stood up.
Also, in Brazil during the late 80s early 90s, the country was going thru political and economic issues. As a Brazilian we felt like shit honestly. Watching Senna made us forget about everything. Made us feel proud. He was OUR escape.
When he passed away, I felt like our heart went with him. I mean we all waited for every Sunday to watch his races.
He was OUR Superman and that 12 year old that saw him perish misses him dearly.
Max is not better than Lewis. His car has been incredibly dominant, period. (Same as the Merc once was)
I do find Max is a bit dirty, as was Senna. Senna was a great driver, but he's not in my top 3. He has been so mythologized that now people just assumed he was the best. This discussion just reinforces that general view.
And yeah, that finish in 2021 was so wrong- Hamilton was totally robbed.
So much fun to listen to you both… I‘m a Woman in my sixties- Not at all interested in Motorracing… but I got your Faszination! Great ❤
I feel Elio needs to be mentioned as it was he who was the last person to die in an F1 car before Roland, it just happened in testing and not at a race weekend. Then you have Riccardo Paletti who was the last person to die in a race weekend a few weeks AFTER Gilles
Awesome guys. Thank you
Senna was before my time and I never truly understood the legend and reverence until now.
Attia...you've shown us your F1 simulation rig somewhere? I'm with Dax...love the netflix series and likewise grew up an Indy and F1 fan...Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rick Mears...really hit home when you mention boys in their youth gravitated towards cars and boxers in your era; in the same boat with you. Anyway, great episode here...enjoyed it quite a bit.
I was 3 weeks short of my 16th birthday when Ruben’s, Roland & Ayrton crashed. The weekend was an awful weekend. The deaths of Roland & Ayrton upset me a lot. To this day these 2 days have a black cloud over them. I feel low and emotional. It’s amazing how much Roland’s and Ayrton’s deaths still affect me - affecting me more than things that should upset me more. Maybe because I saw people who were superhero’s and invincible actually die in front of me. Terrible terrible weekend. But 30 years ago - unbelievable. RIP Roland & Ayrton
I don’t even watch F1 but I watched the Senna documentary and loved it so I listened to the whole episode!
Not sure why Dax thinks there’s only 0.3secs that separates the 20 cars in qualifying. It’s much more widespread than that. 0.3 secs is more like the typical gap between P1 (Verstappen) and whoever is in P2
If you take verstappen out the difference between p2 and p10 in Q3 is usually around 0.5 to 0.6 seconds so he's not that far off but he's obviously overexaggerating.
The quali times right now are by far the closest they have ever been.
@@justno984Dax was talking about P1 to P20 too. The man is extremely ignorant
This was one of the most fun episodes you've ever had
When Senna was a kid and had a kart, he would go out and drive it in the pouring rain. This is how he developed such a good 'feel' for the car its limits and what was doing. Unknowingly, he was developing and improving his vestibular-proprioception skills.
24:33 Highest revving were the V8s in the mid 00's. They hit just over 20,000... Which is crazy.
30 years gone today.
One of the best to ever do it, and my personal pick.
RIP Ayrton Senna.
Bruce Mclaren, Founder of Mclaren F1, On the death of team mate Timmy Mayer The news that he had died instantly was a terrible shock to all of us, but who is to say that he had not seen more, done more and learned more in his few years than many people do in a lifetime? To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone
Appreciate both of your guys opinion, but I found it hard to watch while you disregarded Lewis’s achievements very easily. 😂
You can’t say Lewis is basically stat padding when he’s racing Bottas etc and then say Max is amazing when he’s facing Perez. IMO Max and Lewis earned their way to the top and have reaped the rewards.
Obviously luck comes into play a lot but people forget Lewis had won in every single year up till a few years ago AND came up against former WC Alonso as a rookie and beat him. Imagine if Piastri went into the Redbull and beat Max.
Even if you’re not a fan of Lewis or any other WC, Michael, Max, Vettel etc. You have to respect the talent and what they have achieved.
Lol, Verstappen already top three of all time but Hamilton out of the question?
Winning two championships (dominantly) and a third that shouldn't be is not outweighing seven titles and a record eight stolen yet.
Max' two dominant wins (soon three) are also clearly in a dominant car. (not taking away from Max himself being clearly the best now). The one year the cars seemed to be equal, or both cars were best for parts of the season, it was incredibly close and decided by a corrupt official. Peter and Dax only seem to remember the last part of the season were the Merc was indeed the better car. Arround the middle of the season that was clearly not the case.
I'm not saying stats is all that matters. But disregarding Hamilton like that is just dishonest.
Ah "Lewis doesn't fight". But when Lewis decides to not yield for Max's 'yield or crash tactics' and actually fights him, Lewis should get charged with attempted manslaughter...
