Ayrton Senna was known for his sheer ruthlessness on track during his Formula 1 career, but he also had a compassionate side.
It formed part of his enigma as a driver, where he was willing to risk both his and Alan Prost’s life in a crash at the start of the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix to win the world championship.
It was payback, as far as Senna was concerned, for what happened between him and Prost when they were teammates at McLaren 12 months prior which led to their ultimate breakdown with the Frenchman leaving the team to join Ferrari.
Despite calls for him to be disqualified for the blatant crash, Senna would go on to be crowned the Drivers’ World Champion that year. It was a moment of madness for the Brazilian, but he would sometimes show his concern for fellow drivers.
After a terrifying crash during the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix for French driver Erik Comas, it was Senna who was first on the scene of the accident.
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Ayrton Senna saved the life of Erik Comas at 1992 Belgian Grand Prix
Comas was in his second full-time F1 season driving for Ligier and had achieved three points finishes at the Canadian, French and German Grands Prix.
Keen to improve on his good results, Comas went into the Belgian GP riding off the back of this momentum with more points in mind. But it would later turn into a nightmare when he crashed his car at high speed during practice.
Comas lost control of his car at Blanchimont and crashed into the barriers at high speed, which speared his car across the race track. He lost consciousness on impact and had his foot stuck on the throttle running the engine to the rev limiter, with Senna being the first on the scene of the accident.
“I have no memories of that moment, there are images that I saw later,” said Comas when speaking to Formule1.com. “My memory stopped a few seconds before my crash, and the front left wheel of the car smashed through my head on the right side.
“It knocked me out like a K.O. in boxing, and the car, meanwhile went back to the middle of the track, but I kept, unconsciously, accelerating. Ayrton arrived and directly heard the crazy sound produced by the engine, the motor was screaming at 7,000 to 8,000 RPM.”
Senna noticed Comas slumped in his cockpit and stopped his McLaren to assist, risking his life as he ran across the track. Senna knelt down and turned off his car, crucially cutting off the fuel supply to the engine to prevent a fire, while subsequently holding the Frenchman’s head in a stable condition until medical assistance arrived.
“He [Senna] stopped his car, and at his own risk, came to my car and stopped the engine. Even with the yellow flags, the circuit was still very dangerous. He searched for the circuit breaker and stopped the motor, preventing it from burning or even exploding,” said Comas.
“After the impact it seems that there was fuel leaking, so the risk was high. In a few seconds, it could have exploded. So Senna probably saved my life, yes.”
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What happened to Erik Comas after his accident at Spa Francorchamps?
Comas would go on to finish the season with Ligier, but his results took a turn for the worst, with him retiring from all four of the final rounds of the season and finishing 11th in the Championship with just four points.
Ligier dropped Comas for the following season in 1993, but he would find a drive at the smaller Larrousse team that used Lamborghini V12 engines.
The car proved uncompetitive, with Comas retiring from half of the 16 races all season and only scoring one point at Monza with a sixth place.
The team switched to more reliable Ford HB engines for 1994, with Comas taking points at the Pacific and German Grands Prix. He would also qualify mid-grid at the Monaco Grand Prix in the uncompetitive Larrousse, ultimately finishing in 10th place.
During the San Marino Grand Prix, Comas was released onto the track by mistake while rescue crews were on the scene attending to Senna after his fatal crash. Comas declined to take any further part in the restart of the race, after witnessing safety crews treat Senna trackside (via The Race).
He was forced to give up his seat for Jean-Denis Deletraz at the end of the season, who brought more funding.