“Sporting camaraderie”- Watch Ayrton Senna save Erik Comas’ life during the qualifying race of 1992 Belgian Grand Prix
Ayrton Senna saved Erik Comas after he fell unconscious as he hit the wall during the qualifying race of the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix.
After beating Williams’ Nigel Mansell to the championship in 1991, Ayrton Senna was again chasing the championship in 1992 in his McLaren.
Though there was a huge gap between the points as Mansell had already scored enough to claim the title in the Hungarian GP itself. And there were still five more races to go.
In the very next Belgian GP qualifying race, Ligier’s Erik Comas crashed heavily into the wall and fell unconscious. Senna who came right behind him stopped his car and shut off the engine of Comas’ car to reduce the risk of fire.
1992 Belgium GP
Ayrton Senna rushes to the car of unconscious Érik Comas to turn off the engine and prevent an explosion due to fuel leaks
— AIpine F1 updates (@startonpole) January 23, 2022
Following the unfortunate event, doctors advised Comas to not drive during that weekend and he was withdrawn from the qualifying. Later, Comas said, “It’s likely Ayrton saved my life at that moment.”
The race ended with Nigel Mansell claiming the pole position in his Williams-Renault. Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher finished second and third respectively.
Max Verstappen shares qualities with Ayrton Senna
Max Verstappen claimed his first championship title in 2021 after he defeated Lewis Hamilton in the last lap of the final race of the season.
Since then there has been a lot of controversy about how the race turned out to be. However, the Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko praised the Dutchman and drew similarities between Verstappen, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
Marko Said, “But what they all have is a complete focus – you can also call it recklessness. There is nothing else but, ‘I want to win and I will do everything for it.’”
Marko also explained how sometimes the Dutchman pushes the car beyond the possibilities. Verstappen’s will to give it a try makes him different from all the other drivers.
Also Read: Helmut Marko draws similarities between Max Verstappen, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher
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