All the pilots have a fetish circuit : Silvertsone for MANSELL, SPA for PROST, Monza for ALESI. SENNA's was MONACO. Nobody could ever complete with him on this so particular line. Everything started on a rainy day in 1984. Ayrton did not knowthe line; he had not raced it with a F3. Whatever, the Brazilian does not worry about the big rain drops falling during the race. He is twirling around, just like Jesus walking on the water, Senna writes one of the first pages of his brilliant career. Gone 13 on the line, he catches again his adversaries little by little. Siwth on the ninth tour, he is second on the ninetinth. He is flirting with the rails but he does not touch them. He catches up with Prost who was first then(3 seconds each tour). Unluckily, Jacky ICKX put an end to this recovery thus depriving Ayrton of his first victory.

On the next year, Senna who is with Lotus holds the pole position but has to abandon the race. It was no big deal ! In 1987, Ayrton takes his revenge. Qualified second, he is next to MANSELL with whom he does not get along with. The confrontation won't last long since the British gives up. Ayrton is thus alone at the head. No one can stop him. He is on the way to the first sucess in Monaco which has just given birth to a new prince.

 

1988 will be the year of the best qualification of the Brazilian but also his most terrible frustration. Ayrton is running for Mclaren are above the others. But during the qualification Ayrton is alone in the world. He inflicts a gap of one second on his team mate. Senna cannot stop and maintains his pole position lap after lap. Unluckily, in spite of a fifty-second advance on Alain PROST, he looses his concentration when hearing Ron Dennis on the radio.

Ayrton ends up in the rail, taken away by his spirit, he has to give up victory just before the tunnel. Ayrton had a terrible grudge against himself to have let go such a victory. But he learnt a lesson and stengthened his psychological force. Mentally he will be more performant.

1989, the rivalry between the two men went worse leading the two men to hate each other. As usual, Ayrton gets the pole position during the tries thus making ridiculous the others competitors. During the race, he will impose himself but hardly because he lost two gears : the first and the second which is quite a problem in Monaco. but the victory is even more beautiful.

1990 : After his quarrels with the FIA, Ayrton is back on this favourite circuit. In Monaco, he feels at home. There will be two depatures but AYrton remains calm : once more he is unbeatable and he gains his third victory in the principality.

 

1991 : Ayrton has already won three times in Monaco and he is very confident about this race.

Beside, he won the first thee races of the championship occupying again the pole position, he knows that the victory is fifty percent on its way. He was right. It was his fourth victory in the principality including three in a row.

1992 : This seems to be a difficult year for the Brazilian. Indeed, Williams Renault with Mansell is stronger. Ayrton is deeply disapointed of his white and red single-seater. Only qualified in third position, he knows that the victory will be difficult. He is at that moment behind the pole position with more than a second delay, behind the two WILLIAMS. Miracles do not exist and Ayrton, in spite of his second position behind Mansell, has lost all illusions to win this race. However, at the 70 th lap, Mansell goes back to the stands sure that he's got a flat tyre. By the time, he has had his tyres changed, Ayrton passed and won his fifth victory in Monaco. In spite of the repeated assaults of Mansell to regain the first position, he did not let himself get intimited. 

In 1993, Ayrton does not have the absolute weapon any longer. Honda stopped providing Mclaren with its engines and Ford which replaced them with a modest V8. However the beginning of the season has troubled the spirits. Although the championship is promised to Prost and his WILLIAMS, Ayrton wins in Sao Paulo and in Donington. In Monaco, he is very confident. After 5 victories and 4 in a row. May be too confident, Ayrton makes a mistake during the free tries. He will only get the third time after PROST and SCHUMACHER.

Prost robs the departure and SCHUMACHER takes the head before SENNA. The German gives up at the 32 th tour.

Ayrton is on his way to legend and obtains his sisth victory, absolute record.

But how many more victories would Magic SENNA have won if he could have crried on his wonderful career?

COPYRIGHT TEXT : STÉPHANE GAUTHIER

TRADUCTION : FRANCOISE BACQUET