When Hakkinen told Senna he needed ‘bigger balls’

Mika Hakkinen became synonymous with McLaren in Formula 1, but on his debut for the team in late-1993 he was the young upstart ruffling the feathers of another of the team’s icons. As Ayrton Senna pondered a future away from McLaren, Hakkinen came in for the final three races of the year to replace Michael Andretti, and promptly outqualified his illustrious team-mate first time out. But what started out as a chance to poke fun at the three-time world champion quickly turned into an opportunity to learn some serious lessons about what it takes to be a top-line F1 driver - providing your balls are big enough!

[@HighFlyingOwlOfMinerva]

Häkkinen, the man who: - Told Senna to get 'bigger balls' in 1993 - Had a horrific crash in Adelaide 1995, almost lost his life because of it - Returned in 1996 - Won his first race in Jerez 1997 - Took back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999 - Battled with one of the best drivers of the time, Michael Schumacher Major respect for this man, and I'm saying this as a Ferrari fan.

[@XenonG]

You forgot one bit about Michael Schumacher saying something like being only nervous of one driver in a race, Mika Hakkinen.

[@coolguy10060]

I feel Mikka is a bit underrated. I've listend to beyond the grid with Mikka and i gained so much respect for him

[@officialWWM]

I loved Mika, such a great personality too.

[@alexistsimplas4603]

You forgot to mention that Hakkinen never cheated in his career. Schumacher cheated three times. 1994,1997,2006.

[@DAGATHire]

@@coolguy10060 Nobody underrated hakkinen. that's just silly talk.

[@Ahhhmotherland]

Mika Hakkinen in the late 90's/2000's was my first exposure to F1, and to McLaren. Honestly, he's a big part of why I am still a McLaren fan to this day, regardless of the last several painful to watch years. The 2000's West livery is still my favorite McLaren livery, and honestly in all of F1.

[@onedoorfilms]

This

[@AAde-or3qz]

My feelings exactly.. to add a bit I was also rooting for DC when he joined but obviously saw he wasn't as good as MH.

[@SpeedFreak0122]

This sums up Me and F1.

[@milesr4609]

McLaren mp4/13 the best!!!!

[@girishramachandran7030]

Ditto !!

[@infinityeight8705]

Followed Schumacher from 92 onwards and can honestly say that 98, 99 and 00 were some of the best seasons. Hakkinen is one of the most underrated world champions and on his day the only person who could beat Schumacher.

[@infinityeight8705]

@MEGATRON yes, odd times as have others later on. The comment was aimed around that period when Hakkinen and Schumacher were main rivals. The titles went down to the wire and even though I was a Schumacher fan, it was hard not to like Mika and appreciate his speed and talent!

[@kj48tiger]

Infinityeight was there really another great driver on the grid at the time??

[@friktionrc]

Schumacher himself admitted that Mika was the one driver he respected/feared on track ...that in itself speaks volumes

[@jameskujawski6651]

Alonso 2006

[@stpbasss3773]

Lots of people beat shumi, those years he won had more winners than the seasons do now. Rubens, Montoya, fisci, Kimi, DC I can go on and on, those years had way more competition that now. Almost forgot Alonso and shit even ralf would win.......and Jacques and ... Lmao I'll keep thinking but there were a ton of winners during those years 😂.

[@Krwler]

That fact that Senna won multiple races that year with a car that had such a deficit to the Williams underlines his greatness.

[@AlonsoRules]

1993 was Senna's best season

[@TheKestevon]

Kinda like Alonso in 2012.

[@gold6813]

How about Hamilton 2009. Car started 2 seconds off the pace. His team mate was consistently near the back. Lewis wins races that year. Against a dominant Brawn (1st part of season and a soon to be 4 times WDC and WCC red bull in the same regulation)

[@leppair]

@@gold6813 Brawn was dominant only first half of the season. After that redbull, mclaren and ferrari pick up their pace. Mainly because Brawn had no money to development their car.

[@TheKestevon]

@@gold6813 The car in 2009 wasn't bad the whole season. In a few last races it became one of the fastest even faster than Brawn.

[@rpols22]

Still massively underrated. My favorite racer of all time!

[@ISirSmoke]

definitely not underrated, greatest rival of the michael

[@rlpatton1970]

Sir.Smoke and if his car didn’t brake would have won a couple more titles

[@therwfer]

Nah, he's highly regarded and respected to this day by almost everyone. He's your favorite racer for very good reasons.

[@rpols22]

I say he is underrated because his name is rarely mentioned among the greats like Senna, Fangio, etc. Often, the only time his name comes up is when Schumacher is mentioned, for obvious reasons. Alonso is a 2 time world champion but his name is more solidified with the greats than Hakkinen. That is why he is massively underrated.

[@parkershaw8529]

@@rpols22 Mika is nobody in rain, unlike all the other greats, Michael, Lewis, Fernando, etc.

[@Oric007]

SENNA AND HAKKINEN BOTH LEGENDS.... RIP SENNA THE BOSS

[@DgeminisM]

Senna or Schumacher??

[@ygorsantos5964]

Sobre o que esse vídeo fala?

[@MrDewanchand]

Mika and his sense of humour. Big balls.

[@Mysohvaperuna]

Dewan Chand he didnt say big balls...

[@milesr4609]

The Mika!!!

[@digiman76]

If Senna needed bigger balls, his balls would probably be the size of planet Earth....from 1984 to 1994 the guy risked his life every race and qualyfing driving on the limit everytime. Mansell once said "Senna put his life on the line every race". He was a true racer, no fear, when F1 was a extremely dangerous sport.

