Mansell, Prost or Senna

[ArrowsFA1]

Senna for me, but only just over Prost. They were two very different drivers who achieved similar results. Senna was absorbed by racing, totally committed and blindingly quick.

Prost never seemed that quick, and yet he clearly was. In comparison with Senna he showed little emotion, rarely seemed rattled, and simply got on with the job of winning races and championships.

Competing against eachother brought out the best in both, even more so as we got to see them race the same car in the same team for two years.

IMHO Mansell does not belong in the same company as these two. Yes he could be exciting to watch at times, and yes he could be quick when everything was going his way, but in the same car he wouldn't have been able to live with Prost or Senna over a season.

[fly_ac]

Senna for me, but only just over Prost. They were two very different drivers who achieved similar results. Senna was absorbed by racing, totally committed and blindingly quick.

Prost never seemed that quick, and yet he clearly was. In comparison with Senna he showed little emotion, rarely seemed rattled, and simply got on with the job of winning races and championships.

Competing against eachother brought out the best in both, even more so as we got to see them race the same car in the same team for two years.

IMHO Mansell does not belong in the same company as these two. Yes he could be exciting to watch at times, and yes he could be quick when everything was going his way, but in the same car he wouldn't have been able to live with Prost or Senna over a season.

Agree 100%

[Georgeboi999]

Senna was fast and he had a good personality

Senna for me, but only just over Prost. They were two very different drivers who achieved similar results. Senna was absorbed by racing, totally committed and blindingly quick.

Prost never seemed that quick, and yet he clearly was. In comparison with Senna he showed little emotion, rarely seemed rattled, and simply got on with the job of winning races and championships.

Competing against eachother brought out the best in both, even more so as we got to see them race the same car in the same team for two years.

IMHO Mansell does not belong in the same company as these two. Yes he could be exciting to watch at times, and yes he could be quick when everything was going his way, but in the same car he wouldn't have been able to live with Prost or Senna over a season.

If you had put Alain above Senna, I'd agree 100%.

I know that there are lies, damn lies and then there are statistics, but.....

My problem with Senna's statistics is a simple one but one that I never hear anyone else mention. Twice as many poles as wins, or thereabouts. Alain's stats are pretty much the exact opposite.

That, my dear boys, means Alain has much better stats from race day....and race day is when it matters.

[ArrowsFA1]

That, my dear boys, means Alain has much better stats from race day....and race day is when it matters.

Very true. Senna "only just" edges it for me over Prost largely because for the fans in the stands I think he was more exciting to watch. I have the feeling that Prost's success was founded on preparation (getting the car set up to win the race as you point out) rather than outright speed. I suspect he was similar to Stewart in that sense, and I don't see Stewart as a 'spectacular' driver.

[futuretiger9]

Particularly during the turbo years, Prost was a master at judging things like tyre wear, fuel consumption and general set-up, and was great at preserving his car. His strength was "finding a way to win". Senna combined many of these attributes with his passion,ambition and outright pace. This was what made him such a unique talent.

[Simpson RX1]

No great debate from me; from the minute I saw him at a wind and rain swept Brands Hatch in the early 80s, the shy, retiring and barely English speaking Ayrton Senna Da Silva was always going to be one of the sport's greats; even my Altzheimer's afflicted Dad remembers the day I came home and told him I'd witnessed possibly the best driver I'd ever seen don helmet and overalls.

He was never my favourite person, and his tactics were sometimes questionable, but in an age where column inches meant as much as track performance, Senna was a tour de force with no equal; I will admit Prost comes a close second, but Mansell wasn't fit to tie Senna's shoelaces.

[EuroTroll]

My problem with Senna's statistics is a simple one but one that I never hear anyone else mention. Twice as many poles as wins, or thereabouts. Alain's stats are pretty much the exact opposite.

That, my dear boys, means Alain has much better stats from race day....and race day is when it matters.

What sort of logic is that?

Senna won 25.5 % of the races he started, Prost won 25.9 %. "Much better stats from race day"?

[EuroTroll]

In case you're wondering, Mansell won 16.6 % of his races..

[ArrowsFA1]

Senna:
Poles - 65 (40.4%)
Wins - 41 (25.5%)
Podiums - 80 - (49.7%)
Fastest Laps - 19 (11.8%)

Prost:
Poles - 33 (16.6%)
Wins - 51 (25.6%)
Podiums - 106 (53.3%)
Fastest Laps - 41 (20.6%)

Mansell:
Poles - 32 (17.1%)
Wins - 31 (16.6%)
Podiums - 59 (31.6%)
Fastest Laps - 30 (16%)

For someone who didn't look very fast Prost certainly set a lot of fastest laps, which supports tamburello's point that Prost got it right on raceday.