Ah "Lewis allways got the call from the officials that season". Like when Max parked his car on top of Lewis in Monza? Or when Max didn't even bother attempting to make the corner in Brazil? You guy's memory is just as bad as those claiming 2021 was the biggest injustice in history.
Well said. Their recollection of 2021 is clearly skewed and to say all the calls that year went to Lewis is when I couldn’t take them seriously anymore from that season. Clear bias and selective memory showing.
It was a very naive statement by Peter. Like they rate Alonso and yet Hamilton beat him in his rookie year... Plus Max has never faced good opposition in his team... I am no in way a Lewis fan boy the basic facts here were not in the right universe.
I enjoyed this video, but that was the biggest question mark mentioned. The 3 best Formula 1 drivers are unquestionably Senna, Schumacher, & Hamilton, in no particular order. Michael & Lewis were clinical & consistent for majority of their 15+ year careers, but Senna was just insane, like everything they explained in the video. Of course there's also the early legends like Fangio & Clark, and Alonso was unlucky not to have more titles, he's also a honorable mention. I do think Verstappen definitely has the potential to enter that pantheon, but we have to see what more can he do after the Red Bull stops becoming dominant. The only title fight he was in, yes he was quick for majority of the season, but in wheel-to-wheel combat & tense moments he needs to mature a little bit like you mentioned (pushing Lewis off the track all the time).
The year where the cars seemed to be equal or near equal at the top, max was clearly the better and more talented driver. Lewis literally needed to punt max out of a race and then go on to win that race for them to be on equal footing. that's literally a 25 point swing, without that the last couple of races wouldn't have even been exciting since the only chance lewis would've had at the title was max crashing out or having a mechanic failure. If you were coming at it from a level headed standpoint, the 2021 season basically proves how much of a better driver max is compared to lewis and I'm saying this as someone who has immense respect for hamilton but unfortunately I never saw him as a champion that had that innate speed (seeing how many times he has gotten outqualified by his teammates throughout his career especially looking at the bottas years)... what made lewis a great champion was his consistency which obviously is the most important quality to have as a driver with the most dominant car.
Been waiting for this episode for a while. I didn't know you had an episode with Damon Hill. Will look for that next.
Re: stabbing the throttle - I’ve also assumed this was using his right foot to find the traction point, having enough sensitivity to act as an analog traction control device.
Small correction: Hill won in 96. Schuhmacher won die wdc in 95.
I'm Italian born in 1966, grow up in Sassuolo few Km from Ferrari factory I'm totally with you in to this podcast, we too in my area consider F1 as religion I was really saddened by the dead of Gilles one of my F1 heroes, the 126 T2 was a super car but somehow not safe as later Pironi had bad accident and could not finish the season, Ayrton in spite never drove for Ferrari its always in our harts ❤
Muito obrigado, Peter!
Better driver beat better car in 2021? Come on now, even RB’s Newey and Marko said they had the better car.
Also can't possibly fathom believing that the rules were in lewis' favour in 21. I get getting tired of one guy losing but that takes a pretty special slant.
Hi Peter, agree with most of the stuff and you were right about Lando as we saw last weekend, but Lewis is not done yet… he needs a better car, and who knows if Newey goes to Ferrari, what a dream ticket.
Lewis has so much more to give as does Fernando. Exciting times. Well done Lando. Bring on Adrien Newey to Ferrari 😮😮😮 exciting times
Totally agree, and change in regulations soon to come will shake things up
Rest in Power Ayrton Senna
I was fortunate enough to have been able to race F2000 in Canada as an amateur against pro drivers. To be a pro athlete in any sport takes a special person with a lot of devotion. In motorsport this is amplified greatly as you can die participating in your sport. While a great deal has been done to reduce the risks, it never has been, nor ever will be safe. But it is a sport like no other.
Hollywood produces fake superheroes, Senna was a real one for the Brazilians of my generation
Damon was WC in 1996. The first great Brazilian Champion was Emerson Fittipaldi, he raced in indy later (in 1993 for instance, he was still driving for Penske, when Mansell moved to the indy series and won his debute season). I really don't like Piquet, I don't even know whether there is anyone, who is able to like that guy, but Emmo (Fittipaldi) was kind of popular. Oh, and the V8 engines revved up higher than V10s (V8 often above 19k RPM, whereas the V10-s were usually below that, though not by much)
Thank you for the episode. I really expected it (due to the 30th anniversary) and I found it fascinating. Keep up the great work!
Dr. Attia:
Curious what your thoughts are on Formula e? The races seem very aggressive to me. Like Formula 1, I am fascinated by the technology of the cars. Love to hear your take is on Formula e for the future.
