Category: Formula 1

Following a U-turn on its F1 future, Honda signed with Aston Martin to become the Silverstone team’s engine partner for F1’s all-new power unit regulations in 2026.

That means that, as it stands, Honda will no longer be powering the cars driven by its long-time protege Tsunoda, who rose through the ranks of its Honda Dream project to land a seat with AlphaTauri, now RB.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport, Honda Racing Corporation CEO Koji Watanabe said the company is keen to “keep a close eye” on Tsunoda and hopes he will be promoted to Red Bull, even if Honda is no longer on board.

“I think it’s a very beautiful story that Tsunoda would first play an active role at RB and then be promoted to Red Bull,” Watanabe said.

“Even if it’s after we’re gone, we would like to keep a close eye on him rising to the top teams.

“Tsunoda has graduated from the Honda Racing school, so that’s why from the HRC point of view it’s our dream that HRC students can become top drivers.

“So, it’s really important that Yuki becomes a top driver in Formula 1.”

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 01

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

When asked if it would be awkward to remain on board as a personal sponsor of Tsunoda even if he drives for a different engine manufacturer, Watanabe replied:

“That’s not necessarily difficult. We have to decide about this and we have to see what the situation is then. But we can support Yuki to become a top driver, yes.”

A seemingly remote option is for Tsunoda to move with Honda to Aston Martin. The squad has recently re-signed Fernando Alonso to a fresh contract until 2026, but there is no indication of team-mate Lance Stroll leaving the team.

“We still don’t know what Aston Martin’s line-up will be like,” Watanabe weighed in. “Alonso has been confirmed, but I have not yet heard that Stroll has been confirmed.

“I don’t think there is a zero chance of that happening, so I think there is a possibility of that happening at this point.”

When asked if a Honda could field the 23-year-old at a customer team in the future, he said: “There may be other possibilities in the future, but right now we don’t have any other plans. At this point, we are not yet at the stage where we are expanding our customer team.”

Now in his fourth F1 season, Tsunoda has impressed by single-handedly helping RB hold sixth-place in a tight midfield battle with seven points scored.

But there appears little momentum behind the Japanese driver being considered for promotion to Red Bull’s main team.

Additional reporting by Ken Tanaka and Ronald Vording

For the Miami event the Anglo-Italian team has repainted large parts of its VCARB01 car in what it has called a chameleon livery, akin to the similarly named prepaid debit card issued by one of its two title partners Cash App.

The team has retained its blue and silver engine cover and its red and white wings, but has changed the rest of the car, with its one-off livery running from the nose through the sidepods and towards the rear wing endplates.

The result is a rainbow-like mishmash of colours – including teal, pink, orange, and yellow – as the recently rebranded team aims to stand out from the midfield crowd.

“Visa Cash App’s Chameleon Livery is the perfect colour scheme for our first race in the US,” said RB CEO Peter Bayer.

“Since the team’s Las Vegas launch in February, we’ve taken some big steps forward, and we’re bringing fans on an exciting new journey.

“That desire to progress and connect is shared with Visa and Cash App, who are bringing people together in the sport through experiences that are unlike anything else out there.

“This incredible livery and the events surrounding its launch here in Miami demonstrate their commitment to the team and F1, and we can’t wait to see the Chameleon VCARB01 in action this weekend.”

RB F1 Team VCARB 01 livery

The livery, which will be used by Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda this weekend, was revealed at a launch event in Miami’s Wynwood district, which is renowned for its street art, the first of several off-circuit activations that Bayer promised would set the team apart from its previous guises.

The squad and its partners are trying to attract a younger audience, with the livery swap not coincidentally taking place in the home market of both Visa and Cash App.

“One of the main discussions we had with our partners was that we are aiming at that whole new, younger audience, which we are reaching through social media,” Bayer said earlier this year.

“It’s about racing, obviously, and we want to be very serious and focus on the racing, but at the same time we want this team to be valuable, to have some entertainment.

“We want to democratise the sport through partnerships by inviting fans who cannot come to the race track because maybe it’s not affordable or it’s sold out, to add events in the city centre with big music acts.

“It’s that combination of on-track performance combined with off-track entertainment and that Red Bull spirit, which is what we want to give to the fans.”

In January, grand prix racing’s commercial rights holder, Formula One Management, rejected the America squad’s bid to join the F1 grid next season, despite the championship’s regulator, the FIA, approving its technical capabilities last October.

