The Gladiatorial Virtuoso Who Still Sets the Standard ⇥ theguardian.com

Twenty years ago today, Ayrton Senna was killed in a massive accident at Imola. Richard Williams, for the Guardian, contemplates the statue erected to commemorate Senna:

That the statue at Imola should depict a pensive figure has seemed particularly fitting since evidence emerged of his mental turmoil on 1 May, 1994. He was deeply unhappy with his car; that much was known. But not until much later would it become clear that the death of Roland Ratzenberger 24 hours earlier, preceded by a spectacular accident involving his compatriot Rubens Barrichello, had led him to serious consideration of retirement, worsening a mood already darkened by angry conversations with his brother, Leonardo, who had been sent from Brazil by the family to dissuade him from marrying Adriane Galisteu, his girlfriend of 14 months.

If you haven’t seen “Senna” or the 2010 Top Gear tribute to him, you should try to set aside some time to see both.

Update: Because of the unique way the BBC licenses music, I selected a version of the Top Gear tribute that’s ripped from the original aired episode, so it retains the original (genius) music choices, not the crappy royalty-free substitutions. Unfortunately, the uploader cut out a great bit from the film where Lewis Hamilton takes the MP4/4 for a spin. You should watch that bit, too.