Even James Hunt said this: 1990 crash between Prost and Senna was Prost fault if you watch video Senna was on right side and couldn't go right unless to go out of track on Grass so Prost close the door while having Senna on right side Prost run into Senna not the way around. Watch video. Safety got on ANOTHER LEVEL due to his death.
Interesting podcast, but were you watching the same concluding F1 race of 2021 as I did? Even Christian Horner was saying 'only an act of god can save Max now'. The safety car rules were breached in multiple different ways to favor Verstappen, including allowing the unlapped cars only between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap, while leaving the buffer behind Verstappen in place so he didn't have to defend from the car behind. He could focus only on attacking Hamilton on new tires. If applied correctly, the race would have ended on the safety car in that race order.
Peter, I always see you wearing these Senna T-shirts. Where do you buy these?
I've always loved the Senna - Prefontaine comparison. Win or it doesn't matter, tragic end too young.
1:30:30 When Senna crashed on Prost in 1990? It was quite the other way around, Prost went over the line where Senna was, it's quite clear, Prost had a lot of space, on the left Senna had none on the right.
I miss the old F1 engine sounds. It is the key part of the atmosphere. We were robbed of Senna versus Schumacher, and we were lucky Michael decided to make a broken Ferrari team winners, he went for a challenge, not every driver would of done that. It created suspense.
Peter is right--Drive to Survive is so boring--as has F1 races been. Mostly just a parade with Max leading the way. But I do love the cars and the tech. Took my wife to Wimbledon for her birthday in 2022 and we went to F1 qualifying the day before at Silvestone. Raining, but it was a blast to be sure.
Hill won the WDC in 1996 nit 1995. That went to Schumacher
His rookie year he raced with all f1 world champions in Mercedes Benz same cars and he win..........
The way of gas in the corners comes from Kart
The crashed helmet was burned by bell
The car absolutely did NOT oversteer.
Too short. We need more Senna and Formula 1 episodes.
You can clearly see Senna moving the steering up and down. That is not a normal movement which suggest steering column broke. Williams should have been held responsible
Loved the conversation, however I can’t see how the modern drivers in what has become Formula Yawn in the last 20 years, could have coped with Senna and the other drivers of that time. The mention that Damon Hill is much underrated intrigued me as I am of an age that his father Graham Hill was at his peak when I first was able to see any F1 on TV. I have long argued that of British champions he is probably the most underrated given how late he was to driving a car, also he remains the only driver to win 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500.
Clearly hard to compare across generations, I had a hard time liking Senna, but I was devastated at his death, watching that race was awful and frankly I struggled to watch the documentary as I found it too emotional, his legend certainly grew for me after his tragic passing.
I mostly appreciated the Howard Roark/Fountainhead reference about 45 minutes in.
The steering column absolutely failed sir.
Great Senna!!!
Nauseam: Yeah we get you're a powerful macho guy: Racing cars, racing bikes, powerlifting and yet a tender loving dad. Oh my, my.
The cause of the crash was the low tire pressures due to super slow laps, the car bottom out and lost all grip on the front wheels. The cause of death was in first place a fracture on base of his brain due to the strong deceleration.
The steering rod does not have to snap for it to cause or contribute to the accident. Torsional phase delay alone almost certainly from driver inputs to car output. He would have known the thing was wobbling around before the corner felt it and continued on because he knew if he stopped the championship was over, and his nature was to persevere regardless of circumstances, that is what makes him SENNA. Good on your for buying the steering wheel, I was looking at that myself years ago but yikes $$$$ !!! The asphalt steps also played a role because he complained about them in Italian (youtube has several videos) and Brazilian news articles. Despite the fact of oversteer or not (I believe there was) and Schumacher had better view than the grainy camera the fact that the steering is moving so much seconds before the crash inextricably links it to accident irrespective of the other factors. It is probably a case or primary and secondary cause. We cannot forget the car bottomed out so hard lap 6 the car camera goes black for several seconds and he bottomed out way heavier lap 6 (as does Damon's car on the race feed if you look carefully). I have 1995 Autosport article where designer says the column would transmit torque until it snapped, but with the crack being where it was it would bend more and that alone would very quickly easily result in the car getting out of hand in that high speed. Oversteer, or the front grounding out, or possibly the front end porpoising, my view is that the steering is inextricably linked to the crash.
