Tale of Two F1 Giants

I had written about Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna in two different posts talking about them in detail. Here they are:

Ayrton Senna

Michael Schumacher

It is evident that the F1 world as much as fans consider Schumacher and Senna as greats of a different era, which, while accurate to some extent, is not entirely true.

Did you know that Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna had a small overlap in their careers?

Whether you did or not, let’s look at the overlap anyway.

Senna, the Champ | Schumacher, the Rookie

Ayrton Senna graced the F1 world from 1984 to 1994 while Schumacher entered the F1 arena in 1991 and retired in 2012. We don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure that they did have an overlap on the tracks between 1991 and 1994.

However, what was not known is that this overlap was not that of an all-conquering champion and a back-marker rookie, instead, in many cases a head-to-head between the champ and the rookie. How’s that for a transitioning era?

To start with, by 1991 Senna was an all-conquering champ with three world titles and was more charismatic than the other champs – Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell. In comes Michael Schumacher in 1991 and takes center stage almost immediately. Schumi is fast, furious and ready to take on the competition. Schumi is instantly noticed, and Senna would have been reminded of his own rookie days where he too took on the likes of Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and the others.

The 1991 F1 Season

Senna becomes a two-time world champion by 1990 and enters the 1991 season as the defending champion. Schumacher is good but has to wait till 1992 for his first win. Schumacher joins the competitive Benneton with the Ford engine while Senna’s McLaren was expected to continue its giant-slaying performance in 1991.

Take a look at the early signs of a rookie champion, Schumacher, going wheel-to-wheel with the reigning champion, Senna.

Senna goes on to win the 1991 season and becomes a triple world champion but the 1992 season is set to change the equation. The Williams car of 1992 was incredibly fast because of an automated car control mechanism. So, the battle effectively became four-way between Senna in a McLaren, Alain Prost in a Ferrari, Nigel Mansell in a William and, guess who, Schumacher in a Benetton.

Don’t get me wrong, there were other good drivers like Patrese, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and the likes, but Schumacher was starting to get counted among the greats already.

The 1992 to 1994 Season

Here’s where things got more interesting. Nigel Mansell left F1 by 1992 while Alain Prost retired by 1993. All through this period, the Senna and Schumacher battle continued to shimmer and shine. Nobody could miss the competitiveness of the two drivers.

By 1994 it was just between Schumacher and Senna. These two were in a league of their own. Neither the second Williams of Damon Hill nor the second Benetton of Johnny Herbert anywhere close to the lead pack of Senna’s Williams or Schumacher’s Benetton.

Take a look at the 1992 video of Schumacher complaining of Senna’s style of driving. Schumacher eventually overtook Senna to come third but not before some exciting exchange.

Also, a video from the 1993 South African Grand Prix where Schumi ends up getting the wrong side of the stick from Senna.

Watch from 7:00 minutes.

And finally, the 1994 duel where Schumacher comes out trumps. And mind you, Senna is in an incredibly faster Williams though an extremely unreliable one.

So, after watching those videos, any notion that Senna – Schumi rivalry never existed can be put to rest. It is these episodes which also have left fans wanting for more. Sadly, Senna passed on to his heavenly abode in an unfortunate crash in 1994.

Take a look at the crash video, and you would see Schumacher passing Senna for the last time. In a way, the baton was passed.

That was the heart-breaking moment when Senna was lost forever. In fact, the news of his death did not come out until the end of the race.

That ended the Senna-Schumacher Rivalry Era! More importantly, the loss of an exceptional human being!

Passing Words

As an ardent fan of Schumacher, it is strange that I like Senna as well.

Much like all the fans of Schumacher or Senna, I keep wondering how would have the F1 era been in the late 90s and early 2000, if Senna was alive.

That is a hypothetical question, I know, but still..

Video Disclaimer: All videos posted in this article are from YouTube and belongs to appropriate copyright owners on YouTube.