A statement from FOM read: “Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, on its own, provide value to the championship. The most significant way in which a new entrant would bring value is by being competitive. We do not believe that the applicant would be a competitive participant.”

It furthermore added that it felt having an extra team on the grid would put unnecessary financial strain on current race promoters.

The Andretti Global team’s patriarch, 1978 F1 world champion Mario Andretti, visited Capitol Hill earlier this week, and met with Republican John James – who is one of the 12 bi-partisan signatories to the letter – to discuss the potential for anti-competition potential of FOM’s decision.

The role of U.S. Congress members is to represent people of their districts, as well as develop and vote on legislation. In the letter, which is addressed to Liberty boss Greg Maffei, the Congress members “write to express our concerns with apparent anti-competitive actions that could prevent two American companies, Andretti Global and General Motors (GM), from producing and competing in Formula 1.”

It goes on to allege that FOM’s rejection of the application “appears to be driven by the current line-up of European Formula 1 race teams, many of which are affiliated with foreign automobile manufacturers that directly compete with American automotive companies like GM. It is unfair and wrong to attempt to block American companies from joining Formula 1, which could also violate American antitrust laws.

General Motors announcement

Photo by: General Motors

“Participation of all Formula 1 teams including any American teams should be based on merit and not just limited to protecting the current line-up of race teams. This is especially true considering Formula 1’s growing presence in the United States, including three Grand Prix motoring [sic] racing events in Miami, Florida; Austin, Texas; and Las Vegas, Nevada.”

What answers are US Congress members demanding from F1?

The 12 members of Congress have requested Liberty’s responses to the following questions by 3 May:

1. “Under what authority does FOM proceed to reject admission of Andretti Global? What is the rationale for FOM’s rejection, especially with respect to Andretti Global and its partner GM, potentially being the first American-owned and America-built race team?
2. “The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 outlaws unreasonable restraints on market competition to produce the best outcome for the American consumer. How does FOM’s denial of Andretti Global and GM, American-owned companies, square with Sherman Act requirements, since the decision will benefit incumbent European racing teams and their foreign automobile manufacturing affiliates?
3. “We understand that GM intends to re-introduce its Cadillac brand into the European market, which would support thousands of good-paying American automotive jobs, especially with Formula 1’s worldwide audience and its halo effect on its teams and sponsors. How much did GM’s and Andretti’s entrance into racing competition taking a portion of the racing market share and GM’s entry into the European market taking market share each play into the decision to deny admission to the Andretti Global team, given the public outcry of incumbent Formula 1 teams against a new American competitor?”

They sign off the letter stating: “We continue to exercise oversight on this matter, and with the appropriate Federal regulators, to ensure that any potential violations of U.S. anticompetition law are expeditiously investigated and pursued.”

Autosport has reached out to F1 seeking comment on the letter.

Senna’s life has been extensively celebrated this week on the 30th anniversary of the three-time world champion’s fatal accident at the San Marino Grand Prix on 1 May 1994.

The Imola circuit is next up on the F1 calendar after the Miami Grand Prix and will inevitably be the scene of more tributes to the late Brazilian.

Four-time world champion Vettel, who owns Senna’s 1993 McLaren MP4/8, has announced he will take the car out for a demo on race day in Imola as a tribute to one of his heroes.

“Ayrton Senna was not only a driver who I valued highly for being one of the best racing has ever seen, but also a man of great compassion,” Vettel said in an Instagram video.

“It’s been 30 years since his accident and I would like to pay tribute to Ayrton.

“I will be in Imola for the grand prix to drive his car, the McLaren MP4/8. I hope to see you on Sunday, May 19.”

Vettel, who is known for his great interest in the history of F1, acquired the MP/8 as well as Nigel Mansell’s 1992 Williams FW14B, which he has displayed on several occasions since his F1 retirement in 2022.

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The German, who is also an environmentalist and advocate for biodiversity, ran his legacy F1 cars at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed last year, running carbon-neutral biofuels under the Race without a Trace banner. He previously also demoed the Williams at Silverstone.

“I’m a passionate racer and it’s important to me that we continue to enjoy driving iconic racing cars today and in the future, but that we do so in a responsible way,” he said about the programme.

