Senna vs Alesi: the exciting F1 rivalry we only glimpsed

The moment didn't last long as Senna quickly found his rhythm and was only 2 seconds from the lead by lap 22, but Alesi wouldn't give up the place without a fight. As he approached Turn 1, Senna outbraked him and plunged to the inside, but as he lined up for Turn 2, the Tyrrell driver fought back, shot out and took the inside line for the next left-hander and the lead again.

“Look at Alesi, that’s cheeky isn’t it!?” shouted an amused James Hunt from the commentary booth. “Sloppy driving, [Senna] I just didn't expect it.”

“I thought we should make life difficult for him,” Alesi told Motor Sport. “I didn't sway, but I pushed to make overtaking more difficult. I had such a great time…”

A lap later, Senna avoided the same mistake again, overtaking in Turn 1 and then blocking the line that Alesi had previously used. But the Frenchman fought back again, jumped out from behind and started the race straight into Turn 3. It was only in turn 4 that Alesi finally had to give in. The former took the win – his first of six winners this season – while the latter finished an impressive second place.

“I certainly didn't expect him to go around me from the outside when I entered him!” said an enthusiastic Senna after the race. “It was a very exciting fight and he rode really well; very clean and precise, ​​the kind of motorsport I like.”

In a parallel universe, this rivalry would have escalated into a championship battle in 1991 after Jean Alesi agreed to drive for Williams – a deal that would be announced months later at the 1990 French Grand Prix.

Alesi was not short of options, with Ferrari, McLaren and Tyrrell also chasing his signing. When Williams' announcement failed to materialize, Alesi turned to Ferrari, despite Williams having assured him that he would be in the squad for 1991.

It was a decision that would forever shape Alesi's career. He replaced Nigel Mansell at Ferrari, who took the vacant seat at Williams and lost to Senna in a hard-fought title fight in 1991 before dominating and taking the championship the following season.