“At the end of the first lap, Senna led by 2.65sec. The gap extended by roughly the same amount on each succeeding lap. A clear track played its part but Senna was about to prove that the benefit of unimpeded vision was not as valuable as his surging pace seemed to suggest. Within five laps, he was among the backmarkers – and slicing through as if they were standing still. A second or two may have been added to each lap, but a gap between Tyrrell drivers Martin Brundle and Stefan Bellof in 12th and 13th places allowed Senna to really show what he was worth on lap 15.
“The Lotus stopped the clocks at 1min 44.121sec. Such were the tricky conditions, this may have been a full 23sec slower than pole – but it was in a different time zone compared to everyone else, even allowing for drivers being embroiled in the swirling atomisers created by traffic. On the same lap De Angelis, in second place, recorded 1min 46.027sec; Prost (third) 1min 45.898sec and the Ferrari of Michele Alboreto (fourth) 1min 45.906sec. Everyone else was in the high 1min 46sec – and beyond. Senna was showing no indication of backing off.”
No one could hold a light to the Brazilian that day, as his F1 competitors Martin Brundle and Derek Warwick told Motor Sport in their memories of the brilliant drive.
“That race was an immense mental and physical challenge and timed out after two hours,” says Brundle.
Senna in full flow at Estoril ’85
Getty Images
“Every corner was an opportunity to spin out and many did. I recall Keke Rosberg’s Williams being marooned for ages on the racing line in the middle of the long and fast final corner for us all to navigate around. No safety car or red flags were deployed and that probably sums up the challenge of surviving that race, let alone dominating it and leading every lap.
“Ayrton simply walked on water that day in Portugal.”
“I think that race at Estoril in 1985 was when we all realised that Ayrton Senna was something special, and certainly something special in the wet,” adds Warwick.
“He always had this unbelievable confidence in the rain and he showed that in the grand prix that day.
“I think it was really his first step on the way to superstardom.”
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Ayrton Senna’s Estoril rain dance – the full story: Portugal ’85 remembered by those who were there• Estoril in 1985 marked Ayrton Senna’s arrival as an F1 class act. Maurice Hamilton, Martin Brundle and Derek Warwick look back on that famous win in the wet Read the exclusive feature in the latest issue of Motor Sport |