Vettel: Senna has the greatest F1 'legacy'

Sebastian Vettel is often credited with looking to follow in Michael Schumacher's footsteps in Formula 1, but the Ferrari driver has revealed that Ayrton Senna played just as important a role in sparking his love of the sport.

Schumacher's excellence in the 1990's and 2000's left a lasting impression on a young Vettel, but the German names Senna as the driver with the greatest Formula 1 legacy.

"It's very hard to pick your first memory, but the first images I saw that were linked to Formula 1 was when he raced [in Brazil] and he won," Vettel told Auto Bild in 2019. "Even though he lost a lot of gears, he was exhausted and he nearly couldn't lift the trophy.

"The images of that car, the Marlboro car, was very iconic. My father was a huge fan of Ayrton Senna so those are the reasons why, like you intend to follow what your parents follow at that age so he was watching Formula 1 and I followed.

"So for me, he was the first person I linked to Formula 1. I think his legacy is probably the biggest or greatest that one could leave to the sport.

"I think he passed away way too early. There was a lot more that we probably could have enjoyed from him, racing but probably also outside of the car."

Hamilton: 'We don’t have to be perfect to be part of the solution'Read more

While Senna is remembered for his ruthless on-track nature, he is also remembered for his generous and very human persona away from the circuit, a quality that Vettel holds in high regard.

"It was not his successes that left a profound impression, but the person behind it," continued Vettel. "He had incredible talent in the car, but he was also a very humble guy. He took this attitude into the racing car and that made him stronger than the others."

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

FIA announce Max Verstappen penalty after Miami Grand Prix

• 1 hour ago

FIA hit Ferrari F1 with LATE time penalty after Miami Grand Prix

• 1 hour ago

Lewis Hamilton admits being in Ferrari 'no-man's land' after Miami Grand Prix

• 2 hours ago

Why is there no Miami Grand Prix? Why F1 race isn't on TV now

• 3 hours ago

Ferrari suffer more Miami Grand Prix pain as F1 star hit with late FIA investigation

• 3 hours ago

F1 Standings 2026: Latest points leaders after the Miami Grand Prix

• 3 hours ago