Senna wanted Ferrari move in 1994
Senna wanted Ferrari move in 1994
Former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has revealed he turned down the chance to sign Ayrton Senna for the fateful 1994 season. Senna went on to sign for Williams and was killed in the third race of the season at Imola after suffering injuries in a high-speed crash.
Todt revealed how Senna had approached him towards the end of the 1993 when he had decided to leave a McLaren outfit that had faded from the title picture after swapping Honda engines for Ford, while the emergence of Williams and the team's many technological innovations also turned the tables.
With Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi contracted for the following season, Todt turned down the three-time world champion, who went on to secure a stunning move to Williams, where he was replacing former McLaren team-mate and rival Alain Prost.
"I spent three hours in my room with him talking about him joining Ferrari," Todt told RaceFans.net of a meeting with Senna at the 1993 Italian Grand Prix.
"At that stage, in September in Monza in '93, he was very interested to come.
"But he wanted to come [in] '94. And '94 we had two drivers with contracts, Alesi and Berger.
"I said 'we have two drivers'. He said: 'But in Formula 1, contracts is not important'. And I said to him 'for me, contracts is important'."
Senna soon after confirmed he would replace the retiring Prost at Williams, qualifying on pole position for the first three races of 1994, although failing to finish at Interlagos and Aida - in a collision with Ferrari stand-in Nicola Larini - before his fateful crash at the Tamburello Curve 25 years ago today.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Flags Explained: What do the different colours mean?
- 20 minutes ago
McLaren boss explains why FIA REVERSED Norris F1 penalty
- 1 hour ago
FIA CANCEL important drivers' meeting after huge drama in China
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull and Verstappen dealt title blow as Red Bull dominated in sprint qualifying
- 3 hours ago
FIA stewards ROB Hamilton pole after bizarre U-turn
- Today 10:58
F1 Sprint Qualifying Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 times as Verstappen stunned in rainy CHAOS
- Today 10:27
Related news
F1 legend reveals 'best' era for major F1 format
F1 world champion's private collection to be auctioned off in HUGE sale
Brundle blasts F1's 'biggest mistake EVER' in passionate speech
Schumacher admits not remembering F1 achievements
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860