Donington to remember legendary 1993 European GP

By Marc McLaren
News
 | 26 Mar 2018
Donington to remember legendary 1993 European GP

It's one of the most memorable Grands Prix ever, and quite possibly Ayrton Senna's greatest drive – and now the 1993 European GP is to be celebrated at this year's Donington Historic Festival.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the race – which was the first Grand Prix at Donington for 55 years – and the festival will pay tribute to it throughout the weekend.

F1 cars will feature in on-track demonstrations on both the Saturday and Sunday, and there'll be static displays running across all three days. Visitors will also get the chance to share their memories of the classic race. 

Donington to remember legendary 1993 European GP

The cars on show will all either have been driven by Senna or competed against him. They'll include his McLaren MP4/8 test car from the Donington race, and a 1993 Benetton B193B that was raced throughout the season by Michael Schumacher and Riccardo Patrese.

Other F1 cars to feature will include the Toleman TG-184-01 Hart Turbo used by Senna at the 1984 British Grand Prix, a Camel Lotus/Judd 101/3 raced in 1989 by Nelson Piquet and Satoru Nakajima and Gerhard Berger’s 1992 Canadian GP-winning McLaren MP4/7A-8.

Donington to remember legendary 1993 European GP

The '93 European GP is widely regarded as one of the greatest of Senna's victories, and undoubtedly one of the best first laps ever, by anyone.

The Brazilian had qualified in fourth, his underpowered McLaren slotting on to the grid behind the two Williams of Alain Prost and Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher's Benetton.  

By the start of the race, though, it was raining – and Senna always did like a wet drive.

Despite dropping to fifth at the first corner, he then passed Schumacher before chasing down Sauber's Karl Wendlinger to take third with a breathtaking overtake around the outside.

Hill didn't last long, either, which put his great rival Prost within his sights. After sizing him up for a short time, Senna passed Prost too, taking the lead before the first lap was over.

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The remainder of the race was punctuated by repeated downpours and passed in a blur of pit stops, with Senna and Prost swapping the lead and several drivers spinning off. But Senna ultimately read the conditions better than his rivals, and only pitted four times to Prost's seven. 

By the chequered flag he was 80 seconds ahead of Damon Hill and had lapped the entire field bar the second-place driver.  

The Donington Historic Festival takes place from 4-6 May. Tickets are available from the event's website.

Images: LAT Photographic