Tired of the charged environment and the political maneuvering behind the scenes at Formula 1, Ayrton Senna changed his habits. To avoid wearing down and becoming stressed, he would arrive at the autodromes closer to the start of the first official qualifying session.
“I realized that one less day in the boxes reduced my tension, and I gave myself the right to relax, taking quick trips to cities close to the circuit.”
Even with the fifth time on the starting grid, the anti-stress regimen worked on the first laps.
After the start, Ayrton Senna passed Schumacher (Benetton), beat Jane Alesi (Ferrari) on the first braking point and to follow, took Damon Hill by surprise.
But the enjoyment didn’t last long. As the magazine Autosport reported, “at Spa, there’s no substitute for horsepower”. Ayrton Senna was beaten on following laps by Williams and Benetton. He persisted to the end and finished in fourth.
After the race, his eyes fixed on the treacherous Eau Rouge corner, taken at 300 km/h (186 mph) and muttered:
“Today there wasn’t one time that I took that corner without asking myself if I’d come out on the other end of it.”
belgian gp
1º
A. Prost
2º
D. Hill
3º
M. Schumacher
4º
J. Alesi
5º
Ayrton Senna
6º
A. Suzuki
7º
D. Warwick
8º
R. Patrese
9º
J. Lehto
10º
J. Herbert
11º
M. Brundle
12º
K. Wendlinger
13º
R. Barrichello
14º
M. Andretti
15º
M. Blundell
16º
G. Berger
17º
A. de Cesaris
18º
P. Alliot
19º
E. Comas
20º
T. Boutsen
21º
P. Martini
22º
C. Fittipaldi
23º
U. Katayama
24º
L. Badoer
25º
M. Alboreto
44
laps
25
cars
10
Retirements
1’51”095
fastest lap
1º
sunny weather
podium
1º
D. Hill
2º
M. Schumacher
3º
A. Prost
4º
final position
2º
position in championship following the race
5º
starting place
3
championship points accumulated
1’54”185
best lap
The first few laps were fun, but afterwards I couldn’t maintain rhythm. At ten laps to the end, the car began to vibrate and I felt that it was coming from the gearbox or from the engine.
