Step inside Senna's MP4-4

An interesting use of pronouns by the nearly young as the car presenter. We? Ha! Someone actually responsible for something of the car would have been better suited.
Why would Senna reach across to shift? He could steer with either hand.
Great car, no doubt, great enough to (help) make a legend of it's driver.

 

From what I gather, Senna would change gears mid turn.During a hairpin turn, the right hand is turned to the left side of the driver and the left hand would be on the right. The steering wheel has been turned 180 degrees without removing his hands. While the left hand is on the right side, at the apex of the turn, Senna would change gears. He didn't reach across to the shift lever, his left hand was already there. Totally plausible in my mind. Senna was just a little guy.

 

+1 Makes no sense at all.....

He was a legend long before even making it to F1!..... I was fortunate enough to see him in British FF & F3 as well as F1. Back then pretty much all the 'young guns' came up that route, and even in an FF car he was sometimes *visibly* quicker than the others!

Nobody else ever did that IME.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Hmmm.... Fair point.... Never thought of it that way.

Would love to see an onboard of him doing it though.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Thinking back a little more, it still makes little sense. The physical effort involved in shifting back then was a *lot* different to the 'finger clicks' of today..... It was *hard* to shift 'em under any circumstances.....

Cheers,
Ian
PS - At least this has taken my mind somewhat off Michaels plight for a few moments at least.

 

+1

 

I already covered that and saw it in the video posted by Barton.

It's one thing to have your arm over on the right UNDERHANDED at full reach and another to turn it back OVERHANDED in order to shift. That changes the mechanics of movement and where the arm can go. He was not plastic man and these guys didn't change their shift patterns or ways. The 88 lap is visible and he did not do the gear change.

 

Yep, you're absolutely right, sorry! I was trying to give a little 'benefit of the doubt', but as you say, it's simply impossible.... Further, I've shifted Hewland 'boxes many times and they're notchy and stiff - not even Ayrton could do it!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Full lock his hand would be over there anyway. Would only have to move 3/4 inch the grab ever and throw it down one. I could see it.