Michael Schumacher dedicated his 1994 F1 Championship to Ayrton Senna, who lost his life during the San Marino GP after a fatal collision.
In 1994 a star named Michael Schumacher would etch his name in F1’s hall of fame. The German driver who would claim his first F1 world championship title driving for Benetton.
The young German had a long way yet to go in the world of F1. But this year will forever be remembered as one of the darkest years in F1’s history.
F1 mourned the loss of Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger and Brazilian three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna. Senna’s death in particular affected many in the world of Motorsports.
Michael himself considered Senna a living legend and his inspiration. Senna was considered the favourite to win the title after defending champion Alain Prost left the sport.
Michael too reflects upon his first season in the sport with great difficulty. He won the first 2 races and would continue his winning streak for a few more gaining an early advantage in the championship.
He said, “Started quite well in Brazil. It was a good race and then we came up to Imola.” And in this race, F1 would mourn the loss of both Ratzenberger and Senna.
“When I talk about a nightmare, it is usually in the other direction. We all know what kind of feelings we had to make about this but as well for Roland,” he adds.
The deaths of the two drivers changed F1. Technical regulations came in swooping and made the sport safer for drivers. Senna’s death saved many lives and his legacy lives on forever.
Also Read: How Ayrton Senna’s death affected Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher’s tribute to Ayrton Senna
Micheal Schumacher considered Ayrton Senna an icon of the sport. The German considered him one of his heroes. But during the 1994 season, Senna and Schumacher were fierce rivals with eyes set on winning the championship.
The duo’s rivalry started in the season, but with Senna’s early departure, Schumacher had no other rival like Senna. Schumacher did not attend Senna’s funeral in São Paulo but later said he regrets it.
When Michael Schumacher was told he’d equaled Ayrton Senna’s record of 41 win (2000 Monza, Italy) #F1 pic.twitter.com/vXTpMZep57
— Motorsports in the 2000s 🇭🇰🇬🇧 (@CrystalRacing) December 18, 2020
Therefore after winning the championship in 1994, he decided to dedicate it to Senna. Because Schumacher believed, Senna would have won it anyways.
Michael said, “For me, it was always ‘I am not going to win the Championship’ and it’s Ayrton who is going to win the championship. And he hasn’t been there for the last few races.”
He added, “So I would like to take this Championship and give it to him.” Michael would win the title by one point to Senna’s teammate, Damon Hill, in the season’s last race.
Also Read: Why Brazil dedicated their 1994 FIFA World Cup win to F1 legend Ayrton Senna
