Mar 02, 2008
In 1993, Senna proved to the world that he was still the top candidate without the best car. In the season that followed, he showed the world that he did not fear the Williams and the mighty Benneton, Senna battled and won many races in 1993 even though his car wasn’t as quick compared to the other two teams. The 1993 Formula One season promised to be a closely contested one, what with Nigel Mansell having hung up his gloves in 1992. However, it turned out to be one of those two horse races, with the rest there just to make up the numbers. The seasons first ‘ten-pointer’ at Kylami was bagged by Alain Prost, who in his much hyped Williams-Renault, knew a good start to the season would only hold him in good stead later. With only seven cars finishing, it wasn’t good advertising for the reliability of the rest of the field. Ayrton Senna took the next two races at contrasting circuits—Sao Paulo and Donnington. Prost returned the favor with two back-to-back wins of his own. In Sao Paulo, Senna drove superbly and stayed 2nd place for most of the time. He also made the best of Prost's misfortune. Senna’s race car skills on a wet track coupled with his intense concentration was up to 100% for every lap of the race. The glamour race of the season at Monaco was kind once again to Senna’s McLaren-Ford, which coasted him to victory. Senna was on top again in only two races. At Donnington, the race started in a chaotic manner because the track was damp making safety and winning impossible. Yet, Senna overtook everybody right at the outset. As soon as Senna finished the first lap of the race, he was first. The race made history and was epic for the entire season. Prost, 38, with 3 championships to his name so far, knew that time was running out on his career. The sabbatical he chose to take in 1992 prove to be beneficial to his mental and physical conditioning as he fought Senna, albeit in a superior car, tooth and nail. He would nail Senna at Imola, Montmelo, Montreal, Nevers, and Silverstone AND Hockenheim, Prost was riding high on top with only one defeat to Senna at Monte Carlo; but we’re getting ahead of the story. The Canadian Grand Prix, being a street circuit, was thought to be right up Senna’s alley. However, an electrical failure crushed the Brazilian’s hopes to dust and Prost romped home to his 4th win of the season. Next stop was Magny Cours; Prost’s home coming. Prost showed who was boss in a thrilling final lap showdown with the much improved Damon Hill by sneaking home with a 0.342 sec. margin. Silverstone and Hockenheim, the faster circuits, were taken care of by the Williams superior engineered car which whizzed Prost past all the competition. The German Grand Prix put a lot of ground between Prost and Senna, which the latter couldn’t hope to gap. But the man from Britain, Damon Hill decided to take center stage by conquering Hungary, Belgium and Italy. Shortly before the Portuguese Grand Prix, Prost decided to quit the sport while he was right on top. Senna, as if on cue, won the last two races of the season reminding everyone why they had to look forward to the next season! So, four winners in 16 races shows how lop sided this season was. But it showcased how the technical side of this sport i.e. the engineering could win a team the title. 'The amount of science you put into Formula One design is what makes the difference,' says Brian O'Rourke, a senior engineer at Williams. But 7 impressive wins by Alain Prost considering the contenders Senna, Schumacher (who won only one race at Estoril) and Senna! That said just one thing—Prost was World Champion.