-Ayrton Senna
At Montreal, Canada 1985, speaking during his second year in F1.
"I'm going to blitz him."
-Ayrton Senna
Talking to John Watson before the start of the 1988 season, Ayrton outlines how he plans ot beat Prost.
"When a man holds you around the throat, I do not think he has come to apologize."
-Ayrton Senna
On being grabbed by Mansell after Spa '87, after having punted him off during the race.
"Money has never been important except that it reflects my ability."
-Ayrton Senna
"Monte Carlo '88, the last qualifying session. I was already on pole and I was going faster and faster. One lap after the other, quicker and quicker and quicker. I was at one stage just on pole, then by half a second and then one second and I just kept going. Suddenly I was nearly two seconds faster than anybody else, including my team mate with the same car. And suddenly I realized that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension. It was like I was in a tunnel. Not only the tunnel under the hotel but the whole circuit was a tunnel. I was just going and going, more and more and more and more. I was way over the limit but still able to find even more.
"Then suddenly something just kicked me. I kind of woke up and realized that I was in a different atmosphere than you normally are. My immediate reaction was to back off, slow down. I drove back slowly to the pits and I didn't want to go out any more that day. It frightened me because I was well beyond my conscious understanding. It happens rarely but I keep these experiences very much alive inside me because it is something that is important for self-preservation."
-Ayrton Senna
On the metaphysics of racing.
"Are we racing, yes or no ?"
-Ayrton Senna
After the Senna's breaking of the 'no passing before first corner' pact with Prost at San Marino 1989.
"Sonetimes I try to beat other people's achievements, but on many occasions I find it's better to beat my own achievements. That gives me more satisfaction."
-Ayrton Senna
"I'm never doing another interview with you. I am not designed to be second or third. I am designed to win."
-Ayrton Senna
From an intense 1990 interview with Jackie Stewart.
"But I am Senna !"
-Ayrton Senna
Senna, arguing with someone who blocked him, on being told that he, too, had been known for a few of his own blocking maneuvers.
"I went to the place where Donnelly was on the ground and when I saw the immediate consequences of the accident with my own eyes, it was very difficult to cope with it, to understand and absorb it, and to go forward from there. I spent some minutes on my own, quiet, and I was able to go through very special moments there, deal with everything inside of me.
"...As much as I can try to express my feelings, I don't think anyone will ever be able to understand what I felt yesterday. After the accident, through the moments before I went back to the car again, how I felt when I climbed back in, the way I drove, the way I approached it and experienced it is something I cannot express in any way."
-Ayrton Senna
After Martin Donnelly's horrible accident in 1990 at Jerez, Portugal, Senna was able to put aside his experience of it and took pole by a half-second over Prost.
"That's a lie !"
-Ayrton Senna
Viewing a photo of the shunt at Suzuka 1990, which demonstrated that the gap he had claimed to go for did not in fact exist.
"It was simply two cars trying to make the first corner together, I had been asking the officials to move pole position to the other side of the track all weekend, and their refusal to do it created so many problems that I suppose this accident was likely to happen. He knew I was going to come down the inside. He made the biggest mistake by closing the door. He knows I always go for the gap. I know what I can do and I am happy inside."
-Ayrton Senna
After the Suzuka 1990 collision.
"Before you ask me ... 1989 was a disgraceful year here. I still today struggle to cope with that when I think about it. You all know what took place: I won the race, and I was robbed of it. And that was not justice. What took place over that winter was really shit.
Then, 1990 was ... to prove a point, to show everyone that what you do here, here you pay. When we came to Suzuka, I on this was in the lead of the championship. Before practice, myself and Gerhard went to the officials, to change pole position, because it was in the wrong place. They said, "Yes, no problem".
I got pole - and then what happened? Balestre gave an order, and the officials said, "Oh, no, no, we don't change the pole position." And we said, "But we agreed before that it should be on the left." "No, no, no, we don't think so..."
It was an order from Balestre and I know that from inside the system. I said to myself, "OK, you try to work clean, to do your job properly, and you get screwed by stupid people. If, at the start, because I'm in the wrong place, Prost beats me off the line, at the first corner I'm going for it - and he'd better not turn in ahead of me, because he's not going to make it.
And it just happened like this. I really wish I'd had the start, because then we'd have had a clean fight. But in the end it just ]happened exactly as it had to happen. He got the jump on me at the start, and I went for it at the first corner. He turned in, and I hit him, and we were both off. It was a result of the wrong decision, and partiality from people that were on the inside then.
So, we've got to have fair rules, we've got to have fair decisions from the people in power. I believe now we have this possibility, with the new management in the sporting authority, I casting and we should try to work together, to make a better environment, a better image and a better atmosphere for us to freely work in, because it's enough stress just to do it.
At the drivers' briefing today, there was no theatre, when Max [Mosley] stood up, just to say a few words. He was sensible, he was intelligent, and he was fair. And I think everyone was happy, because there was no bullshit, no people saying stupid things...
Berger: 'I think, you should hope Balestre doesn't come back next year...
Senna: 'I don't care! I don't care. I think for once we all must say what we feel is right, because that's how it should be. You're not allowed to speak your mind any more - if you do that, you get banned, you get penalties, you get disqualified, you lose your licence. Is that a fair rule? It is not...
'I was determined to get first to that corner, and I was not prepared to let the guy turn into that corner in front of me - he just had to let me go through. He took a chance - and it didn't work, because I went for it. I didn't care if we crashed. I went for it, and we crashed. That was the result of what happened in 1989. It was unavoidable.
Why did I cause the accident? Because ... if you get oeps by the system every single time you try to do your job cleanly and properly, what should you do? Stay behind all the time, and say, "Thank you"? No. No, you should fight for what you think is right. And I really felt I was doing that.
