Was 1993 Ayrton Senna’s best season? I think it was for many reasons and stands out despite him not winning the World Driver’s Championship that year. Recently, I was reading the 1993 Autocourse annual recently and what struck me was how much of a challenge that year was for him and McLaren. Despite all this he managed to put in some notable, in some cases legendary performances, before the season was over. In many ways it was a bittersweet time for many of the participants in Formula One as one era ended and another one began. Little did anybody know how calm this season would be compared to the maelstrom of 1994.
Credit: Martin Lee.
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kartingnord/32844043794/ Copyright: CC BY-SA 2.0
The groundwork for Senna’s Opus was laid during the 1992 season and the lead up to 1993. Williams demonstrated in 1991 that they would be championship contenders with the combination of Adrian Newey, Nigel Mansell, and Renault. In 1992, they dominated both championships with the FW14B; leaving the rest of the grid both bewildered and overpowered. Even though Mansell left to go race in Indy Cars, Williams signed Alain Prost to replace him. Most of the team remained in place heading into 1993 and nobody expected Williams to be any less dominant than they were the year before.
For McLaren, they had a challenge ahead of them. Engine supplier Honda left at the end of 1992, meaning the team would have to secure power units from another company. They would be a customer team for the first time in a decade and at a disadvantage compared to factory-backed teams…like Williams. Eventually, the team secured a deal with Ford to provide their HB-series V8 engines for 1993. These were the same units powering the rival Benetton team but the ones McLaren would get would be at least one spec behind. That meant less power (20-40 HP) than the factory team and at least 80 HP behind Renault. All this meant they would not be as competitive as before.
On the chassis side though, McLaren created a masterpiece in the MP4/8. It featured a semi-automatic transmission, traction control, and active suspension. All these were relatively new technologies for the team but they were able to incorporate them into the new car. Nobody knew how well these would work together before the season started. There was potential though and the package looked competitive. While the MP4/8 wasn’t as good as the Williams FW15C; it had the potential to win.
But who would drive it?
Ron Dennis had signed CART Champion Michael Andretti to drive for McLaren during the summer of 1992. Andretti was seen as one of the few American drivers who could compete in Formula One. He could help raise the profile of F1 in the US market and was the son of 1978 World Champion Mario Andretti. It seemed like a great signing at the time because of Michael Andretti’s talents and accomplishments in Indy Car racing. He would get one of the race seats.
He had also signed Mika Hakkinen from Lotus. While Hakkinen was just beginning his career in F1, he had a lot of success in the junior formulas, notably F3. He was quiet, non-nonsense, and fast; much like his manager and compatriot Keke Rosberg. The question was, would Hakkinen get a race seat or be consigned to test and reserve duties for 1993? It all depended upon what Ayrton Senna decided to do.
At the end of 1992, Senna was non-committal about his racing future. There were rumors that he would quit F1 altogether and take a sabbatical, just like Prost did in 1992. There was also speculation that Senna would go to CART just like Mansell did in 1993. His test at Firebird Raceway with Team Penske increased the chatter about that move. Then there was the ongoing negotiations between his manager Julian Jakobi, Ron Dennis, and John Hogan from Marlboro. Before the season started, the story was that Ayrton Senna would only drive for McLaren on a race to race basis…for $1 million per event. This made the driver situation at McLaren fluid until just before the opening race in South Africa.
Eventually, Senna signed before the season started and liked how well the McLaren-Ford combination performed in pre-season testing. He reckoned that he could be competitive although he knew that Williams would be the team to beat once again. However, Senna also knew that his talent could take him beyond what the MP4/8 could deliver; just as he had with other teams and other cars in the past. As it turned-out, securing Ayrton Senna’s services for 1993 was a master stroke for all involved.
He won five races in all, including three of the first six. One of those, the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park, stands out as one of the most memorable drives ever. He also won his home grand prix at Interlagos for the second time in three years. Senna also won Monaco for the sixth time in seven years! He also won the last two races of the season at Suzuka and Adelaide, both of which were impressive victories. All of this despite all the initial uncertainty over whether he would even drive for McLaren that year.
Plus, there was the ongoing question of where he would drive in 1994. It echoed much of the speculation from the previous season but was amplified by other factors. McLaren needed to secure a works engine supply if they hoped to remain competitive. The team even produced one MP4/8B with a Lamborghini V12 engine to evaluation it’s potential. However, they eventually decided to sign with Peugeot based on their success in Group C endurance racing. Senna had his eyes on Williams though because he knew that even with the pending rules changes for 1994, they would still be a top team. Renault, Rothmans, and other sponsors also wanted Senna with the team. So towards the end of the European leg of the season, Ayrton Senna signed for Williams.
So with all this going on in the background, Senna still performed at a championship level during the season. He gave it his all and extracted more performance out of the car than either Michael Andretti or Mika Hakkinen could muster. Nobody could question his ability, motivation, or determination after 1993. That’s why I consider that season to be Senna’s Opus.
Postscriptum: Lest anybody accuse me of being an Ayrton Senna fanboi, I will admit that while he was alive and racing…I couldn’t stand him. I was (and remain) a die-hard Nigel Mansell and Williams fan. Moreover, throughout his career, I though Senna’s racing was occasionally dangerous and some of his actions uncalled for. Yet over time I learned about how much he cared for his fellow drivers and other people. When you watch the documentaries and interviews with him, one gets a sense of his true character which is both complex and deep. So while I did not like him at the time, I have come to more deeply appreciate both the racer and person he was.