[@varunpuligadda8360]

We all know. No need to get offended. Mika said something rash. It's okay

[@R9naldo]

If you think 90s F1 was "extremely dangerous" then what do you think 60s and 70s F1 was??

[@nedzoclips5868]

@@R9naldo it was even more dangerous, doesn’t mean 90s f1 wasn’t tho

[@marcusaureliusantoninusaug2161]

Senna winning 5 races that year, despite the huge performance difference between the Macca and the Williams is nothing short of a miracle... Imagine Ricciardo winning 5 races in 2019 with the Renault....

[@kevenguimaraes]

Senna é o maior de todos tempos!

[@juha1428]

That's a little flawed comparison because even though Mclaren was much slower they still had the 2nd fastest car while Ricciardo's Renault was the 5th fastest car in 2019 meaning there was 8 faster cars to beat compared to Senna's 2 faster cars.

[@fifthbusiness1678]

Not comparable, sorry

[@MidGT_ONE]

@@juha1428 Yeah, a better comparison would be the 2021 Mclaren winning races, which they did!

[@speedmann194]

@@juha1428 also I don't think it is a flawed comparison. If you're 2nd on the grid 2 seconds behind or 10 th on the grid 2 seconds behind the leader. Sure there is more chance of an accident being more in the traffic qualifying 10th but if you have the speed it shouldn't matter. Lap by lap you have 70 laps to make up 9 spots more than enough time

[@eddietat95]

Not balls. Sisu.

[@hasifrosli3923]

Sisu means courage -mika in topgear

[@madsbuhris]

@@hasifrosli3923 courage is not the exact translation. Courage is although included in the meaning of SISU, but it is much more that just that!

[@alexveldhuis6004]

Sisu balls.

[@carlosmpsenyorcapitacollon6977]

Lulz :D

[@elcookiemonsteru]

Perkele! :D

[@ciaronsmith4995]

Imagine a Mika / Kimi driver lineup. The most incredible driver lineup that would have been. All merchandise would have been sold in like 10 minutes.

[@BlueFox284]

Imagine the banter between the two. . .All-natural comedy gold.

[@Caldera01]

@@BlueFox284 What banter? Both are quite quiet since they are Finns after all. On their time off, Räikkönen would be passed out drunk and Häkkinen would just be chilling listening to J. Karjalainen in solidute.

[@rnichol22]

Theee most boring line up ever

[@milesr4609]

And Valtery as third driver...

[@melamauri8502]

@@milesr4609 would much prefer the other Mika (Salo) over Valtteri

[@tommcglone2867]

This story is so Mikka. That blokes sense of humour is brilliant. I bet he said that to Senna tongue in cheek.

[@zoomzoom4735]

One of the things omitted about this strory is the fact that one of Sennas gear linkages had a crack in it. The mechanics would nt believe Senna though , because there data wouldnt show it , but then Senna had them open the assembly and sure enough they did find the crack. Not to take any thing away from Hakkinen, but Senna was on a different planet and easily dominated Hakkinen in the subsequent 2 races winining both of them , Adelaide and Suzuka.

[@AlonsoRules]

Michael Andretti's foray into F1 was always going to be a disaster. The FIA limited practice laps in '93, so he couldn't learn the tracks. Senna and Hakkinen did all the testing. The worst part was that Andretti decided to commute between Miami and Europe.

[@thegreenberetlife0191]

Anthony Kernich, from what I understand he was trying to satisfy his wife. Maybe he should have thought that silliness through...

[@MacGovernor]

He wasn't a bad driver. But against Senna? No chance ever.

[@DeneF]

I didn't have much time for Hak when he was driving but I love him now. This week on the F1 podcast 'Beyond The Grid' he was an amazing listen. Maybe I got older and wiser. For those that did not listen to Hak telling all in that podcast, go listen. If you like Hak, you will absolutely love it. Thanks for the video.

[@M00NMAN14]

People saying Hamilton and Verstappen are arrogant pigs. But man, these two were definitely not short of self confidence either. Also, Senna should have served Alonso as a warning...

[@mrdraw2087]

Not to join Williams?

[@LeCharles07]

**cough** Prost **cough**

[@M00NMAN14]

@@mrdraw2087 No, that you should motivate your team, not moan all the time, 'because it affects their morale negatively. I was referring to what they said towards the end of the video. Now, I know that they also said that Senna worked closely with his engineers at the start of the video.

[@danieljorgehernandezrivero9785]

Exactly my thoughts. Some Spanish fans referred to Alonso as "lloronso", from "llorar" (to cry in Spanish). Maybe with a different attitude he would have made better career choices. Now it is all history.

[@DirtNastyCivilian]

You don’t become world champion by being a nice guy.

[@danielhornby5581]

An absolutely amazing driver, loved the late 90s and early 2000s with Hakkinen and Schumacher battling it out. The only issue with Mika was an ability to throw away races he was dominating. I can’t think of any drivers who have crashed out more in multiple races while leading, let alone two in the same season. But it only made that 1999 season so much more exciting!

[@A.Santos1]

And never beat him again...Berger also outqualified Senna in his first race at Mclarem in Phoenix 1990 but this was almost as rare as seeing pigs flying. Mika was a great pilot indeed.

[@SpeedFreak0122]

@MrLewisbate No dude.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Japanese_Grand_Prix#Qualifying_2 Senna outqualified him

[@buchanan8624]

@MrLewisbate Wrong.

[@midnmusic2217]

He couldn't beat him again because he ded

[@darchandarchan7036]

well Mika was only a newbie, and Senna had better engineers around him

[@phantomfoxyy]

In phoenix 1990 senna had a eletrical problem

[@f1freakf127]

Mika Hakkinen GOAT :) i love this man, he is my idol.

