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Senna’s Magnum Opus
Posted by glennm on 08 December 2011 
the first time a non-turbo car had led a Grand Prix in more than four years. His limelight in P1 only lasted for a few hundred meters, however, as the extra power of the Honda turbo engine allowed Prost to regain the race lead going into the next corner.Alain Prost was indeed a potent and formidable adversary, not to be taken lightly. He had, after all, won two of the previous three World Championships and at that time had won more Grands Prix than anyone in history. Yet within another dozen tours, Senna was catching Prost rapidly, through traffic. On lap 27, as the duo attempted to lap Andrea de Cesaris, Satoru Nakajima and Maurício Gugelmin, Senna managed to force his way through as Prost was delayed by the Italian’s Rial. Commentator James Hunt famously called de Cesaris a “disgrace” for blocking Prost and publicly lambasted him during the BBC telecast for his driving. Senna then put in a succession of fast laps, breaking the track record and building a lead of more than three seconds. His 8th win of the year, by a margin of more than 13s, beat the F1 season record then held by Jim Clark and Prost, catapulting Senna to the 1st of his three World Championships. There was certainly no mistaking the elation that Senna felt as he crossed the line, punching the sky with both arms. Ayrton had pulled off the unimaginable with a stupefying performance. He won the Championship in the best possible fashion, beating the dominant driver of the day fair and square despite the huge obstacles that were thrown his way. After his victory at Estoril in 1985, Senna was given the nickname “Magic,” and at the Japanese Grand Prix in 1988 he proved how appropriate that nickname truly was. Classifications.
A featured race from the F1A&G | 6 Best Comeback Drives collection.
2013 Spanish Grand Prix:
