Ayrton Senna always attracted the attention of the press in Brazil and abroad during the Formula 1 GPs | Photo: Reproduction/@sennabrasil
Like every human, Ayrton Senna was ‘several’. The undisputed idol of millions of Brazilians, for whom fans still have an almost messianic devotion. The bold and courageous pilot. The introverted and controversial character. The athlete who fueled rivalries that lasted until his death…
For 45 years, from 1970 to 2015, Antônio Melane worked as a reporter for the newspaper State of Minas. Between various sports coverages such as World Cups, Olympics and Formula 1 GPs, he met many sports personalities and had some interaction with Ayrton Senna for almost a decade.
“I started covering Formula 1 around 1984. But, at that time, I only did the races in Jacarepaguá (Rio) and Interlagos (São Paulo). The first international coverage was in Monza. From there, I went to Mexico and then Australia, at the Adelaide GP, which secured the title for Alain Post (French driver, four-time world champion in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993)”, begins Melane.
In relation to Senna, the first contacts were from a distance, through the former driver’s father.
“Ayrton’s father already sent press releases to newsrooms when he was still competing in karting. ‘His’ Milton (father) was always his main advisor. When Ayrton went to Formula 2, his father left his role and a company began to advise him. I met his father at one of these races and he remembered the classes I took when I was in karting”, says Melane.
Ayrton Senna was Brazilian kart champion for the first time in 1978, at the Tarumã racetrack
If the contact with ‘his’ Milton was affable and cordial, the same did not occur during his son’s coverage. “Ayrton didn’t like me”, says the journalist.
The reason, reveals Melane, was unusual. “’That black guy over there, the miner, is a friend of Nelson (Piquet).’ He spoke like that. It’s their rivalry, jealousy. They say that Cuca (Athletico-PR coach) has a mania for persecution, that there is always someone wanting to take him down and so on. In Formula 1 it is much worse. The more money involved, the worse it is”, says the retired journalist since 2015.
During 20 years covering F-1, Melane says that in races abroad there was always a group of “about 18 journalists” of which he was part. “Nilson Cesar, Edgard Mello Filho, Celso Itiberê, Flávio Gomes, Renato Maurício Prado, Galvão Bueno, Reginaldo Leme, Roberto Cabrini, Luiz Roberto. These are some of those who were always there”, says the journalist.
Melane recalls that, during international coverage, the group of Brazilians used to get together for dinner, after each person completed their agenda. “I met Ayrton on several occasions. He always used to show up because he was a good friend of Galvão (Bueno), who was part of the group,” she explains.
In one of these GPs, the journalist experienced a setback that reiterated the little sympathy that Senna had for him.
“In these large coverages, there is always a lot of confusion. Lots of people, restricted areas, isolation cordons. In one of these GPs, when they isolated the drivers, I was left out. It was very quick and I was on the other side. Ayrton was giving an interview and I called him so he could see me and authorize me to join them. I called several times. He looked at it and didn’t even notice”, he recalls.
(Cesar) Tralli (Globo reporter) saw me and spoke to the security guard, in English, that he was supposed to release me because he was a journalist, Brazilian and was working. Before opening, the security guard looked at Ayrton, as if asking for authorization. I was wearing a green shirt, Ayrton looked and said: ‘You can let the green one come’”, adds the journalist.
If there was any doubt about Senna’s ‘enmity’ towards the reporter, this was resolved in yet another episode between the pair.
“When I was covering this, I was trying to do something outside of the day-to-day racing, stories with a different approach. One day, I arrived at Ayrton and asked him to explain to me what his relationship with God was like. Short and thick, he replied: ‘Now is not the time to talk about it.’ I respected and confirmed that the doors with the pilot were closed”, he notes.
Despite the difficult relationship, Melane recognizes: “Ayrton was very serious, extremely professional. Very responsible. I have never seen anyone as persevering and as professional as him in any profession. The impression was that Ayrton lived isolated in his world, focused only on work, and I always respected it.”
The journalist had the opportunity to interview Juan Manuel Fangio (1911-1995), an Argentine driver also considered a legend of Formula 1. At the beginning of the sport, in the 1950s, Fangio dominated the circuits and became five-time champion (1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957).
In the conversation with the Argentine, Melane asked him how he evaluated Senna. “He replied to me: ‘There has never been anyone in history more daring than him’. Okay, I didn’t need to say anything more about Ayrton”, he observes.
Nelson Piquet (right), Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost were rivals on the tracks
Rivalry
Like football players, who usually explore an unfamiliar field before a match, Senna performed a similar ritual. “He had a habit of walking the entire track,” reveals Melane.
Finding the attitude unusual, the journalist asked Nelson Piquet why he didn’t do the same.
“If you don’t know, you really need to walk on the track, that’s what he told me”, describes Melane. The shooting was just one of several demonstrations of disagreements between Brazilians.
When Senna began to stand out in F1, Piquet had already been three-time world champion in 1981, 1983 and 1987. Even so, the attention began to be shared, which, in Melane’s opinion, began the rivalry.
“Nelson was Brazil’s star in motorsport. Ayrton arrived and started to share the space and overtook him. Human thing, competition, vanity”, defines the journalist, who maintains his friendship with Piquet to this day.
—
THE TIME reinforces the commitment to quality, professional and Minas Gerais journalism. Our newsroom produces responsible information every day that you can trust.
Follow THE TIME on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram. Help grow our community.
