One of the biggest “what if” questions in sporting history is how the 1994 season would turn out if Senna survived his fatal accident in Imola. What would have happened if a no nonsense Senna was around to keep Schumacher in line? I for one think things would’ve turned out a little differently that season, particularly the showdown in Adelaide.
With just 10 seasons under his belt going into 1994, the 34-year-old phenom had so much more to give. The 1994 championship went down to the wire in Adelaide, with Michael Schumacher, rather contentiously, taking the title that year. The man who so narrowly missed out on the championship was Damon Hill, Ayrton Senna’s team mate at Williams. Despite both drivers being 34 years of age, Senna and Hill had vastly different levels of skill and experience. By the time Hill became a full-time driver in 1992, Senna had already won his 3rd title, illustrating the gulf between them as teammates. This disparity would play into Senna’s hands perfectly, giving him an edge over Hill. Not that he ever needed one to begin with.
In an era overrun with stars, Ayrton Senna shone brighter than all of them.
Senna had planted himself firmly among the greatest of all time even before his death, with 3 championships, 41 race wins, and 65 pole positions to his name.
Ruthless and calculating, Senna didn’t let anyone stand in his way, even in his early days. Still driving for Lotus in 1986, a then 26-year-old Senna opposed the signing of Derek Warwick, believing that the Englishman wouldn’t be a suitable number 2. Operating on a shoestring budget, Senna didn’t think that Lotus could field two competitive cars with the 32-year-old Warwick in the team. The job instead went to the more compliant, less obtrusive Eddie Cheever.
Senna was as competitive as they come, going above and beyond to prove his superiority. Marked as some to avoid at all costs, Senna quickly made a name for himself in F1. No matter who it was, Senna didn’t just want to beat his teammates, he wanted to completely demoralise them; he wanted to beat them by any means necessary. In 1988, Senna would partner Alain Prost at McLaren. With two championships under his belt, Prost was as formidable of a driver as they come. But Senna didn’t care one bit. If anything, Prost’s success spurred Senna on, pushing him to drive harder and harder. This single minded determination would often yield staggering results and transport him to untold realms. Senna was set on beating Prost by any means necessary, taking a keen interest in how he set up his car. And in 1988, he would, sparking one of F1’s fiercest rivalries. If Senna could beat Prost in equal machinery, what other driver stood a chance. In all but one of Senna’s 10 full seasons in F1, he was beaten by only one of his teammates: Alain Prost.
1994 would’ve been a cake walk for Senna, with Hill operating as a more than competent rear gunner.
Winning back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993, Senna wanted a piece of what team Frank Williams was selling. It may be hard for newer fans of the sport to recognise how formidable Williams were in the 1980s and 1990s, carrying a number of drivers to championship glory. Piquet, Jones, Rosberg, Mansell, and Prost would all benefit from the team’s technical prowess.
Suffering a championship drought at McLaren between ‘92 and ‘93, Senna was looking for a change of scenery. And with his fiercest rival Alain Prost retiring after the 1993 season, the door would finally open for Senna at McLaren.
Heading into the 1994 season, the FIA introduced some rule changes, banning the use of certain driver aids and computer systems, with traction control, active suspension, and launch control among them. Carrying Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost to championship glory, Williams owes some of its success to these driver aids.
Stripped of all the fancy gizmos that made their cars so formidable, the FW16 started out as quite a tricky car to drive. Never one to let his machinery get the better of him however, Senna took pole for his first race for Williams in Brazil, putting in a faster lap than Michael Schumacher. Senna would lead Schumacher off the line, gapping the field before the first round of pit stops. Despite going to the pits before Schumacher, Senna would come out behind the Benetton driver, chasing him for the rest of his race. Without any of the fancy gadgets to keep his FW16 glued to the road, Senna would lose grip coming out of turn 13. Skating across the road and stalling his engine, Senna would bow out from the Brazilian Grand Prix unceremoniously. Hill would finish on the podium in second place, right beside his future championship rival.
