Ron Dennis on Senna – Part two: the later years

On Senna finally scoring a home victory in Brazil in 1991…
“As a Brazilian there was a degree of ‘mechanism’ about it – he understood that winning in Brazil would be good for him; it would optimise his commercial position and make him an even greater hero. He had a very strong sense of value, but he was passionate as well. Of course, the crowd went berserk and everybody got caught up in it – but to me it was just another race, it just happened to be in Brazil. You know, people very often ask, ‘what’s your favourite race?’ and I always answer, ‘the last one we won’. So it was very important to him, but it was just another race to me.”

…and then struggling physically on the podium
“All racing drivers want to feel part of the car, to such an extent that they don’t want to move; they try to lock themselves in. In Brazil (in 1991) Ayrton cut his circulation to his upper body by tightening the seat belts so much, and that is why he subsequently was in a lot of pain on the podium.”

See also God, Easter, Senna and Schumacher

On Senna’s tolerance for pain
“I remember in Mexico (in 1991), Ayrton made a rare mistake and inverted himself into the gravel trap and the car was upside down and no one really knew how he was. He was taken to the medical centre and I could hear him screaming with pain.