30 years ago: Senna stuns Adelaide to get last win
Three decades ago Ayrton Senna stunned all on the South Australian streets in Adelaide to take his 41st and final Grand Prix win. Read Auto Action’s magazine review from 1993 here.
Ron Dennis gave Ayrton Senna every possible mechanical assistance he could, but ultimately the amazing Brazilian won the 1993 Australian Grand Prix on willpower.
He willed himself to the pole position on Friday and he willed himself into the lead at the start on Sunday. And it was the same sheer bloody determination which got him to the finish line first despite having less power and an apparently inferior chassis.
As perhaps only he can, he put aside the feelings of regret, nostalgia and sorrow that flooded over him in the half hour or so before the race.
After six glorious and fruitful years, this was to be his last race for McLaren and he admitted afterwards the impending separation almost broke him up before he got into the car. Uncharacteristically, he indicated that he might have allowed himself a bit of emotional room on this last day of school.
“After six years I could afford to make a mistake today.” Senna said in the post race press conference.
But he soon snapped out of it, explaining that he realised he had to “put all that aside” and concentrate on the race. That was more like the Senna we know.
His performance minutes later in the race was outstanding, brilliant, wonderful. Pick any adjective. Is he a magician, a genius or just from another planet?
Senna has “stolen” many races in the past from other drivers with faster cars. Most often he has done it in the rain.
Ayrton Senna is congratulated by McLaren team colleagues after his Australian GP win at Adelaide. Photo by LAT Images
This year he took a slower car – faster in qualifying, granted – and stole the Australian Grand Prix from Alain Prost, Damon Hill and anyone else who thought they were in the running. In the process. Senna made McLaren the most successful Grand prix constructor of all time. Lifting its !tally to 104 wins clear of Ferrari’s 103.
Prost, himself labouring under the emotional burden of retiring from being the most successful racing driver ever, drove his heart out to finish second. Prost being Prost, he may have been more affected by his inner feelings than was Senna, but surely 50 horsepower would have made up that difference. No way.
Even though the two Williams were the only cars to get under one minute 15 seconds all day – both more than six tenths faster than Senna’s best time – it was the McLaren which crossed the line nine seconds ahead.
With such a glorious career behind him – four championships, 51 race wins and 792.5 points – Prost clearly had nothing to prove, and nothing to risk life and limb for.
“I kept thinking this is the last time you put your gloves. The last time you put your helmet, the last time I get in the car.”
But he is a professional race driver being paid $1 million or more a race and he gave it his best shot.
What was uncharacteristic for Prost was that he made a set-up mistake. switching to stiffer springs and less wing on Sunday.
He was defeated by an inferior car driven by an inspired competitor. What Senna’s motivation was is anyone’s guess.
He said he wanted to give the McLaren team his best effort in his last race. Did he also want to make sure he didn’t start the rest of his career as someone Prost could beat? Did he want to make sure Prost did not leave the scene an undisputed king?
What we got was a straight head-to-head battle between two of the best steerers of our generation.
After 104 minutes, they were separated by 9 seconds or 0.14 per cent. What of the rest?
The last shootout between the titans got off to an uncertain start. Martin Brundle stalled his Renault V10 before the warm-up lap and was last away. He lined up at the back of the grid for the start.
Before the lights came on, Katayama’s Yamaha engine stalled, causing the start to be aborted.
During the delay, Brundle was given clearance to resume his rightful grid position. Katayama was last away on the warm-up lap and had to take up a position at the rear of the grid, but this time Jordan’s Eddie Irvine ‘missed his grid position by overshooting about four metres. Anolher start was aborted.
The cover of issue #590 saluting Senna.
Seeing an opportunity to rescue Katayama from the back of the grid, Ken Tyrrell remonstrated with the official starter, Roland Bruynseradle, asking for the same liberty granted Brundle. No dice.
Irvine was last away this time and he lined up at the back with Katayama. The race distance was shortened by two laps to 79 to account for the two extra parade laps.
Finally the lights came on and the field was away into the chicane, one of the hairiest first comers on the GP circuit.
Alain Prost has indicated that he would be doing all he could to get into the chicane first and was not about to lie down just because this was his last race.
In the event, he made a great start and was half way alongside Senna as they reached the braking area.
Senna did not know which mirror to look in because Hill had also made a great start and could have staked a claim for second if he had wanted to risk an altercation with Prost.
He did not, and they filed through with Senna leading Prost, Hill. Schumacher and Berger, who had to work hard to keep Brundle from passing on the outside. Alesi had slotted in behind Berger with Hakkinen, Aguri Suzuki, the two Saubers, Patrese and Blundell.
That about ended the polite single file stuff after that, they arrived in pairs and triples.