[@Kiddingyoumust]

Great, sure. GOAT... Lets not get carried away.

[@milesr4609]

I love Mika, and is my favourite too, but the GOAT is Fangio...

[@leeillman7195]

Max is the GOAT

[@f1freakf127]

@@leeillman7195 Lets see he has more to go :)

[@ArmandDePoiters]

I like Mika very much, the rivalry with M Schumacher is the best ever for me, both were true gentlemans. For me the GOAT is Michael Schumacher

[@deliriumbee4678]

Hakkinen what a driver even before his f1 career he was amazing and fast

[@weallfollowmanutd]

Just tells you from the car performance, that the driver could get so much more out of a 1993 car than a 2019 car. Even the best in a fourth or fifth fastest car on the grid can only gain tenths, not a second.

[@vicmanvalfre96]

It was also a different type of beast. Current F1 cars are basically glorified tech prototypes, they're fragile, extremely hard to control and require TLC to get them to decent pace. Older F1 are racecars, meant to be pushed to their limits for extended periods of time, powerbands that allowed drivers to dance rather than spin, F1 right now is a completely different game.

[@DimitriMoreira]

@@vicmanvalfre96 I think you got that backwards buddy. Older F1 cars were a lot harder to control and were a lot more fragile. Just look at Gilles Villeneuve crash that lead to his death in Zolder. The car was smashed into pieced and all he did was put the right-rear tyre on the grass and the car just started flying and spinning. Again, look at the crash that took Roland's life in 1994 and then Senna's the same year. Kubica survived a much bigger crash in 2008 and only had back pains. That 2008 crash would've killed anyone back in the 80's or 90's. And today's car are even safer than they were in 2008. As for controlling the car, tell that to Piquet's 1300hp Brabham without a front wing and almost no downforce. Also tell that again to Piquet's overtake on Senna in 1986 literally drifting sideways into the corner. Jackie Stewart said that overtake was like "making a back-flip on a Boeing 727"

[@vicmanvalfre96]

Eh no, it was 900hp in race trim, only 1300 for quali. Right now the F1 cars do around 957hp in race trim. And while lack of downforce is certainly a factor the hybrid power unit has a ridiculously aggressive powerband, which makes it really difficult to play with on acceleration. Additionally the complete reliance on downforce for grip makes the cars ridiculously snappy, which is why most losses of grip result in either crashes or spins as opposed to slides. Meaning if Piquet tried that same move with a modern F1 the aero balance would make it impossible to point the car in the right direction. When I said fragile I meant performance wise, not physical rigidity. Senna was not cycling through engine modes, temperature management warnings and managing energy recovery while racing, the older cars were focused on racing. Balls to the wall racing, the current cars rely on management more than anything, if that management is neglected the car WILL fail, unlike older cars that had a good chance of failing rather than a certainty. Also the vast difference in the speeds of the current cars versus the 70's - 90's F1 is alot. The faster you go on average the harder it is to equalise disparities in pace. Also, I don't know why you're arguing when I'm supporting your initial statement about drivers being able to get more out of a 1993 car than a 2019 car, but I can guarantee it wasn't that those drivers were better than our current grid, but rather how the cars behave.

[@erwinlommer197]

@@vicmanvalfre96 Not true. Modern f1 power output is mostly computer controlled and the engines are perfectly smooth as the teams use the electric motor to fill in any dips the engine torque band has. Old f1 cars used peaky naturally aspirated engines which were not perfectly smooth and the driver was always in full control. Modern f1 cars won't make 957hp in race trim either. They are tuned down more than the v10s because they need to last multiple races and because there is so much fuel saving nonsense. Modern cars are extremely easy to drive compared to old cars. There are a thousand people at mercedes designing the suspension and aerodynamics of that car. It is as perfect as they can get. The old cars had a handful of people design everything. They simply were not as well sorted out. Even the worst modern f1 car is like a dream to drive compared to a well sorted car from 20 years ago. Not to mention there was a lot more driving skill to driving an f1 car was. Any rich kid who can win at f3 level can drive modern f1 car fast without issues. Try putting a youngster into a v10 car and it will take year or two before they are even up to pace. And those cars were death traps. Modern f1 is not just easy but safe.

[@ph4nt0m22]

@@vicmanvalfre96 YOU ARE CLUELESS.

[@Shiusen]

Hakkinen. Boss.

[@jlkartvideos9887]

Mika Häkkinen is still the greatest finish F1 driver.

[@JT-ko2ib]

You're wrong. Bottas is much better at being worse than Mika. Oh, wait.

[@LauftFafa]

Raikonnen is top 4 greatest pilot ever on total points ahead of many greats . If it wasn't for car issues Raikonnen would have won it 3 times .

[@RampantFury925]

At least until Bottas is allowed to shine.

[@JT-ko2ib]

@@RampantFury925 That'll be never. He has to take his chance to shine, not wait for it, but he isn't made of the right stuff.

[@RampantFury925]

@@JT-ko2ib isn't made of the right stuff? thats bullshit, and you know it.

[@speedmann194]

I like Mika, But a lot of people make a big thing about him out qualifying senna on he's McLaren debut, senna out qualified him next two races, And dominated him all 3 races. Gerhard Berger also out qualified senna on debut, yet he only achieved 3 race wins against senna in 3 years, one of them senna gifted him, another he inherited the lead when Senna's car developed electrical fault during the 92 Canadian grandprix. the other inherited when senna and Mansell collided during the Adelaide grandprix. -De Angelo another driver to out-qualify senna on debut But then senna demolished him either 14-2 or 13-3 🤔 can't quite remember nevertheless he was "demolished" Out qualifying senna on debut was one thing, out-qualifying senna over an entire season almost impossible to the point no-one ever achieved too

[@zenastronomy]

that's cos senna played dirty and had the team prioritise his car over his team mates, like Schumacher. he would swap cars if he thought his team mates was faster being 1 example. also would have more engineers working on his car than his team mates

[@zenastronomy]

also there's rumours he would sabotage his team mates cars by messing with their settings and aerodynamics. f1 was a way dirtier sport back then, with loads of cheating by everyone.

