The day Ayrton Senna stood up to the press to see his Brazil in the World Cup
On this day, but 40 years agoon June 21, 1986, the Detroit GP classification. It was also during the World Cup, Mexico 86. Yes, the World Cup that Argentina would end up winning Diego Armando Maradona.
The classification at that time consisted of two one-hour sessions, the first on Friday and the other on Saturday. Depending on the best lap of each driver, on any of the days, the grid positions were decided.
The fastest was Ayrton Sennataking away the record on the Detroit street circuit from Nigel Mansellwhich had established it during Friday’s session. Senna was a one-lap specialist. With 65 in 161 Grand Prix, he is still the third with the most pole positionsachieving it in 40% of the races he competed.
Piloting the Lotus 98T with black and gold colors which other teams have tried to imitate, took first place ahead of the two Williams.
Top 3 1986 Detroit GP Classification:
1 Ayrton Senna – Lotus – 1:38.301
2 Nigel Mansell – Williams – 1:38.839
3 Nelson Piquet – Williams – 1:39.076
In 1986, Senna wore 2 years in the queen category of motorsports, it was his eleventh pole and had only won 3 Grand Prizes.
Despite this, He went directly to his hotelwithout waiting to attend to the media. Because? Well to see the Brazil – France quarterfinals of the World Cup.
It is one of the most remembered anecdotes of the Brazilian, who had the entire shocked and angry press in equal parts, since it left a cassette for journalists with their impressions about the classification that was issued through the hotel speaker.
Nigel Roebuck, writing for Autosport, described the recording as “a message full of trivialities for the team’s unfortunate PR person to play over the loudspeakers.
The content of the message was nothing more than the typical default responses that are heard when athletes do not want to say anything. “I was happy to have gotten pole, and it had been very difficult, especially because Mansell had driven very well. The team was satisfied, and a tough race was coming up, with a lot of heat and a lot of pressure on the brakes…” The cassette audience was 200 journalists.
The result of the match was not what Senna expected. After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, where they scored Antonio Careca for Brazil and Michael Platini for France. The French midfielder, Luis Fernandez, converted the winning penalty for the French team (3-4).
Despite his team’s defeat, Ayrton Senna would bring joy to Brazil the next day by winning the Grand Prix, his fourth victory. This is where their tradition of taking the victory lap waving the Brazilian flag is born..
Top 3 Detroit GP 1986:
1 Ayrton Senna – Lotus
2 Jacques Laffite – Ligier +31,017
3 Alain Prost – McLaren +31,824
The mythical images of Ayrton Senna waving his country’s flag in the car, perhaps They would not have occurred if the canarinha had not fallen in Jalisco and Ayrton Senna would not have angered the world press so he could watch the game in peace from his hotel.
During his life, Ayrton Senna was a big football fan, demonstrating his passion not only for football. Selectionbut also for the Corinthians.
On more than one occasion the club has also made gestures with his figure, even going so far as to make a special edition of his t-shirt with the colors of his Lotus 98T or dating your helmet to the field on the twentieth anniversary of his death.