The MP4/8 was McLaren’s first car since the departure of Honda as an engine supplier at the end of 1992. It featured an underpowered Ford V8 customer engine, but in the hands of Senna still managed to compete with Alain Prost’s dominant Williams-Renault on several occasions.

Senna claimed five wins on his way to second place in the championship behind the Frenchman, with a legendary wet-weather victory at Donington’s European Grand Prix hailed as one of F1’s most iconic performances of all time.

Other than an appearance at the 2023 Race of Champions in Sweden, Vettel hasn’t raced competitively since his F1 exit at the end of 2022.

In March he tested Porsche’s Le Mans Hypercar at an endurance test in Aragon, completing over two grand prix distances in its Porsche 963 prototype.

The Porsche Penske team was left impressed by the 36-year-old’s performances, but it is not yet clear if Vettel will one day race for the marque in the World Endurance Championship and its Le Mans 24 Hours centrepiece.

The unique situation of over half the grid being out of contract for 2025, including some of F1’s leading drivers, has led to one of the most highly anticipated silly seasons in history.

The sheer number of seats up for grabs ahead of a crunch regulations change in 2026 was always going to lead to an early start to the merry-go-round, but Lewis Hamilton’s shock decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari next year has taken things up another notch, with drivers and teams having to start engaging in talks before a wheel had been turned in Bahrain testing.

One throwaway line from Williams’ Alex Albon, who has also been the subject of speculation but has a valid Williams contract for 2025, summed up the situation well.

“It’s inevitable… everyone’s seen how early it’s taking place and it’s been a bit uncomfortably early for a lot of teams as well as drivers I can imagine,” Albon said about how early off-track talks have impacted the start of the year.

Since Hamilton’s bombshell news, Fernando has pinned his colours to the mast of his current Aston Martin team, while Nico Hulkenberg has agreed to move to Sauber in 2025 to help it move into its Audi era.

The main hold-up remains the situation at Red Bull, with the news that design legend Adrian Newey is set to depart the team, which could impact whether or not Max Verstappen will commit to see out his 2028 contract.

Mercedes is still awaiting a firm decision by Verstappen before it moves to replace Hamilton, having time on its side to see how its youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli develops in F2 and private F1 testing.

Sainz, the driver displaced by Hamilton, also appears to hold out for other top team opportunities before committing to a lucrative Audi deal that has been ready for him for weeks, with Audi F1 CEO Andreas Seidl keen to sign both the Spaniard and Hulkenberg as his plan A line-up.

“For sure, my best options are still open which is something that quite obviously requires a bit of time, given the situation of the market,” Sainz said in China.

“It’s going to take some time for everyone to make up their own minds and take their decisions, but the good options are still open. There hasn’t been any progress over the last couple of weeks.”

“Obviously, the sooner everything develops, the better. It’s not like it’s affecting my performance this year, but the earlier that you take it out of your head, the better. But it requires time and it requires some decision-making.”

Sainz’s fate further impacts Sauber’s incumbent drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. At least one of them – if not both – is set to leave following the Hulkenberg announcement, so they too needed to get on the phone and start dialling.

“I feel like things will start happening quite soon,” Bottas said.

“There are not that many falling pieces anywhere. But of course, there are questions on certain drivers, like what is Carlos gonna do? What’s Mercedes going to do?

“I would say, ideally within the next few weeks, things are starting to get sorted. I’m working on it for sure and talks have started, so it should be an interesting few weeks.”

Bottas is adamant he has other options for next year, adding his focus is “all 100% F1”.

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Audi has been accused in certain quarters, such as Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, of putting “pressure” on the driver market by coming in early with big-money offers for Sainz, who has also been of interest to Red Bull.

But if it does get to sign Sainz, that means that its strategy will have worked to go all-in on its number one targets rather than being indecisive and risk them being taken off the board by rivals.

With there expected to be at least one if not two rookies in 2025, in the form of Haas candidate Oliver Bearman and Mercedes prodigy Antonelli, taking an ‘uncomfortably’ swift decision is a consideration that more drivers and teams will need to make.

In a volatile market, how much longer can you hedge your bets and wait for a more attractive opportunity, yet risk losing out on the game of musical chairs completely?

That dilemma is not just relevant for Bottas and Zhou, but also for other midfield players including out-of-contract Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, with the former also an option for Audi as a Sainz alternative.