[@speedmann194]

@@zenastronomy mixed up with Prost mate he stole mansells car

[@zenastronomy]

@@speedmann194 nope. senna used to swap car numbers with his team mate in secret if he thought it was faster.

[@speedmann194]

@@zenastronomy 🤣🤣🤣

[@shifitalc]

Senna already had bigger balls then anyone else

[@ik749]

No lol

[@BionicTenshi96]

2:36 That Senna's face is new to me :o McLaren should have went for the Lambo engine... it would have been a better season for McLaren and Senna probably could be still alive.

[@andrewharper4296]

As a Lamborghini F1 fan at the time I hoped they would too. It was widely regarded as a pretty good engine at the time and they needed a link with a bigger team. However (talk about history repeating itself later on with Honda) Ron decided to go long term and went for the deal with Peugeot which of course was a total disaster. Senna may have known about the deal but understandably didn’t want to wait four years before being competitive again. That Lamborghini V12 was a monster though. Loved it. 😍😊

[@davepastern]

@@kuckoo9036 and the cosworth was a proven reliable and efficient engine too, well developed for many, many years.

[@metaleirosincero6317]

mrtheoden Still ain’t become good

[@davepastern]

@@metaleirosincero6317 it was good enough for 5 wins in '93...out of 16 races...that's near 31.5%...a sizeable chunk of the season and a reasonable amount too.

[@metaleirosincero6317]

Kuckoo That 93 car carried a plenty of technologies. You are deluded yourselves thinking Cosworth helped it Senna. In fact Senna just retired from McLaren only because the Ford engine.

[@DRB-Octane]

and Senna replied: "Mika, racing is not a question of balls, while you place your car on the starting grid and take pics with models, i never leave my cockpit, im driven by focus, not balls..."

[@MrSkeleton131]

Did he really say that?

[@TheOtherNeutrino]

Ah, I see someone listened to the last Beyond the Grid episode on Hakkinen

[@DaniMacYo]

As a child growing up for me it was Michael Schumacher Ferrari Mika Hakkinen McLaren. Those were the 2 I loved to watch go back and forth for titles or wins. I think we were robbed of a great battle for the Championship in 99 between them. Good effort by Eddie though. But have Michael vs Mika would have been more special. 2001 his reliability was sad to watch. I wish he stuck around for 2002 and 2003. But hey good times. 😎🏎🏁🏆

[@r200ti]

Great, video. From the title it appeared it was going to be a one sided Hakkinen out qualified Senna (on a track Hakkinen had been testing on in that car for hundreds of laps) story. But rather its a short tale on Hakkinens growth to the champion we know and of course Senna's brilliance. I remember that season and Hakkinen years later being dubbed the fastest driver in F1. Senna made him look slow in every race and qualy from this video out.

[@JoaoSilva22222]

"Hey Senna, you need bigger balls." "Hey Hakkinen, you need bigger numbers." :D

[@tonkihonks3430]

Senna the greatest of all time!

[@kallo182]

1:35 the Comparsion between 2019 Cars is cool. But we should not forget that F1 was NEVER so close like today. Today is nearly the whole Grid in 2sec, if you put Williams out. Back in the early 90s was sometimes +1sec between P1 and P2.

[@Gabrielnobre]

He must had compared the diference in the lap time...so even if we have 3 good teams nowadays...the 5th one is leagues behind them, especially the mercedes (witch has a great durability, like the 93 wiliams, almost never broke).

[@alexbuckenham1663]

I could listen to Hakkinen speak all day, a proper great

[@ciaronsmith4995]

Hakkinen and Senna were the quickest driver line up of all time. Mika was just emerging and even though Mika outqualified him at Estoril, Senna did outqualify him the other races they were paired together, but everyone could see Mika had godly quali speed right from the debut. Everyone talks about Lewis, but those who know, can see Mika and Ayrton were the best qualifiers of all time.

[@ducedevlstear2471]

Ever heard of blokes called Stirling and Juan Manuel ?

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@ducedevlstear2471 Bloody fast they were, brave too, but I would take Mika and Ayrton in a quali shootout mate.

[@petouser]

What about Alonso and Hamilton???

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@petouser Not even close. Kimi was quicker than both at least Alonso, in the Michelin Bridgestone tyre war, let alone Senna and Mika.

[@mrdraw2087]

@@ciaronsmith4995 Uhm... When Räikkönen and Alonso were teammates at Ferrari in 2014, Räikkönen clearly wasn't faster. Hamilton is one of the best qualifiers, perhaps a little quicker than Alonso and Rosberg. Possibly the new generation (Verstappen and Leclerc) are faster too, but it's maybe a little too early to draw definitive conclusions.

[@TheRealD4]

The first year that I began watching f1 religiously was back in '98 as a junior school kid. I only wish the internet and this insight into Hakkinen was available to me back then because... as a Brit who wanted to cheer for DC I couldn't fathom why Hakkinen seemed to get priority over his teammate when at times they seemed closely matched in pace. I mean I remember being shocked that DC handed the win to Hakkinen at first race in Aus '98 and then he never fully recovered and was a nearly man who promised much but always failed to deliver. It now makes sense why Ron Dennis favoured Hakkinen! Ah but it was so fantastic after years of misery when Hamilton burst onto the scene in 2007 :D That season will always be my favourite despite the sour ending because it was thrilling to watch throughout the year! I think once Lewis retires Britain we go back to the Coulthard era, with Norris and Russell... Lol.

