I've only read about that race, and seen some videos, but besides the first lap moves of Senna, the story of the rest of the race and all the pit stops is just incredible. Fastest lap of the race set on a lap that Ayrton came into the pits has to be a great bit of F1 trivia!
Senna was amazing, his car control was supreme and he made it look too easy sometimes. Schumi had the technical knowledge and the extreme fitness along with the car control, but I’d say his control wasn’t quite as good as Senna, he almost used the force sometimes when he drove, so his edge would have been the former. It’s such a shame we never got to see the two really race together with both of them in their prime, schumi was still developing into the monster racer he became. That match up may well have been the most awesome of all time.
It's hard to tell wich one was best..Michael was much more fit, and i believe had a better race pace, Senna was perhaps better on one lap pace..when they overlaped, SEnna was perhaps not at his best in his last year and Michael was getting really strong and confident..in the wet they were both very, very good, from their time the only other driver on their level was Alesi who in my opinion was perhaps superior to both in those conditions, especialy when the track was changing from wet to dry or vice-versa. I always rated Shummy higher because he left the best team for Ferrari and made it into a winning machine, Ayrton wanted but never had the courage to do it..instead he always searched for the best car. On track both were rutless and capable of anything to win..not exacly fayrplayers!
Granted.... but we all can agree that Prost was better overall. Some may not want to consider him a legend now because he is not dead/incapacitated.
Prost is a legend in his own right, he was the only one who fought guys like Gilles, Pironi, Arnoux, Piquet, Lauda,mansell, Senna, Alesi, Michael....and he was on top of his game from start to finish...but i don't think he had the raw talent of both Senna and Michael.
No we can't! Both Senna and Schumacher hit legendary status whilst they were still driving, because of the way they drove, their driving ability, and their dedication to winning races. Prost was a very efficient driver, but he never pushed for more than he had to. If 4th was all he felt he could get in a race, or all he needed, then he'd simply drive for 4th and no more. For both Senna and Schuey, that wouldn't be enough - They weren't wired up mentally to settle for a 4th place finish if there was a chance of a 3rd place, a 2nd place or even a win. Prost was about points in the bag - playing it safe, Senna and Schuey were about winning races and pushing to the limit (and sometimes beyond!) Prost might have the WDC's to his name, but he's not in the same league as Senna and Schuey - And it has nothing whatsoever to do with being dead or incapacitated!
Regrettably Prost's immense talent was not sexy and did not resonate with fans the way a Senna or Villeneuve did where they could drive the wheels off of anything. Prost's strength was in creating a situation where such driving was not necessary and to always look at the big picture. It may not have been exciting to the fans but it was a highly efficient and effective approach that most rightly gained him the title of 'The Professor'
https://www.motorsport.com/vintage/news/senna-to-be-celebrated-at-donington-historic-festival-1019461/?tp%5B0%5D=2&s=1 For anyone in the UK ..this might be worth a visit early May. We were on the ,very wet,grass at the bottom of Craner Curves in 1993.Usual Uk weather ,but well worth it!
Prost played percentages, very very well, but always percentages. He was a good driver, but not special, I don’t think his talent was in driving so much as being extremely clever at working out what he could or couldn’t do, and what he needed, or others needed and he could foil. In the rain, he may as well have parked it, because he hates rain, whereas Senna and Michael seemed to revel in it, to use it to their advantage as they had faith in their ability regardless of the car. I respect Prost, he deserves it because he saw out the ass end of a very dangerous period in the sport..... but I was never a fan
It's rumoured that Prost distaste for rain was a bit of a consequence of Didier's accident in Hockenheim..as you guys know, Didier didn't see Prost because of the spray and hit him full trhotle, wich ended au his carreer...
I respectfully disagree. I believe that Prost was one of the true greats and should be recognized alongside Schumacher, Senna and Jackie Stewart. Consider the era in which he competed--cars did not have bulletproof reliability as they do now, and F1 was still a very dangerous sport. He won four WDC and was runner-up twice, losing once to Lauda by one half of a point. He delivered spectacular results without looking spectacular. I was never a fan but he was always a force to be reckoned with.
They all rate highly, and what always sticks out to me is that any one of these drivers could have easily had another championship or two, except for one or two incidents or other drivers they competed against. For the three of Prost, Senna, Schumacher, besides competing against each other they were also up against everyone from Lauda and Mansell to other world champs of the era. For Prost to have 4 titles and have been team mates with WDC like Lauda and Senna is nothing to sneeze at.
