Wheatley on Senna-Schumacher F1 rivalry: 'Many people dont' know this'

13:40, 01 May

byNorberto Mujica

Whenever Michael Schumacher was asked, 'who is the best of all time?', the German's answer was always the same: 'Senna'. Former Red Bull chief, Jonathan Wheatley opens up on the deep relationship between both drivers and their rival teams in the fateful 1994 Formula One season.

There were instances when Schumacher and Ayrton Senna came together on the track, sparking some controversy in the media like the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix incident in practice where the Brazilian inadvertently blocked the German during practice, triggering the latter's ire who took to the media to object to his counterpart's actions.

This incident came to a head in Magny-Cours, for the French Grand Prix, when Senna was taken out by Schumacher at the start of the race. After the race was red flagged, the then McLaren driver, grabbed his Benetton rival and took him aside in front of a powerless Flavio Briatore and gave him a lecture in the middle of the track suggesting to the German, that should there be any issues, he came to the 3-time world champion personally, instead of going to the media.

However, these on-track instances did not affect the respect and the camaraderie both drivers had for each other and for their rival teams.

Senna's memorial tribute in Imola

Wheatley reveals camaraderie between Senna's and Schumacher's F1 teams in 1994

“We had this kind of ongoing relationship in 1994, where Michael would set a pole position, and then when Ayrton would come out of the garage, I'd show him the pitboard with Michael's time on it," revealed the former Red Bull chief in the podcast Beyond the Grid.

“And he'd like open his visor, shake his head, close it. He'd come in, go faster than Michael, and he'd be looking at me from the pitwall as if to say, ‘Well, where's my time [on the pitboard]?’"

“There was this camaraderie that maybe people aren't aware of. You're not just in fierce competition with people. You're rubbing up against them.”

Looking back on that fateful 1 May of 1994 race weekend Wheatley is certain: “Imola 1994 is the worst weekend I can ever remember. I can still remember the emotions."

“I’ve kept a lot of stuff from ’94 because I think, for me as a young man, that was a major turning point. I can still remember Mick Cowlishaw, the [Benetton] chief mechanic, coming up to me, putting his hand on my arm, because he knew the relationship I had [with Senna] and how I thought of it, and telling me he had gone."

Senn'as 2024 30 year death anniversary commemoration preparations during the Brazilian Grand Prix

Wheatley on Barrichello and Ratzenberger

Of course, Senna's crash was not the first that weekend, with the Brazilian's countryman Rubens Barrichello's being the first in what was a long line of heavy accidents, which also included the then F1 rookie's Roland Ratzenberger's fatal crash.

“That weekend was full of so many things. You know, Rubens’ crash, where he puts his hands in front of his face [at the moment of impact with the barrier]. That image is incredible. It just shows the human being inside the car."

“Then Roland. I can remember seeing that on TV and immediately understanding this was not a normal accident – this was really, really serious."

Uncertainty right after Imola 1994: 'What's going to happen next'

Despite the crashes, and the young Austrian's fatality aboard the Simtek car, the race was still given the go ahead and the rest is tragic history.

"Then in the race, JJ [Lehto] stalling on the grid, the massive impact that caused the red flag."

“Then [Michele] Alboreto lost his wheel in the pitlane and the wheel nut hit my number one mechanic, cut his leg. The wheel went into the Lotus pit where it hit somebody in there… then Senna's accident in the race."

“We didn't want to get on the plane. I can remember we were sat around the airport lounge in silence. The Williams guys had just been told about Ayrton, and none of us wanted to get on the plane – ‘What's the next thing that's going to happen?',” said Wheatley.