For a brief period in Formula 1 history, the Senna and Verstappen names lined up together on the grid. Little did anyone know, as Ayrton Senna drew his Williams-Renault onto pole position for the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix, that the great Brazilian had just a few weeks to live. And, similarly, little did anyone know, as Jos Verstappen slotted his Benetton-Ford into ninth position for the getaway, that three years later the young Dutchman would gain a son who would become the F1 superstar of his generation.
As the reigning German Formula 3 champion, Verstappen had been snapped up by Benetton boss Flavio Briatore as the team’s test driver and junior protege, with Michael Schumacher and JJ Lehto occupying the race seats. But a neck injury sustained in pre-season testing sidelined Lehto from the first two races – the Brazilian GP and Pacific GP at Japan’s Okayama circuit – giving Verstappen the chance of his F1 race debut.
