Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher are renowned for being two of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time.
The two shared the grid together for three years between 1991 and 1994, winning two of the four drivers’ championship titles on offer between them in that period.
Senna never had the privilege of going head-to-head with the German in their own battle for overall silverware.
But they did meet on track a few times, just as Schumacher was starting to find his own feet in Formula 1 and establish himself as a front-runner.
Senna made a gesture to Schumacher in qualifying once, showing that he couldn’t believe that the then-Benetton driver had beaten him.
Funnily enough, Schumacher once named Senna his ‘idol’ and looked up to him before and after he reached the top level. They had plenty of respect for each other.
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Mario Andretti picks Ayrton Senna over Michael Schumacher for their approach to Formula 1
One Formula 1 champion who, unfortunately, came too soon to race with Schumacher or Senna was Mario Andretti.
He claimed a title in 1978 and dropped off the grid in 1982, two years before Senna would make his debut with Toleman in 1984.
When asked by Tom Clarkson about whose approach to the sport he preferred, Andretti gave a mixed answer, but leaned to one side.
“Probably Senna, but how could you not admire Schumacher, it’s the same thing,” he said. “There was something that some incidents were created there by Michael that sometimes left a little bit of a [mark].
“Winners want to win regardless. As you say, you leave nothing on the table if you know that it’s reachable, that it’s attainable.”
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Why Ayrton Senna might have managed to be more successful than Michael Schumacher
Although there are a lot of ‘what-if’ scenarios about Senna’s career, it’s not crazy to think that he could have won four more titles between 1994 and 1997.
Williams went on to have a very competitive front-running car throughout those four seasons, and Senna might have been able to put up a stronger fight than anyone against Schumacher.
He could have ended up with seven titles before the end of the decade, two of which were earned by Schumacher, reducing his total to five.
Their greatness is undisputed, and their character was some of the strongest ever seen. The sport is lucky to have had them as role models both in the past and in the present.
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