Great Read: Senna's best F1 drive?

The legend of Estoril 1985  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ View in browser View in browser ARTICLES MAGAZINE SHOP DATABASE SHOP ARCHIVE Great Read: Ayrton Senna's drive for the gods — Estoril 1985 April 2000 | Nigel Roebuck Ayrton Senna would have been 65 today and, were he still alive, the chances are we'd still be feting his first grand prix win at a rainy Estoril circuit in 1985. In today's Great Read we visit Nigel Roebuck's retelling of a victory that was very much a drive for the gods. For many of us, Grand Prix racing entered a fallow period after the death in May 1982, of Gilles Villeneuve, and none felt that more keenly than Denis Jenkinson. He would mutter wistfully that now there was no driver around who could truly do justice to it. Eventually, though, someone always came along to capture Jenks's imagination, and this time he didn't have long to wait. Through 1984, Ayrton Senna's first Formula One season, with Toleman, he made approving noises, and by the following spring had become his most devoted fan. It was a rainy April weekend in Estoril that did it. READ MORE PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES F1 James Elson 'A very unusual boss': Eddie Jordan remembered by his first F1 driver John Watson drove Eddie Jordan's first F1 car – he remembers knowing and working with a true one-off READ MORE F1 Mark Hughes MPH: Limo-smooth ride is McLaren's cool F1 trick An error and poor timing hampered McLaren's front-row bid in sprint qualifying at the Chinese GP. But the earlier practice session revealed its pace advantage, says Mark Hughes, who has an idea of where the car's superiority comes from READ MORE F1 Mark Hughes MPH: Limo-smooth ride is McLaren's cool F1 trick An error and poor timing hampered McLaren's front-row bid in sprint qualifying at the Chinese GP. But the earlier practice session revealed its pace advantage, says Mark Hughes, who has an idea of where the car's superiority comes from READ MORE F1 Dominic Tobin Hamilton on sprint pole — Lawson is last: what happened in Chinese GP sprint qualifying Lewis Hamilton claimed pole by less than two-hundredths of a second from Max Verstappen in sprint qualifying at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. Behind them, Liam Lawson was having another difficult day READ MORE Our Publications Latest magazine issues and specials packed with exclusive content and insights. April 2025 F1 2025 BUY NOW March 2025 Ferrari BUY NOW February 2025 Sale of the Century BUY NOW German Legends Special Edition BUY NOW Italian Legends Special Edition BUY NOW 1955 – Mille Miglia Special Edition BUY NOW Connect with us We're also available on Update your preferences Control your Motor Sport experience by selecting the content you wish to receive and stay up to date. UPDATE NOW Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy Motor Sport Magazine, 18-20 Rosemont Road, London, NW3 6NE  Company no. 05471049, Vat no. 871 544 60