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Like many of today’s drivers in Formula 1 and across the wider motorsport world, Pierre Gasly was captivated by stories of Ayrton Senna’s presence on and off the track. With the paddock paying tribute to the late three-time world champion ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, some 30 years on from his passing, Alpine racer Gasly shares a heartfelt tribute for F1.com.
A few racing drivers have inspired me. Being French there was Alain Prost, our country’s most successful F1 driver and one of the most successful drivers in the sport’s history, while my first memory of watching F1 on TV was Michael Schumacher in his red Ferrari.
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Then there’s Ayrton.
He was obviously very aggressive with his way of racing and never giving up. Also, those skills he showed in the wet – his first lap at Donington in 1993 was so cool. I must have watched a few hundred videos of him over the years!
Of course, Alain’s name was always there with Ayrton’s, and to me it’s the most iconic battle and rivalry we’ve ever had in our sport. It made me love F1 even more.
In some ways it felt like there was a little bit of this starting with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton through 2021, which reminded me of the clips of Ayrton and Alain fighting for the title at Suzuka in 1989 and 1990.
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People say, ‘You’re either with Ayrton or with Alain’, but that’s not the way I see it. I don’t have a side. They inspired me in different ways with their very different personalities.
As a Frenchman, I’ll always have a connection with Alain, but at the same time I have one with Ayrton – I just loved his personality and charisma.
I also find Ayrton fascinating as a role model, with the values he shared on and off the track. There’s who you are as an F1 driver, and there’s who you are as a person.
As an F1 driver, people see us very much as an athlete, in the paddock and on the track, but even if it’s our whole life, probably only 2% of our time is spent in the car – maybe even less than that.
Ayrton really cared for his people.
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He left Brazil, came all the way to Europe, lived on his own through the junior categories, and still returned home to help his family, working at the office. He also gave back to his community, which is something that’s important to me.
My own link to the family started a few years ago when I created my first Senna tribute helmet. I’ve always shared the fact that Ayrton was very inspiring for me since my early days, so when we went to race at Imola in 2020, it was my first thought.
I’m quite an emotional person and I relate tracks and emotions to history. For example, whenever I go to Suzuka, I have Jules Bianchi in mind. Whenever I go to Spa, which used to be my favourite track, I have Anthoine Hubert in mind. Whenever I go to Monza, I have my 2020 victory in mind and the emotions that I experienced crossing the line.
I created another tribute helmet with the family this season. It went through the Instituto Ayrton Senna foundation, so we brought some exposure to them. We then raised some money for them by selling it at auction – around 30,000 euros in the end.
It’s quite a simple idea and action, but it has an impact. In F1, we can be more than just a driver. It’s cool whenever I speak with the foundation and they’re like, ‘Well, that money helped 50 kids get into school and fund their education’.
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At the end of the year, when you sit down on your sofa, there’s the performance side of things and the 24 races you completed, but as a person, what made you happy away from what happened on track? What have you done that fulfils you?
Whether it’s with family, with friends, through actions or through charities, I find it important that, at the end of the year, I can be happy and proud of what me and my team came up with.
Another incredible experience this year was driving the Toleman that Ayrton scored his first F1 points with in 1984. There was the throttle, the clutch on the left foot, the brake, the gearbox, the steering wheel – nothing else.
It felt so pure and so raw to drive, just like it was in the karting days. I had to think of my line, my driving, and that was literally it.
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With all of this in mind, I don’t think there are many individuals on the planet who can impact multiple generations like Ayrton has. My grandad followed him, my parents followed him, I followed him, and then you see kids also getting inspired by the stories.
Still, to this day, he has such a big legacy and such a positive impact. I can’t really relate it to any other individual – maybe Pelé or Zinedine Zidane. Usually, you’re part of your time, then people kind of move on to the next generation. I find it fascinating.
For me, it’s all about remembering one of the best drivers ever – and a hero.
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