Remembering Ayrton Senna

May 1 will always be a sad day for motorsport fans, as it marks the anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna da Silva, arguably the greatest driver of all time.

Senna was killed in an accident during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when his Williams left the road at high speed and slammed into the wall at the infamous Tamburello corner. It was a horror weekend for F1, with Austrian Roland Ratzenberger killed in an accident the day prior, and a start line crash injuring spectators.

As tragic as the events were, the anniversary always provides an opportunity to celebrate the immense talent of the Brazilian three-time world champion.

The above footage is an excerpt from the Racing Is In My Blood documentary from 1997, which while overshadowed by the excellent Senna documentary from 2010, provides possibly an even greater insight into the man himself.

Senna’s connection to the Honda NSX is sometimes overstated, however he definitely did drive the car and provide engineering input. And he drove it hard, with the footage above showing Senna right on the ragged edge in the iconic Japanese supercar.

Amusingly, his driving technique wouldn’t win him too many fans among instructors – sitting miles from the wheel, with his hands wrapped entirely around it at the 10-to-2 position – but when you have a feel for the car like Senna you can sit however you like.

It’s a lesser-known video than the one below, which shows Senna’s heel-and-toe technique while wearing a pair of stylish loafers, also filmed behind the wheel of a Honda NSX at Suzuka.