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Classic onboard - Senna tames Monaco in 1990

25 May 2016

Has there ever been a driver more in tune with a circuit than Ayrton Senna was with Monaco? Between 1989 and 1991 the great Brazilian led every lap in the Principality, and this clip - taken from qualifying in 1990 - finds him at the peak of his considerable powers…


Some drivers can never get to grips with racing at Monaco - Nelson Piquet famously hated driving there. But to Ayrton Senna - a six-time winner in the Principality - the three kilometres or so of winding, Armco-lined asphalt was simply a playground on which to demonstrate his phenomenal skillset and iron-clad mentality. Just watch the commitment as he powerslides his McLaren out of the hairpin (passing a slower car), snatches a gear, then effortlessly corrects a slide with a dab of opposite lock heading into Portier. His car may buck and skip underneath him, but the undisputed Master of Monaco is always in control - the perfect blend of subtlety and aggression. Such driving would carry Senna to a third successive Monaco pole position, the Brazilian out-qualifying arch rival Alain Prost by over half a second. Sit back and enjoy…