David Coulthard opens up on the last message he received from Ayrton Senna

That weekend at Imola led to a series of safety overhauls by the FIA. It was not just Senna’s crash – Rubens Barrichello had a heavy accident during practice, and Roland Ratzenberger also lost his life in qualifying.

Speaking during a Memory Box feature for the official Formula 1 website, Coulthard reflected on that weekend and his time with Senna, saying: “He just came with this aura around him.

“I do recall spending time with him, testing the car and just being completely made up thinking this is as good as my career ever needs to be!”

“For the majority of his career, Ayrton was just the complete package.

“I was racing that weekend in Formula 3000 at Silverstone. That morning, before I went to Silverstone, I received a fax.

“Ian Cunningham, who worked with Williams at the time, had organised for them, I guess, to wish me luck for the Formula 3000 race.

“And Ayrton had written, ‘Very best to you’, and then later that day, sadly, he passed away and then that obviously started a period of speculation as to who would be in the car, and then ultimately, we know that I was given the seat for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.”

Frank Williams labelled Ayrton Senna as the quickest driver he had ever seen

Senna’s enduring legacy in the sport is evident in the frequent comparisons made between him and modern drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

The legendary Frank Williams was once asked about what he valued most in a driver. “Essentially, you’re looking for speed,” he told Autosport. 

“How quick is the guy? How quick do you think he is? Second, what are his results to date? Then, is his temperament right; is he lazy, tough, et cetera?”

The conversation then turned to who had impressed most over the years, and he did not hesitate to single out the Brazilian icon.

“From ’69 onwards, Senna was probably the best,” Williams said.

“People will always say what about Jim Clark and [Juan Manuel] Fangio?” Williams added. “But you can’t compare different eras.”

When picking out a list of greats that also included Jackie Stewart, Michael Schumacher and Nelson Piquet – but left out Nigel Mansell despite his title-winning season with Williams – he explained: “Very talented. Erratic in his early years. Made all his own deals. Tough negotiator. Immensely well prepared. Wonderful. A formidable opponent.”