It's inevitable that almost exactly ten years after his death, everyone is remembering Ayrton Senna.

A whole industry seems to have sprung up in recent weeks, with new pictures, books, CDs, DVDs and even long-lost interviews, the Brazilian appears to have become motorsport's answer to Princess Diana, having achieved iconic status in addition to making lots of people lots of money.

In the wake of his death, Formula One changed and many of those involved in the sport have become fabulously wealthy, which seems odd when you consider the Brazilian's attitude to money and his fellow man.

One man who has particular cause to remember the Brazilian is Mr F1, Bernie Ecclestone, who came close to giving him his F1 race debut.

Although Ecclestone, and his family, is known to be a keen Schumacher fan - though that could change if the German keeps winning - he always had a soft spot for the quiet man from Sao Paulo, who in epic battles with Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell helped shape a new 'golden era' for the sport.

Talking to British newspaper The Independent, Ecclestone has revealed how he first got to know the quiet, young Brazilian and how he rates him, compared to Mr Schumacher.

"I was interested in Ayrton because of how quick he was going," says Ecclestone. "I first met him after he had tested for Brabham, late in 1983. We gave him a run in the championship-winning BT52B at Paul Ricard. He'd tested for Frank in the middle of the year, at Donington, and then I think we were the first after that, before he drove for Ron and then Toleman at Silverstone. He came back with me to London in our Learjet from the south of France. I gave him a lift because he was off to Macao the following day for the Formula Three race.

"As a guy, it struck me immediately that he obviously knew exactly what he was capable of doing, and that he was very self-confident," he continues. "And he also came across as an extremely nice person."

The long and the short of it is that Ecclestone and Senna couldn't agree terms, though fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet didn't exactly help matters.

"I knew that Nelson called Ayrton a taxi driver," explains Ecclestone says, "but we could all see Ayrton's potential. That was when I knew that Ayrton would be good, because Nelson was so anti! In the end I think Nelson got in touch with Parmalat, our main sponsor, and convinced them that one Brazilian in the team was enough and that they would be better off having an Italian in the second seat."

The criticism most often levelled at Michael Schumacher is that he has never - in the opinion of some - faced serious sustained competition, and that had Senna lived the German's career, and title tally, might have been somewhat different.

"I don't think his (Senna's) highs and lows were as much as you might think," says Ecclestone. "I think Michael is really, really super. But I think that Ayrton could have done as well or better than Michael has done, had he lived. If he was still here with us, for sure he would have been as good as Michael, and because Ayrton would still have been winning, Michael would have won fewer races and championships."

So in a head-to-head?

"That's very, very difficult to say," replies the F1 supremo. "Obviously they were in different cars and different eras. But if they were in the same car, Ayrton would have been on top. Like I said, he would have won races that Michael couldn't have, though that might also have worked vice versa. But overall? My money would have been on Ayrton.

In the wake of Senna's death, Formula One has changed, many would argue for the worse, how does Ecclestone feel the Brazilian would react to F1, 2004 style?

"Ayrton brought a lot to Formula One," he replies. "And I think he would have liked the sport as it is today - apart from the qualifying! He would have hated this one-lap stuff, even though he would have been brilliant at it. You remember the old days, when maybe everyone had done three of their four runs and somebody had just beaten Ayrton's time? And out he would go and right at the end he would just beat them? Fantastic! He was just superb at that, and now of course the pole position history doesn't mean so much any more because nobody knows what fuel load everyone is running.

"He was incredibly self-confident," he continues. "And he had this ability to concentrate completely on what he was doing. I think he had this ability to focus without thinking about it as much as Michael does, perhaps.

"Ayrton is one of those guys who will never be forgotten. And he will keep his fans forever, not just as a driver but because of his qualities as a person."