In Annette Anderson’s fascinating debut in The Monegasque magazine, her article “Will the Funkiest Prince Please Stand Up?” links two events that marked Monaco’s history in the first week of May 1994. One is the death of F1 driver Ayrton Senna and how “at the request of Michael Schumacher and Keke Rosberg” several drivers, compatriots and Stars’n’Bars owners Kate Powers and Didier Rubiolo “commandeered the upstairs bar and drank into the wee hours, toasting and sharing memories of their fallen brother.” The other, well, you’ll have to pick up a copy of the latest issue to read her compelling story.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Author Daniel Ortelli talks about his new book on Ayrton Senna and the FNAC event on Wednesday, May 22.
Thirty years may have passed since Senna died tragically on the Imola circuit aged 34, yet the fascination for the Brazilian driver has not diminished. And a new book Eternel Senna: Le Livre Hommage (Éditions Glénat, €39.95) provides an unprecedented 10-year snapshot of Senna’s character. The 224 pages by Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch and Dominique Leroy cover his Formula 1 debut in 1984 to his final season with Williams and include exclusive testimonials from those close to the man from Sao Paolo.
The trio promoted the book at the Rendez-Vous Culturel at the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo last Friday. Daniel, a veteran motorsport journalist in the region, said. “Senna always attracted attention, even the years when he didn’t win. Because he was in Pole position, because he was driving a Renault, there was always a good reason to talk about him. There were some years when he won three times, and other years when he didn’t win a title, but it didn’t matter. Every year there were stories to tell about him.”
“In France his rivalry with Proust was followed very closely, at a time when TF1 beat all the records for audience sizes. Dominique Leroy was in the front row and we had Dominique’s eye on the event from the beginning to the end. Sometimes during F1 you may have five different photographers and so five different styles of photos. With Dominique, who knows the subject so well, there was unity. The quality was consistent.”
On being approached about the book, Dominique said, “There are always around a hundred photos of Ayrton Senna that appear all the time. But they wanted 500 photos and that was a bit complicated. I started looking in the cellar, in the attic, to try and find some photos. To be honest, three quarters of them were unpublished.”
An accomplished painter, Dominique was at San Marino the day Senna died. “I had the immense privilege during the first Formula One to be sent almost permanently to the Williams garage. On May 1, 1994, I was at the starting line. Ayrton Senna arrived and did something that he never did – he took off his helmet and his balaclava. Everyone was surprised.”
Dominque unknowingly took his penultimate photo of Ayrton Senna at 1:50 pm, 27 minutes before he died and this photograph graces the books cover. (Dominque’s last Senna photo is with the driver wearing his balaclava.)
Daniel added, “The inquiry by AutoSprint, the Italian motorsport magazine, was exemplary. They could have produced something trashy and dramatic that we see nowadays. They knew pretty much exactly what happened. They knew that the steering column had broken, but they didn’t write it. They respected the memory of this champion and they refused to enter into a debate, to create a buzz with the information that they had.”
Laurence Genevet and Dominique Leroy.
Thomas Woloch, a Monaco resident and author of Max Verstappen, le sacre d’un champion, shared an insightful anecdote. He had spent months and endless nights researching Eternel Senna speaking to those close to “Beco” as Senna was nicknamed by his parents. Nuno Cobra, Senna’s coach and mentor, who is now in his 80s, explained to Thomas by phone about the dual personalities of Senna. There was Ayrton on one side, and Senna on the other. He adored Ayrton, the sweet and kind family man, but he couldn’t stand Senna, the predator driver, who was ready to do anything to win.
As Thomas described it, “On one occasion, Senna was on his yacht in Sao Paolo. Senna was really annoyed and uptight, and his coach said, ‘Come on, let’s go and play some tennis.’ Senna was known for being anxious and quite surly and his technique for making him feel better was to go and play tennis. So, they played for a couple of hours and the coach told me that Senna gradually became Ayrton. To tease him, whenever he saw Ayrton, he would ask him, ‘Did you lock Senna in your room? Because I don’t want to see him today.’ This was his trainer, his mentor, who knew him so well.”
A replica Ayrton Senna, Williams helmet from 1994 will be on display at the book signing. The collector’s item is one of a number of Stars’n’Bars sports memorabilia to be featured at an upcoming auction by Artcurial on July 8 at 2pm at the Hotel Hermitage.
Don’t miss Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch and Dominique Leroy at FNAC Monaco on Tuesday, May 22. The trio will be signing copies of Eternel Senna: Le Livre Hommage from 3-to 5 pm. The book is also available in English to order.
Article first published May 15, 2024. All photos and video copyright Good News Monaco.
