Ayrton Senna tragically lost his life during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Imola. Known for his ferocious nature on the track, Senna had developed a bitter rivalry with his teammate, Alain Prost, during his championship years with McLaren. However, according to his biography, ‘The Life of Senna’, the Brazilian driver made peace with Prost, in a touching and emotional way before his life-ending accident.
On the morning of the 1994 Imola race, Senna was in top form, setting the fastest time during warm-up. Mid-session, he sent a heartfelt radio message to Prost, who had retired from racing after winning the championship in 1993 and had not attended any races that season until Imola.
“Hello my friend, I’ve been missing you,” Senna said over the Williams pit radio, surprising many with his warm greeting.
Prost, attending the race to provide commentary for French television, had not seen Senna since his retirement. The two had a series of interactions that weekend.
During one such meeting in the Williams motorhome, Senna joined him for a quick breakfast. They spoke for about 30 minutes, during which Senna urged Prost to help him push for safety improvements in the sport.
Remembering their conversation, Prost later recalled,
“For the first time in ages we had a really normal conversation – we set aside the differences between us. I was very surprised as normally he [Ayrton Senna] did not even say hello if I crossed his path.”
How Ayrton Senna surprisingly talked and caught up with Alain Prost at Imola ’94. Years later it has become a touching emotional anecdote to read!
Credits: The Life of Senna pic.twitter.com/2xbdvXTWjE
— Aishwary Gaonkar (@aishwary31) May 30, 2024
In addition to their heartfelt conversations, Senna did Prost a favor by recording a lap for TF1, the French television network for which the four-time champion was working. During the recording, Senna said, “I would like to say welcome to my old friend, Alain Prost. Tell him we miss him very much.”
Just hours after their conversation, Ayrton Senna died in a crash during the race. However, despite both of them getting along nicely during their last few interactions, they will forever be remembered for the intense rivalry they shared as teammates.
A glimpse into the rivalry between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna
The rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost is one of the most celebrated in Formula 1’s history. Their fierce competition both on and off the track captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
When Prost and Senna became teammates at McLaren in 1988, their rivalry quickly escalated. One notable incident occurred at the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril, where the Brazilian aggressively pushed Prost towards the pit wall during the race.
Lap 2, Alain Prost pulled out of Ayrton Senna’s slipstream to overtake. Senna moved the Frenchman over towards the pit wall. Prost held his nerve though & overtook the Brazilian…
Portuguese Grand Prix, Estoril, 25 September 1988.
© FOM#F1 pic.twitter.com/u5rcjjS6PJ
— F1 Nostalgia (@_F1_Retro) September 25, 2021
The Frenchman later admitted, “Sometimes I admit I was frightened by him; he was prepared to do anything.” This aggressive move was just one of many that highlighted the intensity of their rivalry. Their relationship further fell apart in 1989 at the San Marino Grand Prix.
After a restart following Gerhard Berger’s crash, Senna passed Prost on the approach to Tosa, breaking what the latter believed was a gentleman’s agreement not to overtake at that point. The rivalry reached its peak with successive title-deciding collisions of ’89 and ’90 at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.