[@StreetWarrior24]

It's great to find a Brit who actually likes Lewis. I don't understand why he isn't more popular in your country.

[@nicholasjohnson6724]

Hakka used his Finn humour to upset Senna. Senna would NEVER ever get the Finn' s sense of humour. Humour with a straight, dead-pan face.......hehehe

[@ussvoyager8650]

Senna is the greatest f1 driver ever

[@altairsanchesejunior9954]

Senna, simple the Best!!!!!!!

[@squilldx5055]

What a flex

[@kuvasik]

Hi, this is Mika Hakkinen, and you're listening to Piante Creed!

[@adrianperalta7192]

Senna❤, Hakkinen👍,Ron Dennis😎

[@dazburnside7340]

_SilverArrow_xxx 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@deliriumbee4678]

@_SilverArrow_xxx Ron Dennis > Fat Brown

[@Dr.DiegoDuarte]

@_SilverArrow_xxx Zak is the wrong Bro(a)wn if you wanna win.... Ross is the boss!

[@wunyons]

Epic gamer moment

[@HighFlyingOwlOfMinerva]

He did what was called a "pro gamer move".

[@wunyons]

my point exactly :sunglasses:

[@dwaynehicks6838]

Mika hakkinen , legend.

[@gwillco5100]

What is "Car Performance"? Williams 100.023' McLaren 101.729. Where are these numbers from?

[@transformersguy234]

at a given weekend the fastest time set is 100%, say for simplicity it was a 100 second lap. The other cars get a value assigned depending on how much slower they were, so if they set a time of 102 seconds they would have a value of 102%. These values from each race weekend are averaged out over the entire season to get a value on that car's performance relative to the nonexistent "perfect car" that would have won everything.

[@gwillco5100]

Icyfiend thnx been looking for an explanation for a month or two, was explained once in a vid a long time ago and I was never able to find it, thnx

[@ChefofWar33]

@@transformersguy234 That's not right at all. All that time is, is adding all fastest lap times per car per track together then dividing by 2 for number of cars and dividing by number of tracks on the calendar. Gives you the average lap time per car on any given track.

[@transformersguy234]

@@ChefofWar33 So you're suggesting the average fastest laptime set by Mercedes is 100.164 seconds? When Spa and Baku are the only tracks with lap times exceeding 100 seconds? The performance rating isn't a time. It is an evolution of the old 107% rule, which meant that if your qualifying time was longer tan 107% of the pole sitter, you did not qualify for the race and were therefore unable to start. Hence why none of the values are below 100, which using your method, they would all be. In fact, if we average all of the pole times thus far this season you get a value of 83.289.

[@ChefofWar33]

@@transformersguy234 Either way. This is how it should be done.

[@brianhap22]

Great piece here. Really enjoyed. T'hank you.

[@lauraandlisa381]

Senna, the king of the f1 circuits!

[@aleksej79novosibirsk]

1:10 what a picture, Prost Hill Schumacher

[@mrmactknife]

Those were the days :)

[@thegreenberetlife0191]

They were the days indeed. Never was there so much talent together on the track...

[@SupraSav]

RIP Senna. Next level.

[@TOFKAS01]

1:30 Well, todays F1 is fare more compact and on even terms then it was 30 or 40 years ago. In every year, you had backmarkers who were behind several laps or even could not make the 90% distance to the first one. Even 2019s Williams is not that far away. F1 became more and more professional during the ages.

[@mikeellisonhimself]

@AlexGRFan97 Yep, people forget that unreliability was a big factor until the FIA legislated reliability. There used to be at least one engine exploding each race dumping oil all over the track (especially from the drivers who didn't park up and insisted on driving back to the pits).

[@kristofevo]

How many times do you hear “experts” on the internet saying that certain drivers “ only won because......” All the greats were beatable but have that something special that the others don’t, hence why they were the best and why they got to pick and choose which teams they drive for. Schumacher, Senna, Hamilton, are all examples of drivers who fit this criteria and seem to garner the most polarising comments. Wether you like them or not they have that something special and have done amazing things in F1 cars, that their peers cannot do, hence, like i mentioned earlier ,they can pick who they drive for, command huge salaries, manifest the team around them, have a greater influence in the cars development to suit their driving styles, influence the team bosses to pick team mates who don’t give them too much trouble and they repay all those advantages by winning multiple championships and contribute hugely to the constructors championships. If the Barrichello’s, Webber’s or the Bottas’s, to name but a few number 2 drivers ,had that same extra “ spark” it would be them that would have the advantages and championships, but they don’t. Thats life!

[@TarsoFranchis]

Perfect!

[@bluesound666]

Agreed

[@mikeellisonhimself]

And all those greats have drives that prove Navratilova's maxim of "it's how good you are on your bad days that counts". E.g. Schumacher Spain 1994.

[@adelaidecity76]

Senna had a phenomenal start AND end of 1993 but he was quite lacklustre in the middle of the season - which corresponds with what Hakkinen was apparently thinking about him not pushing as hard as he could. Very interesting video!

[@paolociarpaglini1303]

Words, words, words.., I want to see them qualifying lap comparison !!

[@AAde-or3qz]

Hakkinen, Zonta, Schumacher, Spa... balls of steel

[@marguskiis7711]

If Senna stayed in Mac, he would be alive himself hand Mac could return to form much earlier.

[@iriquoispliskin8432]

He still remains the best of all time. There are many drivers that are good. Some of them are really talented, and then, at the very top is Senna...

