Former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt has revealed that Ayrton Senna had been interested in joining the Maranello outfit in 1995.
During an appearance on the High Performance podcast, Todt explained that the Brazilian driver was a primary target during the early stages of Ferrari’s ambitious rebuilding phase in the 1990s.
“Ferrari was not successful at all, and they were dying to try to find somebody who could take the job,” Todt explained. “From when my name was proposed until I met them, it was a long time before we both agreed because I felt like it was going to be a very difficult challenge.
“Everybody was telling me ‘Don’t go there. You will not last more than two years.’ And for them to take somebody who had no experience of Formula 1 and to take somebody who was not Italian, it was a big change.
“But finally, after long discussions, I think the discussion started in August ’92 and we finalised it in March ’93. The first really dream driver I discussed was Ayrton Senna.
“It was during the Monza Grand Prix in ’93. I remember he came to my room in, we were staying in the same hotel, and we spent part of the night together to speak about him joining Ferrari, and he wanted to come.
Teammates Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi chat trackside with team boss Jean Todt before the race.
Photo by: Motorsport Images
“He wanted to come, but he wanted to come in ’94 and in ’94 we already had a contract with Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi and I said to him ’94 will not be possible. First, we will not be ready yet, and then we have a contract, and he answered to me Formula 1 contracts are not important. For me, a contract is important.”
Unable to reach a compromise on the timeline, Senna ultimately signed with Williams for 1994.
He added: “He wanted to arrive in ’94. That’s why he went to Williams. So after that ’94 we still had the same drivers, but we were rebuilding the team.”
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