F1 News: Former Driver Shares Chilling Ayrton Senna Story on Tragic Anniversary

Johnny Herbert's haunting narrative about Ayrton Senna's premonition before his fatal accident in 1995 offers a sobering look at the emotional struggles faced by one of F1's greatest drivers.

Johnny Herbert / Red Bull Content Pool

On the solemn commemoration of one of Formula 1's darkest days, former driver Johnny Herbert revealed details about Ayrton Senna's premonition before his fatal crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

As the Formula 1 community remembers the tragic events of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, where Ayrton Senna tragically lost his life, new insights have emerged about the apprehensions he faced before entering the race. Johnny Herbert recently shared compelling details about Senna's mindset and the eerie premonitions he experienced just before his last race during an interview with Instant Casino.

"He apparently had a premonition the night before that he was going to die. He said this to Professor Sid Watkins, F1’s medical expert, who told him to quit and go fishing as he had nothing else to prove to anyone."

However, Senna's dedication to the sport and his racing obligations wouldn't allow him to withdraw.

"Senna said he was not in a position to do so and had to carry on. He was always aware of the risk factor but we all were. We had all seen the horrific accident with Rubens on the Friday, then Roland being killed," Herbert continued.

"It was made worse because it was Ayrton Senna and the myth that surrounded him.

"You see the cameras trained on his face before the race. It was a very different Ayrton than we had seen before. He looked very distant. It was very, very eerie knowing what was going to happen.

"To go through what he did with those feelings on his own apart from the conversation with Professor Sid, must have been so hard. He then had to get into the cockpit. It makes it all the more poignant."

Despite the psychological and emotional challenges, Senna's spirituality and deep faith played a crucial role in his approach to racing. "God was his biggest protection and always had been. That is how he got through his races. Then there was the calling he had the night before after seeing Ratzenberger die," Herbert noted.