Martini and de Cesaris arrived side by side ahead of Derek Warwick and Lamy’s Lotus, which was on the left. They might have made it unscathed if the slow-starting Barrichello had not simultaneously arrived at the corner on the grass to the left of the track.
Barrichello had trouble with his traction control at the start and appeared keen to make up lost ground. He actually scrambled through, but it was Katayama, who had followed him down the grass that made an impact.
Ayrton Senna leads Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher off the line. Image LAT Photographic
The Tyrrell slid sideways off the curb and into the side of Lamy’s Lotus, launching it onto two wheels and starting a spin which delayed the two Larrousses and Irvine’s Jordan.
Lamy was out on the spot, and Katayama would pay the price later. At the front, Senna lit out for the hills, trying to put as much ground as possible between himself and Prost, assuming that Prost was casing himself in.
Lamy’s Lotus was still on the track as they streamed through to start the second lap under some vigorously waved yellow flags and, at the end of that lap, Senna had pulled out almost two seconds on Prost, who had Hill and Schumacher breathing down his neck.
The Gerrnan was looking threatening, especially in light of his strong showing in the morning warrn-up. However, in his enthusiasm he slid wide at Stag on the third tour and then gave it a bootfull to kick the tail out at the Brabham Straight hairpin, costing him more time.
He followed that up with fastest race lap on lap five, ending Senna’s sequence, but the Brazilian then replied with another three fastest before Prost got into the act on lap nine to be first under one minute 18 seconds.
Back in the field Hakkinen had put a move on Brundle to claim sixth place while Jean-Marc Gounon was working his way back through the field, being passed by Comas, Irvine and Katayama in the early going.
Martini’s race did not last long. the Martini trailing some vapour from the start and rolling with a dead engine into the pits on lap seven.
Prost stabilised the gap by lap 10 at about 3 seconds and appeared to be holding on comfortably after Senna eased off and stopped selling new fastest laps after lap 9.
Hill was a further 3 seconds adrift with Schumacher still well within reach and looking threatening. These four had cleared out from the rest and appeared intent on fighting it out between them. No-one else appeared willing to risk their tyres or fuel by going with them.
On lap 12, Eddie Irvine’s bright start to his F1 career took a bit of a dent as he was harassing Erik Comas for 17th. He went straight off at the racetrack corner and met the tyre barrier head on. He got back to the pits but the top right wishbone was broken.
Irvine’s back-of-the-grid partner Katayama also found himself out of the running when something broke as he was rounding Stag Corner.
The Tyrrell slid across the curb and slammed sideways into the barrier. Schumacher and Flavio Briatore had worked out a pit stop strategy that might help Michael make a few places without having to make risky passing moves.
The German dived into pits on lap 15, where the Benetton mechanics had him on his way in around 5 seconds. He responded by setting a fastest lap on his 17th tour.
He had made the stop without dropping a place, although Hakkinen, who had despatched Berger to sixth on lap 12, was now a lot closer.
“I came in at exactly the right moment and I’m sure I would have been able to get ahead of at least two cars once they had stopped for tyres,” Schumacher said later.
“In fact, I’m sure I could have caught Senna and maybe challenged him for the lead.”
Schumacher would never find out because the previously reliable Series V111 Ford gave up on the Brabham Straight on lap 20.
This moved Hakkinen up to fourth, 20 seconds behind Hill, 7 seconds ahead of Berger, who Alesi passed on lap 19.
Brundle and Aguri Suzuki were keeping close company a few seconds back and then Wendlinger and Lehto were having an almighty dice for ninth, although there is always more than that at stake when teammates tangle.
Alain Prost leads Damon Hill’s Williams FW15C-Renault at the hairpin. image:Coates/LAT
A lacklustre Patrese and Blundle were one second back watching the two black cars go at it while Warwick and Barrichello were following, having lonely drives. Senna had already lapped the last four runners, de Cesaris. Comas, Gounon and Toshio Suzuki’s Larrousse.
At the front, all the speculation was on how many tyre stops the leaders were planning. Senna said later he had no specific strategy at the start of the race, although it was most likely going to be one stop.
The lead was about four seconds when Senna came in and the stop threw his thinking out for a while. He only came in because he had been told Prost had stopped, meaning Prost was probably thinking about two stops, as long as Senna could match Prost, he would feel safe.
But, when he stopped he was told that Prost had not been in for new tyres. Prost sailed by into the lead, now with one stop up his sleeve compared with Senna.
“When I realised he didn’t stop, I felt I had to make up the gap because he might only make one stop,” Senna said.
This extra effort does not show up on the fastest laps chart because the sun had come out and the track was warming up, cutting traction.
Prost now had the option of a one-stop race and Senna faced the prospect of two stops or finishing with knackered tyres.
In fact, a Williams had been in, but it had been Hill. He stopped on lap 22 and emerged from the pits still in third place, but Hakkinen caught him at the chicane and was soon by into third, which he held for three laps.
