This Wednesday, October 30, marks one of Formula One’s most memorable anniversaries: 25 years since the late Ayrton Senna captured his first of three World Championships.
Senna’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix was the cap-off to the all-conquering McLaren MP4/4 Honda season, where the team took 15 of 16 race wins in 1988 with what is widely considered one of the best cars of all-time. The above video clip is featured very prominently in “Senna,” the award-winning documentary.
Senna took eight wins to Alain Prost’s seven in the single harmonious year between the teammates, before their working relationship came unglued at the seams in 1989.
Interestingly, Prost actually out-pointed Senna in 1988, 105 to 94 if all points-scoring results were counted. But as only the best 11 were registered, Senna’s win advantage trumped Prost’s point advantage. The final season tally was Senna 90, Prost 87 after Prost’s win in the season-ending Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide, once the 11 best results were tabulated.
Both drivers have also had their place in McLaren’s brilliant animated “Tooned” cartoon series of late. The one featuring Senna was just released this past weekend during the Indian Grand Prix, with nephew Bruno Senna voicing Ayrton in the piece.
We figure it wouldn’t be appropriate to include just Senna’s “Tooned” piece without also including Prost’s, so both are below. Debate among yourselves in the comments if, as one commenter suggested on YouTube, McLaren’s “Tooned” creators should have rolled Senna and Prost into a single episode.
SENNA “TOONED”
PROST “TOONED”