"If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver": The story behind Ayrton Senna's iconic quote

Ayrton Senna was one of the best Formula 1 drivers of his time, but what was more iconic about him were the words he uttered almost 33 years ago during the build-up to the Australian GP of the 1990 season. In an interview with Sir Jackie Stewart, who himself is a three-time world champion, Senna said:

"By being a racing driver, you are under risks all of the time. By being a racing driver means, you are racing with other people and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver."

These simple words are still used in a lot of contexts today. However, there is a very controversial story that lies behind them, which seems to have been forgotten by many. This involves incidents that took place over two years and two controversial world title decisions.

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What is the story and controversy behind Ayrton Senna's iconic quote?

It is well known that Ayrton Senna shared a rivalry with Alain Prost, who was his teammate in the Honda-powered McLaren in the 1989 season. The pair shared a great world championship battle. However, the Japanese GP did not go very well for the two drivers.

After leading the race for the first half, Prost was in constant danger from Senna, who was on fresher tires. On lap 46, the two drivers collided as Senna tried to overtake.

Prost suffered from a broken suspension. Senna had a push from the marshalls and got going again to win the race. However, he was disqualified since he cut the chicane while rejoining the track.

Prost getting out of his McLaren after colliding with Ayrton Senna (Photo by Pascal Rondeau/Getty Images)

Since Senna was required to win the final two races of the season to claim the world championship, he lost to his teammate. The race decision by the stewards created a toxic environment and ultimately led to Prost moving to Ferrari in the following season.

The 1990 Grand Prix of Japan saw a similar scenario. Both drivers started P1 and P2 again, and as the lights went green (how they used to be back in the day), both collided on turn 1 of the first lap and took each other out of the race. However, Senna was in favor this time around since this confirmed his world championship victory.

Back to the quote. Moments before Sir Stewart started interviewing Senna in 1990, he played a clip from the Japanese GP of the moment when Senna collided with Prost. He was asked about the safety of the move, and it is speculation that the Brazilian did it on purpose to win the world championship that season, which he did.

Senna in his championship-winning McLaren MP4/5B in 1990

It was in the same interview that Ayrton Senna uttered his famous words, which are still enough to make any racing fan excited. While the story behind them might not be as exciting (Sir Jackie Stewart mentioned in his autobiography that Senna didn't talk to him a year after this interview), it marks how Formula 1 has gone through many different stages in its history.