What Could’ve Been: Reflecting on F1 Legend Ayrton Senna’s 64th Birthday

Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna, one of the most revered pilots in the history of motor racing and a sporting icon in his own right, would've turned 64 years old today. His name still comes up more than anyone else's when today's F1 racers are asked about their childhood heroes. His name is still plastered on merchandise ranging from hats and t-shirts to McLaren supercars and even Lego sets. But with the 30th anniversary of his death around the corner, I can't help but reflect on how much F1 has changed—or stayed the same—since he was around.

I was just seven years old when I watched Senna turn left at Tamburello in 1994. I saw the crash. I didn't think much of it. My dad, who idolized Senna and had posters of him all over his office, was out of town and couldn't watch the race live. I don't exactly remember the rest of the race—not sure if I even finished it—but I remember getting a call from my dad a few hours later. He told me what had happened.

I often wonder how F1 would look today had he walked away from that crash. At 64, he obviously wouldn't be racing today, but I am curious how much longer he would've continued. His last F1 car, the Williams FW16, was a pig and he never came to terms with it. And then there was a young Michael Schumacher, who was hot on the Brazilian's tail and would eventually eclipse Senna's successes—including winning the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix 53 laps after Senna died.

This is all to say that maybe Senna would've retired shortly after the '94 season. If the books, magazines, and documentaries I've consumed are anything to go by, he was warming up to the idea of retirement. He had pondered hanging up his helmet and enjoying life with his girlfriend Adriane Galisteu, or so friends Sid Watkins and Jo Ramirez often said. Even the last helmet-off footage of Senna shows that he wasn't in a good headspace, frustrated by the politics of F1, an underperforming car, and the death of Roland Ratzenberger the day before.

I believe he would've continued a while longer, fighting as he always did. That said, I don't believe he would've found much success after 1994. Things were changing in F1; new technologies, new cars, and teams were finding