Track legend who defined the essence of his sport

THE most significant downside of Red Bull’s dominance of Formula One is that we are currently deprived of what was once an epic sporting rivalry.

It did not last for too long but Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen was still a racing enmity for the ages.

The 2021 season ended in unrivalled controversy but that race in Abu Dhabi had been preceded by a year-long duel that reminded fans what F1 and motor racing was all about.

In Hamilton AND Verstappen, the spirit of Ayrton Senna lived on. And still lives on.

Historians of their sport, don’t, for one minute, think Hamilton and Verstappen had not seen the clip of an interview Senna gave to Sir Jackie Stewart after a first-lap collision with Alain Prost at the Japanese Grand Prix had given the Brazilian the 1990 world title.

Senna told Stewart: “You should know that by being a racing driver, you are at risk all the time. Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people.

“If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.”

And in that famous sit-down with Stewart, Senna provided the definition of a Grand Prix driver.

Hamilton and Verstappen have baulked at comparisons to Senna, acknowledging he was operating in an era when Formula One was a more dangerous environment.

The tragic events of that race at Imola remain desperately sad evidence of that.

But the mindset of these characters remains the same.

Senna was not the first or the last to believe you should go for any gap that exists but, chillingly, he became the epitome of fearlessness in sport. And when remembering Senna and when comparing the current greats to him, it is worth reminding everyone that even modern Formula One – with all its advancements in safety – is still based on the brilliance and fearlessness of drivers.

It is still based on the brilliance and fearlessness of Verstappen and Hamilton (above).

Every time they get into a car, Senna’s fate is still a spectre. Of course, it was not just Senna’s fearlessness that defined him, it was his control of a race car, his instinct behind the wheel.

And with those aspects in mind, it is no wonder Verstappen’s mastery draws comparisons with Senna’s time at the pinnacle of the sport.

In the record books, the current world champion will go down as a more successful driver than Senna, just as Hamilton – with his seven world titles compared to Ayrton’s three – will.

But while motor racing loves its records, loves its statistics, Verstappen and Hamilton would agree that Senna summed up what it is really about. And both would agree that if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.