The greatest ever lap? New video of Senna on Monaco 1988 and a new book of his races

Twenty years after the death of Ayrton Senna at Imola and McLaren has issued a video of the great man talking about his incredible qualifying lap at the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest laps ever driven in Formula One, which resulted in Senna finishing over 1.4s ahead of nearest rival Alain Prost, the performance seemed to mystify even the Brazilian himself.

"I was kind of driving it by instinct," he said of the lap. " I was in a different dimension, I was in a tunnel, well beyond my conscious understanding. Some moments when I am actually driving just detach me completely from anything else."

Watch the video below:

Also there is a sumptuous new book of all Senna's races written by veteran F1 journalist Tony Dodgins, which has been published this week. It features photos of all periods of Senna's career from his friend and supporter Keith Sutton and Tony has done a great job in falling the story of Senna's stunning career.

Here is the blurb of the book:

"This definitive record of Ayrton Senna’s racing life provides detailed coverage of every single car race in which he competed, including Formula Ford, Formula 3 and Formula 1, in addition to one-off appearances and tests in other categories, such as the World Sports Car Championship and Indy Car. The engaging text features insightful new material drawn from interviews with many of Senna’s rivals and colleagues and is accompanied by a rich array of high-quality period photographs. This lavish book provides a fitting tribute to a Formula 1 legend whose legacy today extends far beyond the world of motor racing.

Page extent: 304pp, colour throughout

Illustration: 260 photographs, mainly colour

Word count: 110,000

Published by Evro Publishing Ltd (www.evropublishing.com)