Martin Brundle’s verdict on who had more talent between Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna after competing against both

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Martin Brundle raced against both Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher during his racing career. That makes him best placed to compare the two Formula 1 legends.

Brundle encountered Senna in British Formula 3 on their ascent to F1. They battled for the 1983 championship, with the Brazilian prevailing by just nine points.

The two drivers graduated to the pinnacle of motorsport a year later. Senna went on to win three world championships, while Brundle never managed to win a race despite finishing on the podium nine times.

In 1992, towards the end of his career, the Briton joined Bennetton, partnering Schumacher. It was the latter’s first full season in the sport after his mid-season arrival in ’91.

Schumacher immediately finished third in the championship with 53 points, while Brundle placed sixth on 38. The future world champion whitewashed the qualifying head-to-head, but the battle was closer in the races.

Martin Brundle says Ayrton Senna had a greater ‘gift’ than Michael Schumacher

As part of the interview for Philip Porter’s book ‘Drivers on Drivers’, Brundle was asked to compare Senna and Schumacher. On outright numbers, the ex-Ferrari driver has the edge.

He won seven world championships – a tally only Lewis Hamilton has matched. Senna, on the other hand, picked up three before his fatal accident in 1994.

But Brundle believes Senna had the slight edge when it came to the ‘natural gift of driving’. He was also more emotional behind the wheel.

Schumacher achieved success through an ‘incredible’ work ethic. He had the interpersonal skills to rally a whole team so they’d match his commitment.

“I would say Senna was driven from the heart and Schumacher driven from the head,” Brundle explained. “Michael came at it in a different way.

“He wasn’t emotionally driven at all. He worked incredibly hard. I don’t think he’d got quite the natural gift of driving or the speed of Ayrton, not quite, but he worked much harder in galvanising everybody in the team around him, everything was pointed at him. And he delivered on track, so they loved him.”

How Michael Schumacher’s best F1 season compares to Max Verstappen

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen named Schumacher and Senna in his all-time top five. Both are in the greatest of all time conversation.

Schumacher won five championships in a row with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. It’s a run nobody has equalled either before or since.

Verstappen has a chance to do so this year, but his streak is under major threat. McLaren and Ferrari both overtook Red Bull last season.

Christian Horner’s squad are no longer a dominant force. Verstappen surpassed Schumacher’s records during the 2023 season, when he won an astonishing 19 out of 23 races.