Red Bull and RB will have to solve the Liam Lawson conundrum, who is free to sign for rivals if he doesn’t land a seat for one of its teams in 2025, while Williams has its own decisions to make regarding Logan Sargeant’s seat. It will want to give the American a bit more time after backing him for a second season in the first place, but how long does it really have?

The key to the driver market might still be in Verstappen’s and Sainz’s hands, but not everyone can afford to wait and see what it unlocks.

“I’m not going to celebrate like some people that it’s 20 years on,” says Alain Prost of the anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death at Imola on May 1 1994. “I can answer these questions about him, no problem – he was an exceptional guy – but I just don’t see it the same way as the other guys do.”

To understand why, you have to appreciate the background of their shared history: Prost and Senna fought out what was arguably Formula 1’s greatest rivalry. After becoming team-mates at McLaren in 1988, the first spark flew when Senna aggressively shoved Prost towards the pitwall at Estoril, later prompting the Frenchman to state: “Sometimes I admit I was frightened by him; he was prepared to do anything.”

Apart from several media spats that occurred before Senna was crowned world champion in 1988, the true ignition point for their bitter conflict was Imola ’89. Senna passed Prost on the approach to Tosa at the restart after Gerhard Berger’s fiery crash, breaking what Prost saw as an agreement not to pass each other there. But Senna was adamant he had the move completed before the corner, so in his mind that didn’t count.

Whether it was gamesmanship on Senna’s part or twisting logic in his own favour, Prost was furious and their enmity would run and run. Their successive title-deciding collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and ’90 tarnished F1’s reputation and moved the goalposts in terms of the lengths drivers would go to win.

Both felt hard done by: Senna that the FIA had manipulated the ’89 result in Prost’s favour – “a result of the politics we had,” he’d claim – while Prost questioned Senna’s ethics and sanity. But the antipathy that rumbled for half a dozen years was ended by Prost’s retirement following his 1993 title success with Williams.

From that point on, these sworn enemies became friends. Which is almost unbelievable, given what had gone before when Senna had often refused to refer to Prost by name, never mind shake his hand or speak to him directly.

Senna and Prost had a frosty relationship while both were active, not least due to several on-track clashes

Photo by: Ercole Colombo

“I don’t keep the bad moments or any bad souvenirs in my mind about him,” Prost says today. “I keep the last six months [of his life] in mind. That’s when I knew Ayrton much more than ever before. He was a completely different person, I understood who he was and why he was acting sometimes.”

When you considered the ferocity of their duel, encapsulated by Senna launching his McLaren flat-out into Prost’s Ferrari at the first corner at Suzuka in 1990, this is quite a reversal in their relationship to comprehend.

“I look back on how he was [when they were rivals] as a compliment,” he adds. “I came to understand that Ayrton’s main motivation, almost his sole motivation, was to focus on me and on beating me.

“Near the end, when we were close, it was very strange because we would talk about the bad safety and this kind of thing” Alain Prost

“That is why when we were on the podium together in Australia in ’93, when I stopped, just a few seconds later he was already a different person [recall that following what would be his last-ever victory, Senna insisted that Prost stand with him on the top step of the podium after Alain received his runner-up trophy, physically pulling him up to stand arm-in-arm together].

“That is the souvenir of our relationship that I carry with me today.”

Prost recalls his post-retirement dealings with Senna fondly, and acknowledges the irony that their conversations of the time were often about the need to increase car and circuit safety with what transpired.

“Near the end, when we were close, it was very strange because we would talk about the bad safety and this kind of thing,” says Prost. “He would ask me many times to take the lead of the GPDA, and I said no. We had some very private discussions together around this time. It was very strange.

Prost attended Imola in 1994 for French TV and met Senna twice during the fateful weekend

Photo by: Sutton Images

“I keep this souvenir [of him] from then right until his last day, because I met him two or three times, and just before [the race at Imola] – and of course he was already this different person to me. That is why I prefer to think about that alone.”

Of the terrible events of Imola that dark weekend in 1994, a race Prost attended to commentate on for French TV, he spoke to Senna on numerous occasions – twice on the morning of the race: once when Senna sought him out in the TV compound; and a second time when Prost went to see him in the Williams garage.

Recall too that Senna had sent the radio message (“a special hello to my dear friend Alain – we all miss you Alain”) from his car to the commentary box over the radio during a lap in practice.