Legend Senna
Really good episode. Senna was one of the greats but there is a bit of a cult surrounding him because he died too soon and during the height of his career and life. Lewis and Max as well as Vettel are greats but the eras they competed in are so different due to cars safety , reliability and number of races let alone points per position differences. Schumacher in different eras and teams, rain pace and what he accomplished with only one gear is just as legendary as some of Senna's exploits. All are greats but impossible to pick the greatest. Comparing drivers across the board is even harder as drivers like Sebastian Loeb who ran and won not just multiple times in WRC but also rallycross, 24 Hour of Le Mans, World Touring car, Dakar, Pikes Peak and so on. Day and night, wet, dry, snow,ice, dirt and pavement. Much of his success is also accomplished on first pass in unseen road or path not lap 35 that doesn't change much.
Senna was Formula 1. He was like Jordan in NBA
I'm old enough to remember the shocking accident and death of Ayrton Senna (the day the rules changed), and young enough to enjoy Max Verstappen and all his drama with Team Red Bull.
The american saying Brazilians in f1 were underdogs and just 3 of them, was funny. Brazil is the 3rd or 4th F1 drivers nation. And the 2nd back when Senna was among us. … btw they drove H gears not sequential
Super interesting when they are talking about F1 (2/3) Less interesting when they are talking about themselves (last 1/3)
Max over Lewis, in the rain!!!! Oh man, I wanna be on this podcast. Record junkie = Lewis! No man. Learn about his story!
Going to Montreal this year. I agree that watching racing at home is a better experience, seeing the race. But the sounds... Unbelievable.
The 2021 Abu Dhabi robbery almost made me stop watching F1. But if Lewis could come back, me as a _fan_ had no reason not to. I'm definitely far less enthralled in the sport. I started in 1999. It'll never be the same for me. I still watch but...
This was a tough one to watch. So much disagreement
Damon and Newey arent gonna admit the truth about the steering column. That would admit guilt.
Max are you kidding me? I would vote Alonso or Lewis before Max! If you had the fastest car by 18 seconds, you would win everything too! You know the fastest car wins most of the races. Alonso is one of those drivers that always has people saying “if anyone can pull something off it’s Alonso “ similar to Senna. Hey great photographic memory by the way, awesome!
I can't believe you put Max above Lewis. If you want to see a wet lap look at Austria 2020 qualification or 2008 British GP but if you really want to see some perfect driving look at Singapore 2018 quali. 1)Senna no doubt, 2) Michael 3) Lewis 4) Max for now when he has 7 championships you can put him ahead of Lewis.
You don't get the Senna, your broadcast is about you
Great podcast but I think you guys need some perspective here . Lewis hamilton had better teammates than Verstappen. Lewis has had 2 f1 champions as teammates. One of which was Alonzo who he outmatched for the year together . Also, the year Rosberg beat Lewis; Hamilton had several DNFs due to power unit failures.
Damn Dax really does not fuck with Lewis
Netflix Senna' series trailler is out.
This is an AMA with a guest host. 😂
Peter - love your shows.
You are awesome.
Poor use of words on Ferrari and Schumacher era. A French run team? Because Jean Toft…..that’s ridiculous. Yours and Dax implications are not the best.
Jean Toft was awesome, team included Brawn (English), Byrne (South African) and many others.
Besides these guys there were a team of Italians including the President of Ferrari at the time Luca Di Montezumalo. They have been underwhelming under recent Italian leadership Binotto, Matiacci, Arrivabene. But, that is F1. I guess under your logic McLaren is now an Italian run team because of team principal Andrea Stella…… they are actually improving. Stereotyping is ugly.😅
Great conversation; however it has essentially been limited to their own experience, with the exception of the great Fangio. Yes, Senna was superb, but he drove on roads & in cars that were far safer than those from the 50's & 60's. Any conversation that neglects to include Mssrs. Clark, Moss & the like is to my mind incomplete. Senna's training, road conditions & car(s) were enormously better than anything from the earlier period. I think when one pronounces this to be my big three, such a statement often forgets the exigencies that drivers from another era faced, endured & conquered. I would love to see these three race in the same car & in the same conditions Sterling Moss confronted at the 1955 Mille Miglia, where he averaged nearly 99 mph for slightly more than 10 hours, finishing over 30 minutes clear of the competition. Or how about Fangio having won the 9500 km.Grand Prix of South America. I don't know better measures of a drivers. I've been an F1 fan since the early 60's, an era that bore some resemblance to earlier periods and hardly any at all to the industrial approach of today, having it's formative years overlapping the Prost, Senna, Schumaker rivalries. This industrial approach has yielded some supreme examples of auto design which dominated F1 over periods of time that found in earlier periods. Shumaker, Senna & Verstappen have had the benefit of these particular vehicles/teams. I know that because of the long road of perspective that any claim to best succumbs to one of the many temptations confronting an individual.