Senna had a death wish?

1990 Italian GP – Prost (L) Senna (C) Berger (R). Senna beat Prost many times

Great rivalries are among the glories of sport, and Malcolm Folley's book Prost Versus Senna, published this week, examines one of the most fascinating. In it, Prost gives his evaluation not just of the relationship between the two world champions but Senna's character. The result on Sunday was a story headlined "Tragic Senna had a death wish, says Prost", based on a quote from the book. "Ayrton was prepared to be in a crash – and maybe kill himself," he told Folley. Prost may have won 51 grands prix and four world titles, but he is talking rubbish. Like most racing drivers, Senna accepted the possibility of injury or even death. But to say he was "prepared" to kill himself is to distort the racer's instinct to store danger in the most inaccessible of the mind's strong-boxes, and to throw away the key. Guardian.co.uk