Talk:Ayrton Senna

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Accidents are unsuspected and hated, but they are part of life. When you are fitted in a racing car and you race to win, second or third place is not enough. You must take the compromise to win, or else nothing. That means: you race or you do not.
- August, 1991

Drivers exist in a world where decisions made in fractions of seconds could mean the difference between life and death; you do not allow yourself to be held ransom by emotions, especially fear.

Emotion, pleasure and challenge.
- 1991, when asked about what he felt at 300 km/h

Fear is part of people's life. Some of them don't know how to face it, others — where I include myself — learn coexisting with it or face it, not as a negative thing, but like a autoprotection sensation.

I don't know driving in another way which isn't risky. Each one has to improve himself. Each driver has its limit. My limit is a little bit further than others.
- January, 1989

I don't see myself as Brazilian's main star. I don't think I'm so important so as to be the reason for a whole night party.
- October, 1991, as he achieved his third world crown.

You commit yourself to such a level where there is no compromise. You give everything you have, everything, absolutely everything.

If you think I am good wait until my nephew arrives.
- 1993 - Bruno Senna had clearly shown his talent to Ayrton in Karting.

In Brazil we have had Emerson (Fittipaldi), (José) Carlos Pace, and now it's me. After me there will be another one. This is unrefusable.
- July, 1989

It is important, when your techical equipment is not the best, to believe there will always be a better race; that is a part of my motivation.
- Febuary, 1994

It's going to be a season with lots of accidents, and I'll risk saying that we'll be lucky if something really serious doesn't happen.
- 1994 Preseason

Money is a strange business. People who haven't got it aim it strongly. People who have are full of troubles.
- July, 1991

The day it arrives, it will arrive. It could be today or 50 years later. The only sure thing is that it will arrive.
- Talking abouth death

The really important thing, whatever your doing- whether its karting, formula 1, whatever, even playing cards is to be the world champion because that means you are the best in the world. Even in karting it is a great, great achievement.
- to Mike Wilson in 1989

These things bring you to reality as to how fragile you are; at the same moment you are doing something that nobody else is able to do. The same moment that you are seen as the best, the fastest and somebody that cannot be touched, you are enormously fragile. Because in a split second, it's gone. These two extremes are feelings that you don't get every day. These are all things which contribute to -how can I say?- knowing yourself deeper and deeper. These are the things that keep me going.

Wealthy men can't live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to everyone, at least a basic chance.
- Interview in 1993

You will never know the feeling of a driver when winning a race. The helmet hides feelings that cannot be understood.
- November 1988

I always had a good life but everything I achieved was through dedication, perseverance and a great desire to achieve my goals, a great desire to win, win in the life, not as a racer. And to everyone who is watching this I tell you whoever you are, no matter what social life position you have, rich or poor, always have a goal, be strong, be determined and always make everything with much love and faith in God, so one day, somehow you'll achieve all your goals.

There is a great desire in me for improving...getting better. That makes me happy. Every time I feel I am slowing down my learning process - my learning curve is getting flat or whatever - then it doesn't make me very happy. And that applies not only as a racing driver, but also as a man... Of course I shall have a lot more to learn as a man than a racing driver, because my career could last not many years, but my life still will go hopefully for a long time. Maybe I am only at half of my life right now, so, there is a lot to go, a lot to learn, a lot to do, still in life. And happiness will come when I feel complete as a whole. Which definitely, I don't feel today.

Ayrton Senna was an extraordinary racing driver. His skills, craft, subtlety and courage were of such magnitude that he dwarfed his generation of drivers.
- Ron Dennis

Ayrton was the best friend I ever had in F1, closer to me than anybody else in the business. During my three years driving with him at McLaren, I came to realize that he was the best, one level higher than the rest of us.
- Gerhard Berger

As I already said on TV, I want to dedicate this success to Ayrton. This is the place, I believe, where my life changed. After everything I have been through, from the problems on the car to the problems with myself, I think that Imola this year has seen another changing point...
- Rubens Barrichello in post-race press conference at Imola GP 1999. He finished 3rd.

Ayrton has a small problem. He thinks he can't kill himself because he believes in God and I think that is very dangerous for the other drivers.
- Alain Prost, 1989

Ayrton set standards the rest of us can only dream about. His death doesn't seem real. He was invincible and was going to keep on winning.
- Derek Warwick

His loss is impossible to quantify. Everyone who has ever met him, in whatever capacity, feels they have lost something very special.
- Frank Williams

It's a real waste. He still had a lot of racing and wins left in him. He was a good person. I can tell you that firsthand. Last year (1993), when I had my problems, he was one of the main people there supporting me. He was probably the greatest driver of all time. This was not a driver error. There was no weakness in his driving.
- Michael Andretti

I always had a good relationship with him in our brief encounters. Senna was very good to us. He was very supportive of Michael. In fact, his was one of the first congratulatory messages Michael got after winning in Australia. I don't know what else to say. It comes as a tremendous shock to all of us. It's a devastating loss.
- Mario Andretti

The life of Ayrton Senna was an example in dedication and the love of the sports few athletes have had at international level. The world has lost the greatest athlete in the history of motor racing and I have lost a great friend. Grand Prix racing will never be the same without Ayrton.
- Emerson Fittipaldi

I was proud to compete against him. Professionally, he was the only driver I respected. In Senna's honour, I will never sit in a Formula One car again.
- Alain Prost

When I first came round in the medical center after my accident, the first face I saw was Ayrton's, with tears in his eyes. I had never seen that with Ayrton before. I just had the impression that he felt as if my accident was like one of his own. He helped me a lot with my career and I can't find the words to describe his loss.
- Rubens Barrichello