Choice cuts

Senna quotes from the film — and the cutting room floor — reveal much

Ayrton Senna could be articulate and mesmerising when interviewed in English, but he was far more open with the Brazilian media. The Senna film-makers sourced many hours of interviews from Globo TV, although only a fraction made the final cut. Here is a sample of his thoughts.

“I think God gave me this gift And now he is helping me to be calm, relaxed.., and fine”
1983, Donington Williams test

“It gives me great pleasure to do my best and work hard especially for the team. From now on, they will make an enormous effort for us to fight for the podium”
1985, Portuguese GP (first win)

“Through the karting years, when I hit many other cars and lost many titles, I learned a lot. Today, I try to make fewer mistakes. Often, when I am behind someone, I want to pass immediately. And it may be risky, so I have to hold back. The hard thing is self-control, waiting for the best time to overtake…”
Late 1986

“The team’s policy, intention and goal is to have two number one drivers. Prost is an excellent professional, a double World Champion, and I’ll learn a lot at McLaren as a professional and as a person”
1987, on signing for McLaren

“In a profession like this, where you live with danger and make the sacrifice to live away from Brazil and the people you love, the only motivation that makes you continue is the will to win and the belief that you can”
1988, Brazilian GP

“I feel peace, like tons of weight has lifted from my head and my shoulders. It’s hard to comprehend what being a World Champion is. Now I can say without fear that I never lost my faith; it was God who gave me this title”
7988, Japanese GP (first world title)

(Asked to describe Prost) “A man who didn’t accept that in that moment there was someone better than him and reacted in a destructive way as a professional and as a man. It’s he who will lose the most by this, even though he’s won the championship”
Late 1989

“On many occasions I find my own limits and begin a fight with myself to go beyond them, all because my will to improve is huge”
1990, Spanish GP