I tell you again, if pole had been on the good side last year, nothing would have happened, because I would have got a better start, I would have led into the first corner without any problem. It was again a result of a bad decision, influenced by Balestre. It was not my responsibility - I contributed to it, yes, but it was not my responsibility..."
-Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna's 1991 confession to deliberately removing Alain Prost from the race the year before, thereby gaining the title.
"I wish it hadn't happened. We were both off and it was a shit end to the world championship. It was not good for me and not good for Formula One. It was the result of wrong decisions and partiality by the people making them. I won the championship. So what? It was a bad example for every one."
-Ayrton Senna
Reflecting back one year after the Suzuka 1990 collision.
"Well done Nigel. It's such a good feeling isn't it ? Now you know why I am such a bastard. I don't ever want to lose that feeling or let anyone else experience it."
-Ayrton Senna
Senna on the podium at Hungary in 1992, when Mansell clinched the title.
"The machines have taken away the character, and it is the character that the sponsors and public are looking for. At the top, you have a few characters of conflicting personality; the rest, without good results, don't have any credibility. We must reduce costs so that we return to an era when the emphasis is on people, not computers. I want to be challenged by someone who is born of the same skin and bone and where the difference is between brain and experience and adaptation to the course. I do not want to be challenged by someone else's computer. If I give 100 per cent to my driving, which is my hobby as well as my profession, I can compete with anyone, but not computers."
-Ayrton Senna
"I'd like to be the first into the first corner, that's for sure. After the start, I'll tell you how clever is my computer."
-Ayrton Senna
At Kyalami 1993, Senna acknowledges the role of onboard computers in F1.
"Irvine: Here!
Senna: What the **** do you think you were doing?
Irvine: I was racing!
Senna: You were racing? Do you know the rule that you're supposed to let the leaders come by when you're a back marker?
Irvine: If you were going fast enough, it was no problem.
Senna: I overtook you! And you went three times off the road in front of me, at the same place, like ****ing idiot, where there was oil. And you were throwing stones and all things in front of me for three laps. When I took you, you realised I was ahead of you. And when I came up behind Hill, because he was on slicks and in difficulties, you should have stayed behind me. You took a very big risk to put me out of the race.
Irvine: Where did I put you in any danger?
Senna: You didn't put me in any danger?
Irvine: Did I touch you? Did I touch you once?
Senna: No, but you were that much from touching me, and I happened to be the ****ing leader. I HAPPENED TO BE THE ****ING LEADER!
Irvine: A miss is as good as a mile.
Senna: I tell you something. If you don't behave properly in the next event, you can just rethink what you do. I can guarantee you that.
Irvine: The stewards said "No problem. Nothing was wrong."
Senna: Yeah? You wait till Australia. You wait till Australia, when the stewards will talk to you. Then you tell me if they tell you this.
Irvine: Hey, I'm out there to do the best for me.
Senna: This is not correct. You want to do well. I understand, because I've been there I understand. But it's very unprofessional. If you are a back marker, because you happen to be lapped ...
Irvine: But I would have followed you if you'd overtaken Hill!
Senna: You should let the leader go by ...
Irvine: I understand that fully!
Senna: ... and not come by and do the things you did. You nearly hit Hill in front of me three times, because I saw, and I could of collected you and him as a result, and that's not the way to do that.
Irvine: But I'm racing! I'm racing! You just happened to ...
Senna: You're not racing! You're driving like a ****ing idiot. You're not a racing driver, you're a ****ing idiot!
Irvine: You talk, you talk. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Senna: I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Irvine: Yes. I was battling with Hill.
Senna: Really? Really? Just tell me one thing. Who is supposed to have the call? You, or the leader of the race who comes through to lap you?
Irvine: The leader of the race.
Senna: So what have you done?
Irvine: You, you were too slow, and I had to overtake you to try to get at Hill.
Senna: Really? How did I lap you if I was too slow?
Irvine: Rain. Because on slicks you were quicker than me, on wets you weren't.
Senna: Really? Really? How did I come and overtake you on wets?
Irvine: Huh?
Senna: How come I overtook you on wets?
Irvine: I can't remember that. I don't actually remember the race.
Senna: Exactly. Because you are not competent enough to remember. That's how it goes you know.
Irvine: Fair enough. Fair enough. That's what you think.
Senna: You be careful guy.
Irvine: I will. I'll watch out for you.
Senna: You're gonna have problems not with me only, but with lots of other guys, also the FIA.
Irvine: Yeah?
Senna: You bet.
Irvine: Yeah? Good.
Senna: Yeah? It's good to know that.
Irvine: See you out there.
Senna: It's good to know that.
Irvine: See you out there ...
(Senna turns away, then turns back and smacks the right side of Irvine's head with his left hand. Irvine loses his balance from his perch on the edge of a table and falls to the ground. Senna is hustled away, still shouting).
Irvine: Insurance claim there!
Senna: You got to learn to respect where you're going wrong! "
-Eddie Irvine,Ayrton Senna
After the 1993 Japanese GP.
Vooral deze laatste discussie vind ik prachtig om te lezen. Er zijn geloof ik wel tv-beelden van, maar alleen al de tekst maakt de sfeer compleet duidelijk.
En je kan mijns inziens niet anders dan Irvine gelijk geven. Maarja, het was wel Irvine's debuutrace en dan Senna inhalen, ja daar deed je Ayrton geen plezier mee...
Dat neemt niet weg dat ik de andere quotes van Senna echt prachtig vind en het nog steeds heel jammer vind dat ik te laat de Formule 1 ben gaan volgen om de periode waarin Senna reed mee te maken.
Senna had niet zo hoeven reageren thats right, maar das de adrialine, ik kan me nog een gezichtsuitdrukking op Spa 1998 herinnere die ook boekdelen sprak 
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