Allan McNish has revealed how working alongside Ayrton Senna during his first Formula 1 test taught him that natural talent alone is not enough to succeed. The current Audi racing director still regards Ayrton Senna’s work ethic and extraordinary attention to technical detail as a defining lesson that influenced the rest of his career.
Allan McNish has been associated with Audi for many years, initially as a successful endurance racing driver and later as the team principal of its Formula E operation. The Scottish former driver recently assumed another important position within Audi’s Formula 1 project.
Allan McNish was originally appointed to lead Audi’s young driver development programme before being promoted to racing director as part of the management reshuffle that followed Jonathan Wheatley’s surprising resignation in March.
Despite enjoying an outstanding endurance racing career, Allan McNish never managed to secure a permanent place in Formula 1. His only full season in the championship came in 2002, when he raced for Toyota.
Allan McNish’s first McLaren F1 test with Ayrton Senna
Allan McNish’s first involvement in Formula 1 had come many years earlier. At the beginning of his career, he was given the opportunity to test for McLaren, with his first appearance taking place in 1989 while he was still a teenager.
During that maiden Formula 1 test at Estoril, Allan McNish worked under the supervision of Ayrton Senna. Speaking in an interview with Motorsport.com, the Audi executive recalled the magnitude of the occasion and how little time he spent thinking about it while it was happening.
“That was just before I went to the Macau Grand Prix, actually,” Allan McNish said. “I never actually thought about it at the time, because I was just ‘doing things’. You know, he was world champion Ayrton Senna, McLaren were the world champions at the time, but you just went and did it.”
Ayrton Senna’s attention to detail became the benchmark
Although Allan McNish did not immediately appreciate the significance of working with the reigning Formula 1 world champion, the performance of the McLaren and Ayrton Senna’s technical knowledge quickly made a lasting impression.
“What I do remember about it was I got out of the car thinking: ‘Bloody hell, this is fast!’” Allan McNish continued. “Ayrton was talking about engine friction and various other things, and that was a benchmark.
“It made me realise very, very quickly that if you want to be successful in the game, you’ve got to step up at every level. Talent only gets you so far. There is a work ethic and a focus on detail that you have to put in. And that was as a driver, but I don’t think it is different in any other way of life.”
The experience showed Allan McNish that success at the highest level demanded far more than outright speed. Ayrton Senna’s preparation, technical understanding and attention to every detail provided a standard that the young Scottish driver could carry into the remainder of his racing and management career.
Paper telemetry and two steering-wheel buttons
Allan McNish also recalled how dramatically Formula 1 technology and data analysis have evolved since his first McLaren test. Modern teams can compare vast amounts of telemetry almost instantly, but the process was considerably more rudimentary in 1989.
“That was an education for me,” Allan McNish explained. “I’ve still got the old data printout of that first test in Estoril, but it was two pieces of paper you put together and held up to the light because there weren’t data comparisons like today.
“You still had a clutch pedal, for goodness’ sake! And two buttons on a steering wheel. They’re dinosaurs in comparison to today’s cars.”
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