Ayrton Senna looked set to take a year out of Formula 1 in 1993, but a change of mind led to one of his most impressive seasons.
On this day [February 10] in 1993, McLaren announced that its two drivers for the upcoming season would be Mika Hakkinen and Michael Andretti.
Hakkinen had completed two seasons with Lotus and impressed so much that Ron Dennis sought to bring the ‘Flying Finn’ to the Woking-based squad.
Alongside him came Andretti, who had been IndyCar champion two years previously, and was keen to show his talents in F1, his place at the Newman-Haas team being taken by reigning World Champion, Nigel Mansell.
Senna was disillusioned by the prospects of another year at McLaren. He failed to secure Mansell’s vacancy at Williams due to a veto in new signing Alain Prost’s contract, forbidding him as a team-mate, after the pair’s tumultuous rivalry at McLaren, despite the Brazilian’s offer to drive for free.
After a brief test of a Penske IndyCar machine, Senna weighed up his options and it looked as if he would take a sabbatical, as his McLaren contract was up.
But, despite Hakkinen and Andretti being locked in for the season, Senna changed his mind, and agreed to an initial race-by-race contract, and with Andretti effectively having foregone on single-seater series for another, it would be Hakkinen who lost out, being forced to settle for a test driver role.
Williams, with Prost leading the team alongside rookie team-mate Damon Hill, were overwhelming favourites for the campaign, having dominated the previous year.
But despite the team’s active suspension advantage, Senna amazingly led the championship after the first six rounds, with victories at home in Brazil, his astonishing ‘lap of the Gods’ performance at Donington Park, and his sixth and final win at Monaco.
Despite Prost utilising the Williams’ standout package and ultimately taking the title, Senna managed to win the final two rounds of the season to finish second in the Drivers’ standings.
Andretti failed to recapture his form across the pond, and finished just six races out of 13, and despite a podium at Monza, he was replaced for the final three rounds by Hakkinen.
At the final round in Adelaide, Senna invited old adversary Prost – in what was his final race in F1 – onto the top step of the podium with him, their rivalry seemingly over.
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