Chris Dinnage – Ayrton Senna’s chief mechanic

Before Ayrton Senna achieved three world titles and global fame, Chris Dinnage was his chief mechanic at Lotus. Natan Tazelaar spoke with him about the formative period in which Senna secured his first major successes, while the Lotus Formula 1 team enjoyed its final victories before slipping into decline.

When Senna signed his contract with Lotus for the 1985 season, Chris Dinnage was already well established within the team, having begun his career there in 1982. Lotus only managed to secure Senna after difficult negotiations, as Formula 1 was already very strategic in the 1980s, but also heavily influenced by money. Team principal Peter Warr had been following Senna since his Formula 3 days and invited the young Brazilian to the Lotus Formula 1 headquarters at Ketteringham Hall nearby Hethel in 1983. An agreement was drawn up for him to make his Formula 1 debut in 1984 with a salary of 50,000 dollars. However, Lotus’ main sponsor Imperial Tobacco Group, operating under the name John Player Special, preferred to retain fellow Englishman Nigel Mansell. Warr strongly disagreed and even refused to pay Mansell’s salary, so JPS covered the cost and Senna moved on to make his debut with Toleman. A year later, Warr once again sat across from Senna, who by then had secured three podium places and finished seventh in the championship. As a result, his asking price had risen to 585,000 dollars, which Lotus reluctantly agreed to.