On Easter Sunday in 1993, Formula 1 witnessed one of its most celebrated individual performances courtesy of Ayrton Senna at a wet and miserable Donington Park.
1993, as previously talked about in F1 Rewind, was a year in which Senna almost didn’t compete at all.
Disillusioned by McLaren’s probability of not winning the title, Senna was also blocked from joining Williams due to arch-rival Alain Prost’s ‘no Senna’ veto clause in his contract, despite the Brazilian, so sure Williams would hand him a fourth World Championship, offering to drive for the Grove-based squad for free.
Senna did indeed return with McLaren, and arrived at Donington Park leading the championship after finishing second in South Africa, and winning his home Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.
Donington has been awarded the race – the European Grand Prix – after a planned race in Asia failed to come to fruition, and was the first time the Leicestershire circuit had hosted F1, having had a rich and illustrious history of hosting events in top-level bike racing and touring cars.
Qualifying was a dry affair, with Williams locking out the front row with Prost on pole, and Damon Hill – in his first full season of racing – second. Michael Schumacher was third, with Senna fourth. Teammate Michael Andretti was sixth, sandwiched by the Saubers of Karl Wendlinger and JJ Lehto, the Swiss squad in only its third Grand Prix, having already scored in Kyalami.
Race day brought torrid conditions, as rainfall promised to cause a chaotic event, and at the start, Senna got the jump on Schumacher and took third, but then lost ground to the German and Wendlinger, dropping him to fifth. The Williams duo led away, with Wendlinger getting up to third.
But Senna soon found his feet, and his superior rain driving took hold. He dispatched Schumacher easily at the Craner Curves and swept past Wendlinger around the outside at the Old Hairpin.
Before any awestruck onlookers could get their breath back, Senna was past Hill at McLean’s, with Prost opening up a tiny advantage. But it was not to last.
Catching up to the Frenchman on Starkey’s Straight and getting closer after the Esses, he easily overtook the Williams #2 at the Melbourne Hairpin to take the lead. Who knows what those in the grandstands on the start-finish straight, who last saw him less than two minutes before in fifth place, thought as he re-emerged to them the leader of the race.
Ayrton Senna raindances to victory
What followed was a true case of ‘keeping your head when all about you are losing theirs’ as Senna sauntered off into the distance. The rain stopped and the track began to dry, and Senna opted for dry tyres, followed by both Williams. When the rain started again, Senna stayed out whilst Prost and Hill came back in for wet tyres. The rain then stopped, and Senna was vindicated. Prost, when pitting for more dry tyres, stalled, handing third to Hill.
The biggest winner of the situation was Senna’s compatriot Rubens Barrichello, who, in only his third Grand Prix, took second place, but heartbreakingly was to retire with fuel pressure issues.
Hill moved into second place, with Prost third, but by now, Senna was over a minute ahead, and duly took victory which ultimately has been celebrated as one of his greatest.
With Schumacher amongst many to spin off, other drivers benefitted, with Johnny Herbert taking fourth place in his Lotus, with Riccardo Patrese fifth for Benetton, and the final point being taken by Minardi’s Fabrizio Barbazza.
Senna therefore kept and extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, and for his efforts, won a now-infamous Sonic the Hedgehog-themed trophy as part of the race’s sponsorship deal with gaming company Sega.
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