Prost confirms: “Ayrton called me on Saturday, so I met him on Saturday, and I met him on Sunday twice – the main constant [of their conversations] was safety and the fact that he was not happy with the situation, thinking that the Benetton was not legal. He was very focused on that, but it was very weird… Very weird.”

Prost believes Senna was a very different man in 1994

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

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Red Bull announced on Wednesday morning that Newey would be leaving the world champion outfit early next year after deciding that he no longer wished to remain a part of the team.

He will continue working for the Milton Keynes-based operation until the early part of 2025, which will involve finishing his RB17 hypercar, and will in the meantime attend specific races to work trackside – including this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

However, it is understood that he will no longer play an active role in technical developments at the team and will not be involved in meetings on future car progress.

While Newey originally had a contract that ran until the end of 2025, and had a further non-compete clause that could have sidelined him for another 12 months, his legal representatives have agreed with Red Bull to an earlier parting of ways.

Red Bull has announced that Newey’s contract will end in the first quarter of next year, with it understood that from March he will in theory be free to join a rival outfit.

Other teams have inevitably been interested in luring Newey on board, with Aston Martin and Ferrari both known to have made lucrative offers to secure his services.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

It is understood that Newey has ruled out any interest in going to Aston Martin, but Ferrari does remain an option – with it suggested that team principal Fred Vasseur met privately with the famed F1 designer on Tuesday to try to move things forward.

And while no deal is in place yet, negotiations are likely to continue as Vasseur makes a personal push to try to convince Newey to join him in time for Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at the squad next year.

The timing of Newey’s availability is not perfect in terms of hitting the ground running with the new 2026 car rules, as much of the design concepts will already be in place by the time he can provide his input.

However, it still comes early enough for Newey’s influence to be felt and potentially have an impact in how things shake up for F1’s new rules era.

One of Red Bull’s rivals says it is flabbergasted that the door is open for Newey to be available early enough to help for 2026 – as it could hurt the world champion squad so much in helping one of its main competitors move ahead.

The situation has been likened to how then McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh agreed to let Brawn GP have customer Mercedes engines in 2009.

This decision helped Brawn go on to win the world title and grab the works Mercedes deal from McLaren’s grasp – consigning its rival to years in the wilderness.

A team principal, who did not wish to be identified, said: “It would be an unmitigated disaster for Red Bull if Adrian was let go early to join a competitor.

“Christian would look like a complete fool. Just as Whitmarsh did at McLaren when he handed Brawn the keys to Mercedes, which kickstarted their years of dominance in F1.”

Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP BGP001 Mercedes battles with Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren MP4-24 Mercedes

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

Red Bull turmoil

Newey’s departure from Red Bull comes off the back of early season turmoil from a power battle for control of the team.

This was originally triggered by a female employee making a complaint about the behaviour of Horner, with the subsequent developments escalating into a civil war involving the Thai and Austrian energy drink’s owners, plus other senior figures within the operation.

Horner has tried to keep things under control at the team, but Newey’s exit will do little to calm those who fear that there could be further upheaval in the future.

Rival teams have suggested that there has been an influx of interest for jobs from Red Bull personnel in recent months, while the future of star driver Max Verstappen remains uncertain.

While Horner himself insists that the Dutchman is committed to the squad for the short term, this has not stopped Mercedes doing all it can to try to lure him away.

Adrian Newey, Chief Technology Officer, Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Verstappen’s father Jos had already warned earlier this year that Red Bull risked exploding if Horner stayed in charge, and the Newey development has done nothing but further embellish his thought.

Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Wednesday, Jos Verstappen was quoted as saying: “The team is in danger of falling apart. I was afraid of that earlier this year.

“For internal peace, it is important that key people stay on board. That is not the case now. Newey is leaving and earlier this year it also looked like Helmut [Marko] would be sent away. For the future that is not good.”

Factions within Red Bull that have tried to get rid of Horner over recent months may renew their efforts now to see through on their bid in the wake of Newey’s departure, and use it as a warning of the need for change at the top to stop the squad breaking apart.

Additional reporting by Laurens Stade

Ferrari revealed last week that its Miami livery would feature two tints of blue to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its entry into the American market.

In a limited tweak to its traditional red livery, the so-called Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino hues have been applied on the wings, engine cover, halo, rear-views mirrors, as well as on the wheel rims of the SF-24 driven by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz this weekend.

