Ayrton senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva (São Paulo, March 21, 1960-Imola, May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula 1 World Champion, two-time runner-up and a third, he ranks among the most successful and dominant drivers of the modern era and for many experts, he is the fastest ever.

In 2009, the renowned magazine Autosport contacted 217 Formula 1 drivers and ex-drivers to vote and create a ranking of the best drivers in history, from said serial, the list it was headed by Ayrton Senna.

The driver competed in Formula 1 for the Toleman, Lotus, McLaren and Williams teams, between 1984 and 1994 winning the world championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991, being runner-up in 1989 and 1993, third in 1987 and fourth in 1985, 1986 and 1992 accumulating a total of 41 victories (six of them at the Monaco Grand Prix, a record for the event), 80 podiums and 65 pole positions in just 162 classifications, with an effectiveness of more than 40%

He was also acclaimed for his extraordinary wet track performances, such as the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix and 1993 European Grand Prix with the other drivers having superior cars.

He was known primarily for his fast driving, superlative technique, and sometimes aggressive racing. He had an intense rivalry with French driver Alain Prost for much of his career, including two years as teammates at McLaren. For many, the Senna-Prost rivalry was the most intense in the entire history of the category.

Ayrton Senna died due to a severe crash suffered at the Tamburello curve, during the race at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari Autodrome during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. A rod from the vehicle's suspension pierced the visor of his helmet causing a fatal head injury. After his death, the Brazilian government decreed three days of mourning and a burial with State honors; more than a million people participated in the transfer of him to the cemetery. The first curve of the José Carlos Pace Autodrome in his hometown was baptized S de Senna , since he proposed the design of said section of the layout. Due to his famous public life, he has numerous monuments, fan clubs and memories all over the world.

Since the death of the drivers Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, the safety of Formula 1 has been drastically increased, assigning said position to the experienced track doctor Sid Watkins who tried to revive the driver on the day of his accident. After Ayrton's death, more than 20 years passed without tragic accidents in Formula 1, until in October 2014 Jules Bianchi suffered an accident at the Suzuka circuit that would cost him his life a few months later.

Biography

Beginnings

Senna at age 3.

He was born at the Pró-Matre Maternity Hospital in São Paulo on March 21, 1960. The son of Milton da Silva and Neyde Senna, he was the second of two more brothers: Viviane Senna and Leonardo Senna. The house where he spent the first four years of his life had belonged to João Senna, his maternal grandfather, and was located at the corner of Av. Aviador Gil Gilherme and Av. Santos Dumont, less than 100 meters from Campo de Marte, a large area where the Aeronautical Material Park and an airport operated.

His father was always the first to say that he never planned or dreamed that his son would become a racing driver, even though he built for him, in six months, a kart equipped with disc brakes and an engine taken from a cane chopper that allowed it to reach a speed of up to 60 km/h. At the beginning, it was even one more game for his restless and agitated son; the kart was going to be, therefore, a toy. An alternative to the bicycles and rolling carts used by children of the time, and to which, however, over time Ayrton began to like and in which it was increasingly common to see him run.

Senna in his sporting beginnings on a kart.

When the little boy entered the kart for the first time, the tenderness he inspired gave way to disbelief. João Alberto, a neighbor six years older than Senna, a friend of his sister Viviane, was among the people who witnessed the first time Ayrton adjusted himself on the anatomical bench of the kart made by his father and raced:

It was creepy. He was about four years old and everyone saw him walk in the kart. Already in the first round on the dirt road, we were impressed with the notion and knowledge that he already had.

João Alberto, neighbor of Ayrton

He started racing at the age of four when his father gave him a small go-kart with a one-horsepower engine. His first race was in a go-kart at the age of eight. Said Senna: "He was only eight years old and most of the others were 15, 18 and even 20. The positions on the grid were determined by lottery. They put some papers with numbers inside a helmet. Being a newcomer, I was the first to grab a piece of paper at random. I got number 1."

Official participation at age 13

Ayrton Senna officially entered a Karting competition for the first time at the age of 13. In 1973 he won the Paulista Karting Championship despite the fact that, according to Mario Sérgio de Carvalho (Senna's main rival in said competition) in the biography "Ayrton, the hero revealed" ("Ayrton, the hero revealed" - Ernesto Rodrigues), the championship was awarded to him and not to Senna. In 1977 he won the top trophy in the South American Championship of Karting getting the title at the Luis P. Serra kart track in San José, Uruguay.