Bad luck would follow him into the Pacific Grand Prix in Japan. Qualifying on pole for the second time in a row, Senna would be taken out on the first corner by his former teammate Mika Häkkinen. This unfortunate accident opened the door for Schumacher to take his second win of the season. Hill also wouldn’t finish the race. Before proceedings kicked-off that weekend, William’s engineering director Patrick Head said the FW16’s handling “wasn’t particularly good.”
Qualifying on pole yet again for the San Marino Grand Prix, Senna looked poised to take first win of the season. Avoiding the carnage at the start, the race would get back underway on lap 6, with Senna in his rightful place at the top of the order. Senna would then lose control at the fastest part of the circuit and careen head–first into the neighboring wall. The racing world watched with bated breaths for any signs of movement. The race would get back underway not long after, with Senna’s condition still unknown. Schumacher would go on to win his third consecutive Grand Prix in somber fashion. Just hours before, Ayrton Senna and his good friend Gerhard Berger were seen discussing driver safety and the need for immediate improvement following Rubens Barrichello’s horrifying crash in practice and Roland Ratzenberger’s death in qualifying. This would mark the very first meeting of the new Grand Prix Drivers Association.
Without the king of Monaco to challenge him for supremacy, Schumacher would go on to take pole and the eventual race win. Hill qualified fourth but would retire from the race after colliding with Mika Häkkinen’s McLaren.
Hill’s first win of the season came at Barcelona Grand Prix, two races on from Senna’s death. Winning every race up until that point, Schumacher looked set for number 5. Starting from pole, the race played out like any other, with Schumacher putting a considerable gap over Hill in second place. But disaster would strike, with Schumacher’s Benetton suffering gearbox failure in the Grand Prix’s dying stages. Hill would come home to take an emotional win for the Williams team, their first victory since losing Senna. This would mark a turning point in the season, with Hill slowly, but surely, chipping away at Schumacher’s lead from then on.
Hill would finish on the podium in all but one race after Barcelona, winning 6 to Schumacher’s 8 Grand Prix. Hit with a two race ban for his formation lap antics in the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was put on notice by the FIA. With an eye to increasing driver safety, the FIA mandated skid planks for the Belgian Grand Prix, limiting how low teams could run their cars. Schumacher would fall foul of these new regulations for that race. Despite finishing the race in first, Schumacher would be disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix, handing first place to Hill. Schumacher would sit out the Italian and Portuguese Grand Prix, leaving his championship rival to pick up maximum points in both rounds. It’s important to note that points were only awarded to the top 6 finishers of a Grand Prix in those days, with the winner receiving only 10. The Red Baron would pick up right where he left off, winning the European Grand Prix from pole once again. Hill would then close the points gap to within a point in Japan, winning the penultimate race of the season.
Nigel Mansell, one of Hill’s teammates that season, would take pole position in Adelaide, with Schumacher and Hill sitting in 2nd and 3rd respectively, with less than a second separating the championship rivals after their pit stops on lap 18. Under pressure from Hill behind, Schumacher would have a rare lapse in concentration, going off the road and opening the door for Hill. Doing whatever he could to keep his lead, Schumacher would go wide, leaving Hill no other choice but to sneak up the inside. The rest, as they say, is history, with Schumacher’s Benetton left stranded on the side of the track and Hill limping to the pits. Only needing to finish 5th or better, Hill’s race came to a heartbreaking end, with a bent wishbone – courtesy of Schumacher’s Benetton – standing between him and championship glory. Schumacher would win his first title by a measly point.
Damon’s poor start to the season would ultimately cost him the championship, with the British driver having to wait another 2 years before winning first title. Poles in the opening three races, with an ailing car, goes to show how well Senna drove despite his handicap. Had Williams gone on to develop their car as they did with Senna still at the helm, there is no doubt who would come out on top.