The colours hark back to Ferrari racing in the US under the N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) banner, including John Surtees’ blue and white 158 F1 from 1964.

The one-off livery coincides with American tech giant Hewlett-Packard coming on board as Ferrari’s new title sponsor. From Miami onwards, the HP logo will grace the engine cover and both the front and rear wing.

Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Ferrari

The Azzurro La Plata, the celestial blue that adorns the Argentinian flag, is a tribute to Alberto Ascari, who wore a helmet and shirt in the colour as a lucky charm. That tradition would carry over, with many more drivers and mechanics wearing blue overalls in the 60s. In Miami, Leclerc and Sainz will also wear overalls in the colour.

The brighter Azzurro Dino was last worn by Clay Regazzoni and was similarly adopted by mechanics through the 70s until the early 80s.

Ferrari said its trackside team would wear the Azzurro La Plata on Sunday only, with the pit crew needing fireproof overalls decked out in the Azzurro Dino colour.

“The upcoming Miami Grand Prix will be one to remember in the history of our team, as in Florida we will be celebrating our heritage through a unique livery, rediscovering two colours that are part of our history,” said team principal Fred Vasseur.

“It will also be a very special race as we are glad to welcome the arrival of our new title partner HP. Scuderia Ferrari and HP share many values, including a winning mentality and a clear line of thought that forms the basis of our partnership.”

Ferrari SF-24, Miami GP livery

Photo by: Ferrari

During the three decades since the sickening image of the blue-and-white Williams striking the Tamburello wall was broadcast to a global audience of millions, Ayrton Senna has been transformed.

On May 1 1994 he was already a racing superstar, regarded justifiably by many as the greatest of his generation, but since then the name Senna has grown into so much more. It’s a global brand, a name on countless T-shirts and caps in every corner of the globe that stands for something, even for those who’ve never so much as watched a racing car in anger.

Those five letters, S-E-N-N-A, have become iconic, an idea, a philosophy of racing that transcends the name of a mere mortal. He has become less a man, more a god who walked among us for 34 years before his very public ascent to the heavens.

For a generation, Senna is not merely a great racing driver but so much more than that. Senna has escaped the limitations of his own sport to become a hallowed figure. The legend has overwhelmed the memory.

It didn’t happen instantly. The day Senna died he was perceived almost universally as one of the great racing drivers, but he was also a divisive and controversial figure.

Over the years, the life and sporting achievements of a very human character have coalesced into a canon of moments and images. His second place in Monaco in 1984, the first victory at a sodden Estoril in 1985, those Suzuka collisions with Alain Prost, his pole lap in Monaco 1988, Easter Sunday at Donington Park in 1993… these have become the venerated stories that comprise the legend of this almost holy figure.

Venerated moments like Senna’s 1988 Monaco pole lap have elevated his perception beyond that of a mere mortal

Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Images

If you had to zero in on the biggest factor in this process, it’s surely Asif Kapadia’s documentary Senna. The film, which premiered in 2010, has become the bible of the Senna cult.

It’s a well-constructed piece of film-making, one that focuses on the key moments of Senna’s career and sets them in stone. It’s all there – the heroism, the superhuman skill, the will to win and the dark forces that conspired against him. It’s a compelling piece of storytelling, one that codifies the myth and builds on it.

Prost, one of the key antagonists in Senna, exists solely as a mechanism for the rivalry. In the film, there is no mention of the moment when hostilities between the two began with Senna shoving his team-mate towards the Estoril pitwall in 1988, or Senna defying a team agreement not to overtake at Imola in 1989. In an intensely personal battle where both were guilty of transgressions, Prost is portrayed as the villain.

Everyone, no matter how great, makes mistakes. But for the mythological Senna, these mistakes are cast as rare and almost as a reflection of his brilliance

At times he was – the collision caused when he turned in on Senna at the Suzuka chicane in 1989 was unacceptable. But did that really justify Senna ploughing into Prost at the first corner a year later at great speed at the start of the race? The Senna myth would say yes, but reality is muddier than this.

Prost lived on to become a failed Formula 1 team owner, this flesh-and-bones man no match for the Senna myth. While Senna stays immaculate, undimmed by time, Prost at 69 remains a familiar paddock figure – respected but not deified.

