“Michael Schumacher is very strong, has an extraordinary natural speed”– Ayrton Senna thought one day his foe from Benetton could become his friend

Tanish Chachra | 10/05/2022
"Michael Schumacher is very strong, has an extraordinary natural speed"– Ayrton Senna thought one day his for from Benetton could become his friend

Ayrton Senna highly respected the skills of Michael Schumacher despite being his rival; he thought they could be good friends someday.

When Michael Schumacher broke into F1, he became an instant hit. His talent couldn’t resist people not giving him attention, and it was known that this young driver will be a force to reckon with.

He soon had a rivalry with Ayrton Senna- a multiple world champion, a mystical figure in F1. The two drivers were at the different ends of their careers.

But Schumacher never held back while fighting against the Brazilian legend. This tension on the track had formed a sour relationship between the two.

Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Senna to respect his younger opponent. He was in Schumacher’s capabilities, and he even said that there is a chance of the two drivers becoming friends.

“Michael Schumacher is very strong, has an extraordinary natural speed and for this reason I respect and respect him. But i liked some behaviors less than him, who knows, one day we will become friend,” said Senna.

Also read: When Seven times F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher talked about parenthood and his love for football

Michael Schumacher had only admiration for Ayrton Senna

Schumacher was one of the most affected drivers by the death of Senna. During a press conference in 2000, when a question was asked about Senna, Schumacher couldn’t hold himself while breaking down in tears.

It was one of the most heartbreaking sights in F1, but it also defined how important was Senna to Schumacher. Schumacher’s recent documentary released on Netflix showed an old interview of him talking about the effect on him as a driver after the Brazilian’s fatal crash.

Surely, the F1 history would have been way different had Senna remained alive to see his full F1 career. His rivalry with Senna would have been a classic and would have been cherished till today. Unfortunately, it couldn’t last more than a couple of years.

Also read: Replica of Ferrari’s last Championship car being sold at a staggeringly low price online

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Ayrton Senna ferrari McLaren Michael Schumacher

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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