Senna’s East Midlands masterclass

In 1993 Ayrton Senna – cited so often as Formula 1’s greatest driver – produced what many feel was his finest racing lap, on a rain-sodden day in the East Midlands. Simon Arron was standing trackside. He remembered Senna’s circuit of the gods, going from fifth to first place on the opening lap of the European Grand Prix at Donington.

As the precipitation pounded down at lights out, the three-time world champion found himself starting fourth. Though Senna, hard up for horsepower in his McLaren-Ford MP4/8, was 1.5sec off Alain Prost’s ‘none-more-gizmoed’ Williams FW15C in qualifying, come Sunday said rain was the equaliser.

The Brazilian fell to fifth, then took in the opening couple of corners before carefully before pressing on. “Senna dealt quickly with Schumacher and Wendlinger, passing them before and through the Craner Curves, then outbraked Hill into McLeans and went tearing after Prost,” wrote Arron. “He then dispatched his nemesis at the Melbourne hairpin. By the lap’s end he was six-tenths clear.”

“I remember being staggered at the size of Ayrton’s lead,” said McLaren engineer Neil Oatley. “I thought the Williams had spun.”

Senna was unchallenged from then on – after an astounding opening lap.

To read the full story visit “Ayrton Senna’s start at Donington Park, 1993: Lap of the Gods”