Sky Sports F1 is to pay tribute to Ayrton Senna with a week of special programmes marking the 20th anniversary of the legendary Brazilian driver’s death.
One of the greatest drivers, if not the greatest, to ever grace the sport, Senna lost his life on May 1, 1994 in an accident whilst exiting the Tamburello corner at the Imola circuit in Italy, as he lead the field during the early stages of the San Marino Grand Prix.
Senna’s family, friends and his millions of fans and admirers worldwide were left to mourn the loss of a man whose talent and passion shaped an arguably peerless charisma.
The passing of the three-times world champion occured during an already tragic weekend at Imola which also witnessed the loss of Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying the day before.
Senna and Ratzenberger’s deaths at Imola thankfully, to this day, remain the last driver fatalities during a grand prix weekend.
Twenty years on from his untimely death, Sky Sports F1 will be celebrating and commemorating the incredible career of a true Formula 1 great with a week of special programmes.
Former world champion Damon Hill was Senna’s Williams team-mate at Imola on that fateful day and his reminiscences in ‘The Last Teammate’ starts the channel’s special Senna Week series on Saturday, April 26 at 8.00pm.
Hill pays a visit to the Imola circuit, where he won the following two San Marino GPs in 1995 and 1996, to relive his personal memories of that fateful race weekend.
On Sunday night at 8.00pm, commentary legend Murray Walker, who covered each of Senna’s 41 grand prix wins and three world titles, discusses the Brazilian legends’ legacy with respected motorsport writers Maurice Hamilton and David Tremayne in ‘Senna – Journalists Special’, presented by Sky F1 host Simon Lazenby.
Motor Sport magazine’s Nigel Roebuck offers his unique thoughts and tributes on Senna in ‘Echoes Of The Past’ on Monday night, with the veteran reporter also sharing some of his personal archive of fascinating recorded interviews with Senna during his prime.
Ted Kravitz’s Senna Notebook on Tuesday sees the Sky F1 pit-lane reporter head to the McLaren Technology Centre to get his hands on all five of the cars that Senna drove for the team.
Sky Sports also pays tribute to Roland Ratzenberger, the Austrian rookie driver who died at Imola the day before Senna, with a special programme on Wednesday night, featuring tributes from David Brabham, his team-mate at the time in the Simtek team.
This will be followed by four-time world champion Alain Prost giving his insight into his iconic rivalry with his former adversary in ‘Prost on Senna’.
Ron Dennis gives further insight on Senna’s time at McLaren in ‘A Winning Partnership’ on Thursday, before a special episode of F1 Legends, where veteran sports broadcaster Steve Rider – who covered the San Marino GP at trackside for the BBC in 1994 – pays tribute to the life and career of Senna, featuring interviews with Ron Dennis, Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger.
The F1 Show then rounds off the week with a special edition dedicated to Ayrton Senna on Friday, May 2, at 8.00pm, presented by Simon Lazenby, Natalie Pinkham and Ted Kravitz from Sky Studios.
Also during Sky Sports F1’s Senna Week, fans will have the chance to relive some of the Brazilian driver’s finest races.
These include the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, where he claimed his maiden victory, the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix, where he clinched his first world title and his classic battle with Nigel Mansell on the streets of Monaco in 1992.
All ‘Senna Week’ programmes will be repeated at various times during the Sky Sports F1 schedules, including on the 20th anniversary of the race itself on May 1, starting from 6.00am and running throughout the day.
In addition to Sky Sports F1’s tribute programming, ITV4 will also mark the anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death by screening the acclaimed 2010 documentary film ‘SENNA’.
BBC Radio 5 live will also broadcast a special documentary entitled ‘Ayrton Senna: The Boy from Brazil’, which will look back at his early years when he first raced in the UK and based himself in Norfolk, and an Ayrton Senna special in 5 live Sport on the day of the 20th anniversary.
.
.
