Former Ferrari top executive Jean Todt opens up about the conversations he had in 1993 with Ayrton Senna. The legendary Brazilian was willing to make the switch to Ferrari, but Todt was forced to postpone that collaboration; the team had already signed Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi. The Frenchman remembers a long conversation in a hotel room with Senna, who ultimately had to move to the Williams team.
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During a guest appearance on the High Performance podcast, Todt explained how he and Senna spoke in 1993 about a contract at Ferrari. The Frenchman had just been appointed team principal and was very keen to work with the Brazilian. “The first driver I really dreamed of was Ayrton Senna,” he said. “That was during the 1993 Monza Grand Prix. I remember him coming to my room – we were staying in the same hotel – and we spent a long night talking about him coming to Ferrari. He really wanted to come.”
‘That’s why he chose Williams’
“He wanted to come, but already in 1994,” said Todt. “Only we already had contracts with Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi. So I told him that ’94 was not possible. He replied: ‘F1 contracts are not important.’ But I actually think a contract is important. I was at the head of the F1 team and could talk about a contract for 1995, but he insisted on coming in 1994. That’s why he ultimately chose Williams.”
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Senna traded McLaren for the Grove-based team, hoping to one day race for Ferrari. It is well known that he wanted to end his career – like so many drivers – at the Scuderia. Due to his fatal accident during the San Marino Grand Prix, that dream marriage never happened.
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