10/10 Series: Faith and Courage - Ayrton Senna
“It is not the size of the man; it’s the size of his heart that matters”. These were the words of boxing champion, Evander Holyfield, and s similar sentiment has been held by some of the greatest in the history of sport. Lewis Hamilton has it written on his helmet - “Still We Rise”. Hamilton’s mentor, Niki Lauda, explained that “from losing, he always learned more”. In essence, champions never give up.
When I talk about faith, it doesn’t merely involve self-confidence. Every top-level athlete has faith in their ability. However, that is not enough. Sport can be massively unpredictable - that’s why we love it. Even the most confident of athletes can struggle to bounce back when the chips are down. Many have fallen at this hurdle - they didn’t have the equipment, it was the wrong time, luck didn’t go their way. Excuses are common and often understandable. Champions avoid justifying failure - that wastes energy. In overcoming inevitable doubts, the probability of seeing opportunities for success increases. This is the power of faith.
Those who believe that their chance to shine will come will feel less pressure. In essence, you cannot stop somebody who knows where they are going. How so? They have more courage when making decisions. Fortune doesn’t favour the flustered; it favours the brave.
In almost every sport, there will be a team involved. Whether it is boxing, football or Formula One, it most cases there will be multiple people that contribute to a victory. Of course, a goalkeeper has a massive amount of trust in him. If he has an off day, the impact on the match may be more so than an out of form striker. If you are the athlete who needs to go into the arena alone, putting trust in those around you can be the difference between success and failure.
In some cases, there is more on the line. In Formula One, for example, the driver steps into the cockpit, knowing that if something goes wrong as two hundred miles per hour, it is their life that could be lost. This takes faith in your team to a new level.
One champion who found extraordinary heights of belief was Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian triple world champion is present whenever there is a discussion of the greatest ever. Sure, some drivers won more titles than he did, including his great rival, Alain Prost. However, due to his premature death in 1994, we don’t know what he might have achieved. If what he produced during his career is anything to go by, he had the potential to set more watermarks for those who followed to chase.
As a person, Senna’s influence on the world and his country was evident. He was more than a racing driver; he was a national hero. Following his death, the nation went into three days of mourning and lined the streets in a state funeral. During and after his life, Senna didn’t just inspire his country; he poured millions of dollars into helping poor children in Brazil. Many feel that Senna might have one day become president of Brazil.
Without a doubt, Ayrton made these actions because he was so loving. But that loving came from a different type of faith - he was incredibly religious. Said to read the bible often while flying between Brazil and Europe, Senna had a complexed personality. Most F1 drivers seem to change when they put the helmet on, but none more than the Brazilian. While he was aware and sometimes scared of the dangers his profession presented, there were moments when many questioned his actions. This is particularly so given that in his era, safety was less of a priority. Senna lived on the edge, maximising what was possible. He reaped the rewards and ultimately paid the ultimate price that comes with such an approach.
Faith in God gave Ayrton Senna an inner confidence that allowed him to, at times, transcend the fears and doubts that are part of being human. He changed the sport in many ways forever. Like Muhammed Ali, Senna was a sporting poet. Words spoken by the Brazilian are recalled to this day. “If you don’t go for a gap, you are no longer a racing driver” and “second or third is not enough” are two of the many quotes that define the mindset of a racing driver. Even today, every driver worth his salt thinks that they are the greatest. However, Senna’s belief in success coming his way was on another level. He was the ultimate racing driver because to him, it was a fact, and not opinion, that Ayrton Senna was destined for greatness in Formula One.
Senna’s unequivocal thinking that Grand Prix involving him existed for him to win resulted in collisions with other drivers. The champion would give his competitors a choice between having an accident or pulling out, giving him the knowledge that he had your number. Intimidating. His fearless nature would even lead to high-speed incidents that many felt were intentional. In Japan, Senna both won and lost titles as a result of coming together with his great rival, Alain Prost.
While being prepared to crash with his rivals, Senna’s mind would seemingly switch to a realisation of the fragility of human life. Once, during qualifying for the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, Erik Comas crashed heavily at about 200mph. The French driver was knocked out, but his foot was still pressing down on the accelerator, pumping fuel into the engine and risking an explosion. Senna parked his car and ran across a live track, to turn off the engine and support Comas’ head until medics came, risking his own life. These actions saved his competitor’s life. Moments like these show the bravery and heart that Senna had. He didn’t need to carry out these actions to win, but he did them, as a champion, for his sport.
Summarising who Ayrton Senna was is incredibly challenging because he was such a colossal figure. He became larger than Formula One. However, Formula One made him - in many ways, he and Lewis Hamilton are similar in that respect. Senna knew where he was going and felt that he had a God-given right, so nobody was going to stop him. This mindset helped him overcome moments of immense pressure and fear. This inner faith, some would argue, was his downfall. Even so, Ayrton Senna was one of, if not, F1’s greatest champion. He had an air of omnipotence about him, and that came from his faith and courage.
Iconic Moment: Monaco 1988
The streets of Monte Carlo host the Monaco Grand Prix. Monaco breathes in risk and exhales reward. If you are willing to put it all on the line, you go home with a big smile and your hands full - that’s just the casino. The circuit? Another planet.
In looking back at those who have summited the mountain of the Monaco Grand Prix, the test that the streets of Monte Carlo throws at the drivers is evident. Of course, world champions are some of the most excellent drivers to sit behind the wheel. However, over a season, the car can influence the results. For this reason, some of F1’s greats are not champions. Despite lacking in titles, said greats have won around the streets of Monaco. Stirling Moss, David Coulthard and Daniel Ricciardo are a handful of those who might have been champion but managed a victory on the Cote d’Azur. Only the truly great drivers can tame the beauty that is Monaco.
The narrow nature of the Monegasque track makes overtaking difficult. Therefore, races can often be won on a Saturday as a result. As they search for excellence, drivers and their cars continuously flirt with the barriers. If you are distant from the limits, you leave time on the table, losing the chance to win Monaco over. Monaco appreciates a driver who can get as close as possible. If you can caress the barrier, you are lucky, but anything more risks a slap in the face and the end of the race. To secure Monaco, you need to be confident, calm and oh so courageous.
Ayrton Senna’s relationship with Monaco was far from a one night stand. It was a love affair. With five pole positions, six victories and eight podiums in ten races, Senna’s record makes him the king of Monaco. Nobody has taken first place as many times as Senna here.
In 1988, Ayrton Senna drove one of the greatest laps driven in Formula One. In qualifying for the race, he annihilated the opposition, going one and a half seconds faster than his teammate, who qualified in second place. For context, the difference between teammates might usually extend to around two-tenths of a second, and Alain Prost is no slouch. The difference between Senna and the rest of the field was staggering. No wonder this lap goes down as the ‘lap of Gods’.
Ayrton described the lap as though he was in another dimension, in a trace, going faster and faster as the laps went on. I suppose this is what athletes call ‘the zone’. After he jumped out of the car, he seemed as though he had woken up from the world within which he had just lost himself. Some say he had even scared himself.
Whether or not Senna was afraid, this moment shows a lot about finding a new level within yourself - something that you constantly need to do as a top athlete. To get better, you need to have the bravery to go beyond what you perceive as your limits. As Senna proves, your limits are far beyond where your nerves would have you believe it. That is not to say that your body is incorrect in telling you that it isn’t comfortable. These are survival instincts. However, Senna was more willing than his [peers to put everything on the line, often feeling alone and going where nobody else dared. That is what made Ayrton Senna the champion that he was.