Special episode with Dax Shepard: F1 and the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death
Release Date: 04/29/2024
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This is a special episode of The Drive with Peter’s friend and fellow car enthusiast Dax Shepard. In this podcast, which commemorates the 30th anniversary of the death of Brazilian Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, Dax sits down with Peter to better understand what made Senna so special and why Peter remains an enormous fan. This conversation focuses on Senna’s life, the circumstances of his death, and his lasting impact and legacy on the sport of F1.
We discuss:
- Peter’s interest in motorsports began as a child [2:30];
- The drama and dangers of F1 [6:00];
- What made Senna special [13:00];
- What Senna meant to Brazilians [24:00];
- The cause of the fatal crash [28:15];
- Why Peter is obsessed with Senna [40:30];
- Being the best versus having the best record [43:30];
- Senna’s unique driving style and incredible intuition about automotive engineering [46:30];
- Back to the day of the dreadful race [53:00];
- What Peter believes caused the crash [1:02:45];
- Views on dying young, in the prime of life [1:13:00];
- Senna lives on in his foundation and in safety changes adopted by F1 [1:21:00];
- Statistics aren’t enough for fandom, and why people like who they do [1:24:15];
- The biggest difference between F1 today and F1 in the 80s [1:28:30];
- Senna’s driving superpower [1:30:30];
- The fastest drivers currently in F1 [1:38:30];
- Current F1 obsessions [1:45:00];
- How hard it is to do what the top F1 drivers do [1:50:15];
- Dax’s love of motorcycles and his AMG E63 station wagon [1:52:15];
- Awesome Senna mementos from Etsy [2:01:15];
- What makes specialists interesting, and Max’s devotion to F1 [2:10:15];
- What Senna might have done if he had not died that day [2:14:00];
- Michael Schumacher and Max Verstappen are also top F1 drivers [2:17:30];
- Interlagos in Sao Paulo Brazil is always an incredible experience [2:18:45]; and
- More.
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