[@paulovargas3812]

E assim continuará por muito tempo, acredito.

[@timsherman3324]

1:35 for all we know, the gap between mclaren and williams this year might be about the same. Just the other way around

[@pressstart1490]

So, You are telling me that Senna Could Actually win a race with a 2019 Renault?

[@ivatio]

Yes. Five in fact

[@reinaldomiyazaki8218]

Senna could go way beyond limits whenever he wanted and needed. Simply the very best ever.

[@thomson765]

@@ivatio No he couldn't, Senna was absolutely astonishing but he battled two cars for top position, not eight.

[@derbigpr500]

No, he wouldn't be able to win because today, he wouldn't even be within top 10 of the best drivers on the grid.

[@derbigpr500]

@@reinaldomiyazaki8218 Such delusions and bullshit. Look, I know you're a fanboy and like glorifying someone who died to early, but you're vastly overrating him. Half the grid in today's F1 is far superior to Senna or anyone from that time, in skill, talent, consistency, etc.

[@haguen1996]

didnt get to see Senna in a lotus...grew up with him driving a mclaren when he moved to the williams it left a bitter taste cheering for the same williams prost used to beat senna...when Senna died I found myself cheering to hakkinen and his mclaren...i had hopes barrichelo would go to mclaren so I would have back something to what I was used to a brazilian driving a mclaren

[@ryanwhitlock7350]

"and people say modern F1 is uncompetitive." 5 teams and 10 drivers got podiums that year. Plus, despite that year's McLaren having the same percentage gap to 1st as this year's Renault, it still got 5 wins. Yes, modern F1 is uncompetitive.

[@Bsnakemeat]

Too much computer data / pace optimization + too much reliability = less variables to outcome or even grid positions. Still love it tho

[@danbrook7206]

I s technology gets better so will reliability tge cars if the 80s and 90s were the best they had but this is my years later things evolve

[@andrewjenkinson8948]

@eoe123321 Yeah, no, it hasn't gotten less competitive since '14. Go and check some of the season results in the early 00s.

[@andrewjenkinson8948]

In 2000 every race was won by one of two teams. Team dominance is nothing new to F1. At least in modern F1 P5/6/7 are generally on the lead lap at the chequered flag.

[@erwinlommer197]

And williams did not win 7 championships in a row. In the years gone by teams used to dominate but it was at least different team dominating in different years. Not the same one for 7 years straight...

[@barfymann362]

The watch on Senna's wrist at 2:26 ,he made a deal with a McLaren mechanic which became a well-known story. Senna promised that if he won the 1993 championship, he would switch watches with him. Sadly, Senna didn’t manage to win that time. However, he gave away his watch to the mechanic anyway, right before he left from McLaren team.

[@phil.i.am2]

barfyman362 if I right I think that was my father RP

[@barfymann362]

@@phil.i.am2 Good God, really? That is beautiful, it's a Tag Heuer with a maroon leather strap; Senna disliked metal bracelets. It should have a golden bezel on it. It's priceless. Wish you all the best.

[@dongentile6473]

really good piece, thumbs up

[@jerrygeorge007]

Mika is the reason why I started watching formula one

[@christopherhylton7497]

Me too

[@杉村敏子]

Hakkinen and Senna in the same team! Now that's special.

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Yes he did that and if u wanted to win u had to push....good and bad when u have to against your teammate....its life.

[@JamesFlemingIreland]

It might seem unfair, but I think Senna reached his peak by 1993. Hakkinen & Schumacher were fitter, more scientific in their approach and matched that approach with immense talent. Senna might have won a title in 95 with Williams, but Schumacher was epic that year with a Benetton that wasn't even a match for the Williams.

[@paulovargas3812]

His position is really unfair ..... and I explain: Senna was always brilliant in his career and not only in 93. That season showed even more what everyone already knew, winning spectacularly 5 gp's against a much better Williams and also against a Benetton with a stronger engine for more than half of the season. When you say Schumacher's performance is epic, what season do you mean? If you are referring to 93 I will be laughing, if it is in 94 I still say: "that car was illegal" everyone knew and still saw what the German did in the last race, right ??

[@heypachuco1991]

In the list of greatest driver of all time, Mika Häkkinen is a bit overlooked. Michael Schumacher is the most succesfull driver of all time and Ayrton Senna is considered by many the greatest of all time yet Mika raced with both of them, and was quite successfull.

[@milesr4609]

Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham...

[@peterhammer6915]

I would put Mika behind Fangio, Schumacher, Hamilton, Senna, Prost and Lauda. In the same bracket with Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Jack Brabham and Vettel. Above the likes of Alonso easily.

[@milesr4609]

Lewis is a bit overrated i think. He only wins for the car he have, when he have to strugle a bit he deflates like a baloon like 2009 to 2013 (or 2016...), is the same with Vettel they never leave they confort zone, old drivers raced (and win) in many diferent disciplines... Í'll put Jim Clark, Hill, Stewart and Alonso a level above, winning in diferent disciplines sume up a lot. There's a lot of underrated drivers just because they have no success or luck in F1 (for example Derek Bell or Tom Kristensen) í'll put Kimi with Lewis too. Graham Hill is the only who won the triple crown, that counts too, Jackie Icks won not only in F1, but Le mans, Dakar...in modern times Andre Lotterer may be one of those underrated drivers or Jean e. Vergne but they never have the chance in F1...

[@milesr4609]

We also forget about Sir Stirling Moss!!

[@peterhammer6915]

@@milesr4609 don't think Clark, Stewart or especially Alonso are better than Lewis, no way. Same with Hill. Alonso is overrated in my opinion, the car was always made for him 100 % not considering the other driver in the team at all.

