Zak Brown Would Want to Get Stuck in an Elevator With Ayrton Senna to Ask Him the Single Coolest Question Ever

Nischay Rathore | 12/05/2024
Zak Brown Would Want to Get Stuck in an Elevator With Ayrton Senna to Ask Him the Single Coolest Question Ever

Despite living just 34 years, Ayrton Senna left an indelible mark on Formula 1. While the Brazilian is one of the most revered figures in the sport, his biggest fan is current McLaren CEO Zak Brown. The 52-year-old recently appeared in a recent episode of the Beyond the Grid podcast. During the rapid-fire question round, host Tom Clarkson asked him, “Which racing driver, dead or alive, would you like to be stuck in a lift with?”

Without skipping a beat, Brown replied, “Oh, that’s an easy one, Ayrton Senna. Easy.” He then remembered watching Senna’s last race at home to catch the broadcast at 4:50 in the morning. Brown also recalled Senna’s last race win in Australia and how it coincided with his birthday. That further strengthened his love for the three-time F1 champion.

When asked about a question he would ask Senna while waiting to be rescued from the elevator, the McLaren boss replied,

“I’d probably ask him something about what was it like working with Ron. That was a legendary era and combination for me. I was a massive admirer of Ron Dennis and McLaren and Senna. I started becoming a Formula 1 fan in about ’87 when Senna was driving for Lotus and then he went to McLaren. Then they had the MP4/4, Senna and Prost dominated, and McLaren was what we’re seeing from Red Bull.”

Zak further explained the impact that era of McLaren’s dominance had on him. He went on to claim to perhaps not have made it into the sport had it not been for the influence that Senna and Dennis had on him. Further in the interview, he revealed the confidential Senna possessions he got access to after joining McLaren.

Zak Brown on getting hold of a legendary Ayrton Senna contract

Further talking about the legendary partnership between Senna and Dennis, Zak Brown revealed his wish to learn about the negotiations between the two while discussing the 1993 contract. While that is nearly impossible, Zak considers himself lucky to have witnessed some of Senna’s contracts from back in the day.

“He’s [McLaren’s lawyer] pulled out for me some of Ayrton’s contracts from back then that I’ve read. And it kind of puts your hair up on the neck,” Brown exclaimed.

The McLaren boss further talked about having the privilege of getting one of Senna’s cars after joining the team. He revealed it was the Brazilian’s 1991 Monaco GP winning machine. Revisiting all these experiences, he called them all ‘pinch me moments’ to have access to the possessions of his idol.

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Ayrton Senna Ron Dennis Zak Brown

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Nischay Rathore

Nischay Rathore is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush with over a thousand articles under his belt. An avid Ayrton Senna admirer, Nischay embarked on his sports journalism journey despite completing graduation in Law. When not covering the high-speed thrills of the pinnacle of motorsport, he can be seen enjoying crime thrillers and 90s gangster movies with a hearty bowl of buttery popcorn.

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