Martin Brundle recalls the moment he realised F1 legend Ayrton Senna had a ‘gift’ for racing

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The 1983 British Formula Three Championship established the reputations of two of the brightest young stars in motor racing.

Driving for Eddie Jordan Racing, Martin Brundle had risen through the ranks of British motorsport and was on the cusp of reaching Formula 1.

He earned a seat at Tyrrell off the back of that campaign, but could only finish runner-up to a young Brazilian by the name of Ayrton Senna.

Senna had been racing in Britain for several years, winning every championship he entered, but Brundle was his toughest competitor to date.

Out of the 20 races that season, Brundle and Senna won 19, with Calvin Fish’s victory at Oulton Park the only time their dominance was interrupted.

It was an incredible contest, with Senna winning the first nine races on the bounce, but only defeating Brundle by nine points before joining Toleman in 1984 and beginning of the most heralded F1 careers of all time.

Senna was considered one of the kings of Monaco and his legacy still exists to this day.

Lewis Hamilton paid tribute to Senna at last year’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix and speaking on the Beyond The Grid Podcast, Brundle recalled the moment he realised his racing rival was special.

Martin Brundle explains how he knew F1 legend Ayrton Senna had the ‘gift’ for racing

Brundle was reflecting on his journey to Formula 1 and said: “I never kart raced.

“I’ll never forget the day Ayrton overtook me in Formula 3 in the rain at Silverstone.

“He went down the outside of me into Stowe and it was torrential rain. I was leading and he went so deep.

“I actually remember shouting out loud, ‘See ya, wouldn’t want to be out there!’

“He went all the way around the outside of Stowe on the karting line of which I had no experience with because I never did karting [and] he came out in front of me. How did he do that?

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“The race was red-flagged so, as we were going round to the grid again to reform for the second part of the race I thought I’m going to try Ayrton to line.

“[I] went down the outside, hit a puddle of water, down the grass, skimmed the barrier, just survived.

“Got back to the grid, thought that was a bit of a lucky escape. Restarted the second part of the race.

“This time Ayrton won the drag race down to Stowe, I followed him home, [and] I finished second.

“On the podium, I said to him, your line into Stowe in the second part of the race didn’t work, did it?

“And he said, I don’t know, I didn’t try, It was too wet. He just had this knowledge, he had this gift and he had this experience that I didn’t have.”

Martin Brundle and Ayrton Senna racing paths divulge in Formula 1

The 1984 F1 season mirrored the upcoming campaign in one way, with plenty of interest in the rookies entering the sport.

Brundle and Senna were the headline additions to the grid but had very different seasons.

Senna finished ninth in the Drivers’ Championship – level on points with Nigel Mansell – finishing on the podium at Monaco and Silverstone.

Brundle, on the other hand, saw his Tyrrell disqualified from every race it took part in, setting his F1 career back immediately.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Ayrton Senna including Alain Prost rivalry and Imola crash

Senna went on to win three championships with McLaren after a spell at Lotus, before his tragic death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix during his first season with Williams.

His British rival raced in F1 until 1996, but Brundle was constantly denied a precious race victory, finishing on the podium on nine occasions without standing on the top step.

They may have had very different records in Formula 1, but it shouldn’t be forgotten how formidable Brundle was on his day, going toe-to-toe with Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen when they were teammates.