Hill sweated on him the whole time and the two almost ended their races on lap 25 when Hill made a move inside going into East Terrace, but pulled out just in time.
Hill challenged again at the back straight hairpin and failed but the pressure finally paid off as the two entered the horse track again.
Hakkinen locked up a wheel going into the pits hairpin and the loss of momentum allowed Hill to (just) draw alongside as they approached the chicane, the Williams slipping through on the inside to reclaim third.
Hakkinen stopped for tyres on lap 28 and dropped two places to Alesi and Aguri Suzuki, but the Finn had been hampered by a lengthening brake pedal. He stopped again on lap 29 and was retired on the spot when the team found a leaking caliper bridge pipe on the left rear brake.
Prost, seeing his lead dwindle under the relentless pressure from Senna on new tyres, came in on lap 29, not knowing at that stage he had led his last Grand Prix.
By lap 30 Senna was 15 seconds ahead and keeping the pressure on. Hill was not far back but well clear of Alesi, who had nine seconds on Suzuki and a further four over Berger.
Brundle was still circulating strongly, the Sauber boys were still at it, both having stopped for tyres and Patrese in 10th place, was the last unlapped runner.
In the run up to half distance, Prost was doggedly clinging on and managed to wind back the gap to nine seconds by lap 40.
Hill had come with him and was only 1.5 seconds adrift and starting to think second place may by on the cards.
Alesi, Berger and Brundle were all strung out behind although Suzuki was not giving up, having been passed by Brundle while taking on new tyres.
Hill reckoned his best chance of second lay in another set of tyres so he came in on lap 44 and managed to resume in third with Alesi still three seconds behind.
After Prost stopped for more tyres on lap 48, the battle lines were drawn. Instead of looking forward, Prost now had to look to his rear.
Hill really hit his straps towards the 50 lap mark and set a couple of fastest laps which must have upset his team leader.
As all the attention stalled to centre on the Williams battle, Senna streaked in for a third set of tyres on lap 55 and managed to emerge still 18 seconds up. He was going to win this race, barring any mechanical maladies.
Hill pursued Prost through the traffic for lap after lap, making light work of the more difficult role of following close when there are slower cars about.
He maintained the gap at about one second for many laps and finally drew close to the rear wing around lap 60.
The only question now was, where to try? Aguri Suzuki had fallen back into the clutches of the waning Wendlinger and Lehto around the half way mark and these three had been going at it hammer and tongs for half an hour.
Lehto was ninth when he broke off from the battle to take on a third set of tyres on lap 55. Two laps later as he braked for the chicane, the throttle momentarily stayed open and the Sauber speared across the chicane.
Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna famously embrace on the Adelaide podium. Image: LAT Photographic
The curb launched the front end and the flat bottom caught the slipstream and rose up menacingly before the crashed down to earth on its wheels.
It belly-spun across the curbs, the exit of the chicane and over on to the curb on the left side of the track, hitting nothing.
The rear suspension collapsed on landing, so that was JJ’s race. The team later said they could find no trace of a stuck throttle on the engine read out.
Teammate Wendlinger continued on, holding the advantage over the persistent Japanese driver in the Footwork, which was running beautifully.
Just as he started lap 74, Wendlinger saw pieces of his car fly up in front of him. A brake disc rotor had fractured and the Austrian had a frightening ride over the curbs without any useful braking power, but he avoided all the hard bits and escaped unscathed.
At the front, the Williams battle continued to rage. On lap 64 both Williams broke the lap record, so heated was their own contest, and this plus traffic saw about five seconds sliced from Senna’s lead, but the leader was never threatened.
What was threatened was Frank Williams’ 10 points for second and third. Damon fmally had a go on lap 69 at the bottom of Brabham Straight.
He managed to grab the inside line, but Prost braked late, late, late, wanting to defend his position without risking a crash.
His momentum took him wide and there was room for Hill to get through, but he was only half way next to Prost when he needed acceleration to complete the job.
Unfortunately for him, the inside line on Brabham Straight was covered with marbles, which attached to Hill’s tyres and cut his traction sufficiently to cause him problems.
When he gunned it to get past Prost, not even the traction control could save him from the reduced traction. The car swung through 90 degrees and came to a dead stop without hitting the wall.
Hill resumed without losing his place to Alesi. Although the Williams had been the fastest cars over the closing stages, Senna’s lead and his agility through traffic, which minimised time losses, preserved enough of his lead so that he could stay ahead until the flag dropped.
The race had been run at blistering speed for one and three quarter hours and every car and driver in the top three and been at full stretch for that whole time.
Although there had not been a lot of wheel banging and other drama, it was a great struggle for supremacy, a fantastic contest where an extra ounce of skill and daring had made up a mechanical difference which had so often been the hallmark of 1993.
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