No doubt the Pope, like the Queen, receives many strange presents. But few can have been odder than the one that came his way the other day, when the family of Ayrton Senna presented a bemused-looking pontiff with a bust of the late Formula One champion. Skilfully executed by Senna’s sister, Bianca, the gift was timed to coincide with this week’s 25th anniversary of the accident at the Imola circuit that took the Brazilian’s life and had such a devastating impact not just on his millions of fans but also on grand prix racing as a whole.
Much was always made of Senna’s occasional references to his religious beliefs, and a perceived aura of spirituality certainly marked him out from the general run of grand prix drivers. No one would have expected James Hunt or Nigel Mansell to say something like “If you have God on your side, everything becomes clear”. Senna gave the impression that although he had definitely been put on earth to race, he was also involved in a search for a higher purpose.
Written by Richard Williams
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/29/ayrton-senna-25-years-f1-hero under the title “Ayrton Senna: 25 years since F1 lost its flawed, fascinating hero | Richard Williams”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
