Ayrton Senna lives on in the memory of every motorsport fan as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He won 3 World Championships and won 41 Grands Prix, and 65 pole positions during his 10 years in F1.
Senna’s time with McLaren was his most successful. The Brazilian won all 3 of his titles while driving for the British team. And this is where he would be at the centre of some controversies with teammate-turned-rival Alain Prost.
The duo dominated F1 between 1988-1991. They famously won 15 out of the 16 races in 1988. But their contentious rivalry is well documented in F1’s archives as one of the most intense teammate clashes.
The most notorious incident was the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix collision, which decided the championship for that year. An incident which deeply impacted Senna, who considered leaving the sport altogether.
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Senna and Prost’s infamous clash during the 1989 Japanese GP
Ayrton Senna fiercely battled Alain Prost in the 1989 season. The Japanese GP was the season’s penultimate round, and Senna trailed the Frenchman by 16 points. Therefore, Senna had to win this race and the season finale in Adelaide to win the 2nd Drivers’ Championship.
The Brazilian outclassed his teammate by claiming the pole. The McLaren-Honda MP4/5 was far superior to the rest of the grid, and this rattled Prost, who knew his teammate had a significant advantage.
The Frenchman had gone for a setup with less downforce. Senna had a poor start to the race but picked up speed later. After the first round of pitstops, Prost led the race with Senna charging with fresh tyres.
He cut the difference to his teammate, and on lap 47, the two went wheel-to-wheel at the infamous 130R. As soon as the chicane ended, Senna moved on the inside, but catastrophe struck.
Prost did not leave any room for his teammate. He tuned in on the Brazilian who was on the inside, and the two went wide off the track. Prost retired from his race, having achieved his objective, but Senna carried on.
The Brazilian received assistance from the trackside marshals, who pushed his car back. Senna would go on to win the race, but the win would be stripped away from the driver.
Senna was disqualified by race stewards for missing the chicane and for receiving an illegal push start. This meant Prost had been crowned the World Champion, as it was not possible for Senna to overtake him.
Senna was also handed a $100,000 fine and suspended six-month ban. FISA labelled him as a “dangerous driver”, and this deeply hurt Ayrton, who considered retirement from the sport.
How Ron Dennis prevented Ayrton Senna from retiring in 1989
McLaren Boss Ron Dennis showered unwavering support for Ayrton Senna after the 1989 title loss. But Senna had made up his mind about leaving F1 and moving back to Brazil
Ron Dennis recalls, “He wrote a note that he wasn’t going to race next year. He festered away for a month after the last race, and phoned me up and said he wasn’t going to race anymore.”
According to Dennis, Senna felt that the racing world was unjust, unfair, and amoral. But Dennis spoke to his family members, who motivated him to get back on track.
Dennis adds, “I told him to calm down. His sister was always extremely influential in guiding Ayrton. I obviously spoke to her and his father and really the key was in the end I kept saying to him, ‘If you stop, they’ve won. This is exactly what they want. You are not winning if you stop, you are losing.'”
The following season, Alain Prost left for Ferrari. But the two would clash at each other’s neck again at Suzuka. But this time, Senna would emerge victorious and claim his 2nd Championship title.
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