HOW AYRTON SENNA WALKED ON WATER TO SHOW HIS TRUE ABILITY
It is a week of reflection for motor racing fans as the world marks the 26 years since the passing of the great Ayrton Senna, and it is also just over 35 years since the genius of the charismatic Brazilian first burst onto the top step of the grand prix rostrum.
In typical Senna style, that initial victory came in torrid circumstances. Torrential rain struck the Portuguese Riviera on that miserable Sunday on April 21, 1985, and the up-and-coming star blasted his black-and-gold Renault-powered 97T chassis from pole position alongside the McLaren of Alain Prost. Within 10 laps, Senna was 13 seconds clear of the rest as he began building an advantage that would stretch to over a minute by the end of the 67 laps. The race, which had been scheduled for 70 laps, was drawn to an early close as it had reached the two-hour maximum.
It wasn’t the first time that Senna had shone in the wet. Twelve months before