[@youturbo2478]

Hakkinen: "Senna needs bigger balls" World: "Equal his Monaco '84 performance in your debut year (driving a midfield car)"

[@rudolfhuijs4526]

Two Finnish drivers using #7. In HAK days that was based on previous year's Constructor championship order. RAI picked #7 when permanent numbering was required by FIA. Does anyone know about other Finnish driver who used #7 ?

[@themagicslinky1773]

After some research I could not find a second finnish driver who used the number 7, though some of the drivers have very interesting stories.

[@Leopardo_Bianco]

Hakkinen used 7 till 95. There after it was 8.

[@launchsquid]

I'm a huge Schumacher fan, but I think Hakkinen was a true great in F1. He's a two time title winner, he's respected as a two time champ, but I think he's still underrated, he was better than his two titles would suggest. Schumacher is remembered as fast and ruthless but Hakkinen was quicker. At least on one lap, I think Schumacher had a slightly slower best lap but a faster average lap then Hakkinen, but that would still be splitting hairs because saying one was a little behind the other to me is saying you're comparing the best against the best. And Hakkinen did that and still showed himself to be a class act. I think it was a shame we didn't get to see so much of his personality back then, but it is fun learning that side of him now.

[@mrdraw2087]

No. Schumacher was the far superior driver in pretty much every aspect (that is, except for his ability to handle pressure). Schumacher had more raw speed, was better at overtaking and he was much more motivated. Even after he'd won seven world titles Schumacher still had the motivation to win more (he came close in 2006 and hadn't Di Montezemolo sacked him, he likely would have won the titles in 2007 and 2008 as well), whereas Häkkinen already had severe motivation problems in 2000, when he was driving a championship-winning car, and after a poor start to the 2001 season, he was a mere shadow of his former self. Had Häkkinen moved to Ferrari, he would have been obliterated very much like Barrichello I fear.

[@joaoandrade2828]

@@mrdraw2087 FACTS.

[@mrdraw2087]

@@joaoandrade2828 You asked for it: f1metrics.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/who-was-the-greatest-f1-driver/

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

Contrasting Teammates pushing each other to be better. When was the last time we saw that really working for a team and both drivers?

[@perryhowell9107]

Barry Sheen! Great story. Great driver. Great narration.

[@jackywng1236]

The gap between cars performance is huge but that's why their skill shine.

[@CountFisco]

Brilliant analysis, and a reason why I have more respect for Mika than any other F1 champion.

[@WhiteZenith]

This is just a lazy retelling of Mika's recent appearance on the Beyond The Grid F1 podcast. I'd suggest you go listen to it from the man himself rather than give these guys any more attention for ripping off others' work.

[@mrdraw2087]

So had Häkkinen raced for McLaren earlier, Senna perhaps wouldn't have made his fateful decision to move to Williams. :( It indeed seemed Senna faded away during the 1993 season, after a good start in which he won a couple of wet-weather races. But during most of the summer he was outperformed by Schumacher equally-underpowered Benetton and he made silly mistakes in Germany and Italy in wheel-to-wheel battles. Only in the final races of the season he was back to his normal level, but by then it was too little too late. 1994 would have been another wake-up call, so I think the best was yet to come for Senna.

[@mrdraw2087]

@Cheetah Car When Senna entered Formula 1, his main purpose was to beat Prost, so when Prost retired, Senna begged him to return. Interestingly, Schumacher turned out to be an even more formidable opponent and I really think that Senna really would have to step up his performance to beat him in 1994 (and beyond). After all, unlike 1992 or 1993 he was in the best car, so he had everything to prove. About the alleged Benetton cheating: you might like the book "1994: The Untold Story of a Tragic and Controversial F1 Season".

[@ssssssss6889]

I do not think that Senna was any better early in the season than later on. Senna's victories was also partially thanks to the amateurism of Prost and Williams team. At the Brasilian gp, Prost spun out by himself after staying out a lap longer under pouring rain due to communication problems with pits. It was Hill the only second race for Williams and he played safe and did not forced his luck and just accepted the 2nd place , letting go Senna in process while driving with slicks on a drying racing line on a wet track. At Monaco, Prost jumpes the start, get a drive thru penalty then stalls after serving the penalty. Schumi with the Benetton blowes the engine ans gets out and Senna wins. Donington , we all know. So , these early three victories are not really due to the car's on Senna's raw pace on a dry set up but backed by the errors and unluck of others. Whereas the last two wins were , in much higher proportions, thanks to car 's progress and a bit also thanks to Prost not really giving a s.... about winnong races as he already had the chamoionship on the pocket. For italy and germany, right Senna felt himself under too much pressure and overdid. Also, to me, 1993 was one of the worst overall operation and execution by a title winning team, williams. But because the car was so much better, that is not really reflected on the statistics.

[@mrdraw2087]

​@@ssssssss6889 True, Prost should have won that championship easily. Still, I do think Senna was great in Donington, even though this victory wasn't as easy as the history books make it look like. Up until mid-distance it was a real struggle. Prost's Monaco performance was quite hilarious, even though he somehow did manage to pass a lot of cars after serving his penalty. He also got a penalty in Germany, his last win, which was quite unfair to be honest.

[@ssssssss6889]

@@mrdraw2087 yeah, williams had the car to win every single race. They won the title but so much underachieved. Also, i am always thinking whether if mclaren kept berger or put hakkinen on the 2nd car from the 1st race on, they might have a much better shot in fighting and destabilazing the williams squad given hiw many victories and points they (williams) threw out of window that year.

