British F3 round 6 – Silverstone

24 April 1983.

Qualifying: 53.30 (1); 53.38 (1).

Grid: Pole position

Result: First

Senna had been back to Brazil to relax and felt better. It showed. He beat his own lap record in both sessions and Brundle, trying to mount counter-attack, explained that Senna always seemed to find a little extra when he needed it.

Brundle led towards Copse but, changing down, missed a gear and floated into midfield.He struggled to third and challenged Jones in the closing laps, Senna alone at the front and breaking the (official) lap record. Jones once explained to me: “Although I was as quick as Senna and Brundle, as a race progressed I might make a mistake, miss a gear change but those guys wouldn’t. Even at Formula 3 it was a very high level. For example the old Stowe corner you took flat out in fourth, you arrived in fifth, changed down, then flat. Well, Senna wasn’t even lifting, he was flat in fifth.”

•        Podium: Senna 22m 33.59s, Jones at 5.14, Brundle at 5.41.

•        Fastest lap: Senna

•        Championship: Senna 58, Brundle 36.Jones 18.