Senna also offered holy wisdom that is passed down through the ages. His reminiscences on the purity of kart racing against old rival Terry Fullerton have become emblematic of the purity of competition.

“If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver” has become Senna’s great commandment. Senna said that in response to a question from Jackie Stewart not about a specific incident, but about his propensity to get involved in clashes with rivals. It has now become the touchstone for a racing philosophy Senna encapsulates, one that’s been used both for good and bad in the years since. Some abuse it as a manifesto for recklessness.

Senna was not above misjudgements, such as his move on Prost at Suzuka’s first corner in 1990 to settle the world championship

Photo by: Sutton Images

The mistakes Senna made have also been distilled into one moment of fallibility – crashing while leading in Monaco in 1988. This is where the Senna myth can become problematic because he did make mistakes. One example is at Monza in 1993, where he rear-ended old Formula 3 rival Martin Bundle’s Ligier under braking. Today, a driver would be mercilessly pilloried on social media for such an incident, but it’s almost forgotten.

Senna did have it in him to make misjudgements. Everyone, no matter how great, makes mistakes. But for the mythological Senna, these mistakes are cast as rare and almost as a reflection of his brilliance.

He crashed in Monaco in 1988 because he was so far ahead, not because he was under pressure. It’s simplifications like this that do Senna a disservice, because Senna was not a god, but a human being. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that, and there is something so much more magical about how a flesh-and-blood person, with the flaws and limitations all of us are lumbered with, could do what he did.

No one would deny Senna a place as one of F1’s fastest. As a qualifier, arguably only Lewis Hamilton can stand comparison for virtuosity over a single lap. As a racer, Senna was outstanding but ruthless. Again, ruthlessness is to be admired in great champions, but on several occasions he did stray beyond the boundaries of what is, or should be, acceptable.

That’s what makes him such a fascinating character. We talk about the self-belief of the great sporting champions, but in the case of Senna it wasn’t just will to win – it was his certainty that he should win that made him what he was.

This is why it’s so much more valuable to appreciate Senna the human than the myth. Look at the way he inspired a nation, in Brazil. It’s not hard to grant a god that status, but for one of us to become that important to the identity and wellbeing of a nation of, at the time of his death, around 160million is a far more compelling story.

So too is his wet-weather virtuosity. This is addressed more often, but how much more fascinating is the reality that Senna was once poor in wet conditions, so took to the track in a kart in such conditions whenever he could to master his craft? A driver who simply has superhuman powers is one thing, but to have the sheer will to take a weakness and make it into a strength – to date, only Michael Schumacher and Hamilton have more victories in rain-affected grands prix than Senna’s 13 – is so much more enthralling.

Senna became known as a wet weather master, but it wasn’t always a strong suit

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The Hamilton comparison is a fascinating one. He’s often cast as the modern Senna, understandable given his speed and success – especially given that Hamilton cites Senna as his hero. But in recent years Hamilton has made good on a desire to win in the right way and prove that the ruthlessness of a champion need not overstep the bounds. Hamilton today is the epitome of clean on track, something Senna could not lay claim to.

And now we come to the sacrilege. The more convincing modern reincarnation of Senna would be Max Verstappen – sensationally fast, stunning in the wet and surely destined to win more than his current Senna-matching tally of three titles. But he’s also a divisive figure. Imagine the reaction to Senna on today’s social media – it would be divisive in the extreme.

The deification of Senna takes that complex, compelling, contradictory and fascinating character and makes him into something one-dimensional. That does him a disservice.

Instead, the Senna we see online is the godlike one. The same videos, the same quotes, the same stories are recycled again and again like a holy text. In that sphere, Senna is not a person, but an idea – and a wonderful idea for all who love racing.

The real Senna was more complicated than that. He had more than his fair share of abilities and had a global impact that the rest of us can only dream of. But like all of us, he had his flaws. The deification of Senna takes that complex, compelling, contradictory and fascinating character and makes him into something one-dimensional. That does him a disservice.

Ayrton Senna the legend will endure. But it’s important that the man behind the myth is not forgotten. Yes, he was a great racing driver, an icon in his native Brazil and across the globe – but that he achieved all of this while battling the same human frailties we all must overcome makes his legend all the greater.

The man behind the Senna myth was fascinating and should not be forgotten

Photo by: Ercole Colombo