30 Years And We Still Remember.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, AGP.

    There's the indelible image of a stunning black and gold liveried Lotus Formula One car with the driver donning a striking yellow helmet that was not only an intimidating site in fellow competitors' mirrors, but the remarkable beauty captured our immediate attention. That was 1985 and Ayrton Senna in his Lotus was what first ignited our interest in F1 and we've scarcely missed a Grand Prix ever since. 
    It's now been 30 years today since that horrific weekend at the 1994 San Marino GP where we lost Simtek driver, Austrian Roland Ratzenberger and 3 time champ Ayrton Senna, then driving for Williams. We are unashamedly huge Senna fans. An uncompromising racer who also had an enviable qualifying record, yet was deep thinking and wore his heart on his sleeve. He would not hesitate to send his car up the inside only to let the other driver decide whether or not to capitulate. We often wondered how many Senna simply frightened out of the way. His masterclass in the Donington wet, or his 6 Monaco victories, or his obvious passion when backed into a corner at a press interview are some of the traits that have inspired countless future race drivers. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has often quoted Senna as his greatest influence. His generosity with his home country of Brazil would result in the whole nation uniting behind him. In fact 3 days of national mourning was observed after his passing. 
    The passing of Roland and Ayrton and also the sad passings of Australian GP marshal Graham Beveridge in 2001 and Jules Bianchi in 2014, not to mention the countless lives that proceeded, have all left a legacy that has improved safety. We now have the HANS device for helmets, the cockpit halo, Tecpro barriers, the doubling of safety catch fencing height with photographer's openings effectively caged in and an increased use of the Red Flag to stop races so heavy machinery and marshals can clean up incidents safely and quickly with no chance of a subsequent incident. 
    Whether that yellow helmet was piloting a Lotus or a McLaren or a Williams, time has not diminished those memories. They remain as vivid today as they did over 30 years ago. 

    On a different note, fast forward to now. Hamilton to Ferrari. Hulkenberg to Sauber/ Audi. Whispers of Vettel also joining Audi. Alonso racing into his mid-40s. Race winner Carlos Sainz still unconfirmed for 2025. Now, arguably F1's greatest ever designer Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull after 19 years. Crazy eh?
    
    

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