[@mrdraw2087]

@@ssssssss6889 Häkkinen or Berger instead of Andretti would have been a huge improvement I think. Possibly they would capitalize on Prost's terrible starts and compromise his races, thereby making the races and championship much more interesting.

[@SavikujaTero]

Ron Dennis has claimed Häkkinen was the fastest driver ever who has driven for McLaren. Of course being fastest, does not mean the best one as you need to set up settings, communicate with engieneers, have ultinate passion etc. But in pure pace even Senna could not beat him.

[@whatfffd]

I haven't seen one comment about Hakkinens racing line compared to other drivers. The widest most perfect use of the road you could desire from a driver! Senna's was variable depending on conditions. He understood the tarmac. Hamilton's is aggressive and shallow , Schumacher's was similar to Aryton's and Alonso's was always the most consistent.

[@keithrichards4296]

Just disrespectful in several levels. But OK he was young, we usually say sh!t when we're young.

[@keithrichards4296]

@@valerierodger7700 Well unfortunately it seemed effectless. Or at least had the opposite effect. Cause Ayrton still ended up winning the 2 last GPs... but him... never even came close.

[@DEE-qu5mc]

Go Mika! Telling Senna he needed bigger balls😂🤣

[@Senna-xi1gr]

Senna, The best entertainer you will ever have seen on the black stuff. ( Donnington 1993).

[@Mr.Monaco94]

Bigger balls than Senna and yet he nearly lost the 1999 WDC to the almighty Eddie Irvine.

[@Mr.Monaco94]

@Shaboi Mike Wrong, Hakkinen was overrated and then chickened out of the sport when Coulthard was out-driving him.

[@deezynar]

Excellent video.

[@SU-wg9pz]

Hakkinen you madlad

[@ewennicolson4342]

Hakkinen's roll that year, albeit belatedly, was to give Senna the kick in the arse he needed. When your opponents car seems vastly superior, it's easy to get into a rut and cave mentally. Senna realised all too late that there was more to be gained from the car, but it took a late season team change for him to understand that.

[@moneytron4143]

Great comment, i agree, and im brasilian.

[@andreavelinodacosta1418]

Senna didn ' t have a contract deal with McLaren till july 1993 ... He was just a rented driver !!! He didn ' t have any obligation to team which includes testing ... After he signed to do the rest of the season , the car had a ruge evolution !!! McLaren only had great results that year thanks to him !!! He extrated everythink from the car !!! It 's a ruge nonsense saying that Senna didn ' t give everythink he could to bring the best results to the team !!!!

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Nice bravo bravo...well done nice orchestration....

[@is-gy7vt]

Mika, our legend🇫🇮

[@Showmetheevidence-]

Just shows you how much behind the scenes stuff is happening as not much of this info was available to fans during these seasons.

[@MangoIsLove55]

"Big balls" -James hunt

[@Balnazzardi]

And still some Senna fans are mad about that, can you believe? :D I mean I have as great admiration for Senna as most people, but Senna's hardcore fanbase have no sense of humor either....especially those from Brazil. I mean if any such people happen to read this comment, try to understand it was just a joke, ok? :D Mika meant no disrespect, but Senna had no sense of humor.

[@Balnazzardi]

Perhaps, but honestly what they should understand atleast that Mika really didnt mean any kind of disrespect and after more than 25 years, they shouldnt still be so mad about it. I can understand if they thought it was not "cool joke", but at the same time they should understand that Mika was just joking and not disrespecting Senna.

[@keyboardwarrior327]

@@aosorea I wonder what the serious Brazilian fans thought when Gerhardt Berger threw Senna's briefcase out of the helicopter.

[@pedrolacerda8528]

So, i'm brazilian, i love Senna, and i know that was a joke without purpose to be agressive or smthg like that. It's a show and over the track and press conferences Ayrton and Hakkinen should and had respect for the talent that they gave for all the motorsport culture. So if senna was injured with that comment.... is because he had tiny balls or something like that, but it's my conspiracy.

[@pedrolacerda8528]

I mean, only one joke and problems with the team but it's also F1.

[@matmcd]

Senna's fanbase or Senna didnt had a sense of humor? I know a lot of people here in Brazil don't have when it comes to Senna, but him I personally think he had. It depended a lot on the other fellow, though, like it is with everyone else.

[@thecommission6662]

Senna put Hakkinen in his place in the race.

[@thecommission6662]

@@puketai It's not such a good story, to tell the truth.

[@jeebolard]

Why were Andretti/Hakkinen car 7 and Senna car 8 in 1993? That's always bugged me...Senna was primary, so he should have had the lower number, right?

[@paulwoodhall1748]

Hakkinen caught Mansell on the decline in F1 terms so when he say's he was nearly crying next to him you have to put that into context. Hakkinen was a top driver, no doubt, but facing Senna and Mansell towards the twilight of their careers wasn't truly reflective of his achievements at that time when he faced them.Facing Prost, Senna and Piquet in their prime and not counting really bad luck Mansell could of easily been three time world champion.

[@weignerleigner3037]

I just got an ad for a filter that takes lead out of my tap water..........uhhhhhhhh

[@szewei85]

Haha respect. Well deserved champion at the end of 20th century.

[@silenziodoro3238]

maybe Senna was bored against Andretti. a race later the ranking was restored. Two races later he gave Häkkinen 7 tenths of a second

[@kerimca98]

Captions: Mika hacking

[@jv0995]

I wish he had competed with mclaren at the beginning of the 93 season

[@matthiascerebri3315]

Could you rank the Title deicders from 2010-19 and the most interesting races of each of these years?

[@akioasakura3624]

The real GOATs

[@MadofaA]

He actually must have said something more to the effect of “You need pigger palls!”

[@junienet]

McLaren-Honda 2:57