Brundle was competing in Formula Three when he first found Ayrton Senna blocking his path to the chequered flag.
The popular TV commentator recalls: “I first heard about Ayrton Senna when he was coming through Formula Ford in the UK and then we were going to be competing against each other in Formula Three.
“I was a bit surprised because everybody assumed that he would be the favourite, he would take the championship.
“His reputation very much preceded him from a very early stage.”
It didn’t take the talented British driver long to find out why his main opponent was causing such a stir. “Senna was so strong in the head and on the racetrack. I think he won the first nine races,” said Brundle.
“I followed him home on eight of those nine and I really struggled to cope with his sheer speed and determination.”
Brundle’s rivalry with the legendary Brazilian then moved to the biggest stage of all, F1, where Senna swept to three world titles during his 10 years at the top. He said: “Ayrton had a sixth sense for where the grip was. He just somehow knew – he had the feel of the tarmac, the car, the conditions – where he could go a little bit faster.
“You could see it in qualifying in a Formula One car and I saw it in Formula Three where he could be at one with the car, the car just sliding on the absolute limit of adhesion.
“Watching his qualifying laps in a turbocharged Formula One car is still mindblowing today.”
The documentary Senna is a stunning celebration and insight into the life of one of the greatest ever drivers to have clambered into an F1 car. Hundreds of hours of archive footage have been lovingly crafted into a piece of cinematic genius that won BAFTAs for Best Documentary and Best Editing.
Brundle is a massive fan: “When I see the Senna documentary, I see the Ayrton Senna that I knew – very emotionally driven, a man who wore his heart on his sleeve and risked everything.
“When I see the movie, I see the Senna that I knew, without any doubt.”
source: © thesun.co.uk