Sports beginnings

Helmet of Ayrton Senna

Arrival in Europe

In 1978 at the age of 18 he was hired by the DAP team in Italy where he would be a teammate of Terry Fullerton, who would later be recognized by Senna during the 1993 Australian Grand Prix when asked; Which driver did you find most satisfying racing with? Senna replied:

"I would have to return to 1978, 1979 and 1980, I came to Europe for the first time to compete outside of Brazil. My teammate Fullerton, his name was Fullerton. He was very experienced and I enjoyed driving with him because he was fast, consistent, for me a very complete pilot. And it was pure driving; it was just him and me, there was neither politics nor money in the middle. I have good memories with him. » Ayrton Senna1993."

In DAP he participated in the Karting World Championship consecutively from 1978 to 1982, finishing runner-up in 1979 and 1980 after controversial decisions. Ayrton himself would later confess:

The kart provided me with many moments of pleasure and excellent memories (...) never the driving was as fun as in kart. I learned a lot of things there. Much of what I use in Formula 1 I learned in kart. Ayrton Senna.

His love of go-karting owes his great skill and ability to drive in the rain. On one occasion, his sister commented that after losing a go-kart race due to the rain, Ayrton spent several days trying to drive in those conditions, even without returning home to eat, until he perfected his technique. Since then, he already wore his particular yellow helmet with two lines, one green and one dark, designed by the famous Brazilian helmet painter Sid Mosca. It is precisely on board a kart where Ayrton learned that precision to drive in the rain, since at first he was not an optimal driver in these conditions. He is considered, together with the Mexican driver Pedro Rodríguez, known in Europe as Ojos de Gato , those who best knew how to drive in the rain, although the Mexican also did it at night.

Passage through England

Senna, 21 years old, piloting Formula Ford 1600

In 1981 Senna moved to England to begin his single-seater career, winning that year's RAC and Townsend-Thoreson Formula Ford 1600 Championship with the Van Diemen team using the number 24. A Despite this, Senna at first did not believe that he would continue in motorsports, and at the end of the season, under pressure from his parents to assume a role in the family business added to the lack of sponsorship that would allow his escalation towards Formula 1, he returned to Brazil. Before leaving England, Dennis Rushen, owner of Rushen Green Racing: a respected FF2000 team (the next step for those who shined in Formula Ford), he offered Senna, who was already champion of the tournament, a £10,000 Formula Ford 2000 unit. He decided to accept this offer, and returned to live in England. As Silva is a very common surname in Brazil, as well as being extremely difficult to pronounce properly in England, he adopted his mother's: Senna. Senna won the 1982 British Championship and the 2000 Formula Ford European Championships with that surname.

Participation in Formula 3 of Great Britain

In 1983 he entered the British Formula 3 Championship with the West Surrey Racing team. Senna dominated the first half of the season, but Martin Brundle, driving a similarly competitive car for the Eddie Jordan Racing team colours, closed the gap in the second part of the championship. Senna won the title at the final round at Thruxton after a close and sometimes acrimonious battle. In November of the same year, he triumphed at the opening of the Macau F3 Grand Prix with Theodore Racing Team by Teddy Yip. At that time he was already being watched by Frank Williams, who would be his last team manager in Formula 1 during 1994.

Senna attracted the attention of Formula 1 teams Williams, McLaren, Brabham and Toleman, for whom he conducted pre-season testing. Neither in Williams nor in McLaren there was a vacancy for the 1984 season because their situation had already been resolved previously (the Rosberg-Laffite couple was confirmed for the Grove team and on the other hand, that of Lauda-Prost for the team of Woking). His name was later linked to the second seat of Brabham, but the number one driver of that team, the two-time world champion Nelson Piquet, also Brazilian, preferred his friend Roberto Moreno, while the Parmalat sponsor who sponsored Brabham wanted a Italian pilot, so Senna's attempt to enter "through the big door" failure. His only option was to join Toleman, a relatively new team, replacing Derek Warwick, with Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto to be his teammate at the time.

Formula 1

Throughout his 10 years in Formula 1 he won 3 championships, was in four teams, held several records (such as the one with the highest number of pole positions, which was surpassed by the German Michael Schumacher at the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix), being one of the most outstanding drivers in the history of this sport.

Toleman (1984)

Toleman TG184, led by Senna in the 1984 championship

Senna made his debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro with his teammate being Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto. He scored his first world championship point in his second race at the South African Grand Prix, repeating the same result two weeks later at the Belgian Grand Prix. A combination of tire and fuel pressure problems was the cause of his failure to qualify, later, for the San Marino GP, the only time this had occurred during his career. The best result of the season came at the Grand Prix Monaco, which was affected by heavy rain in the previous one. Ayrton Senna gave the first of his spectacular wet driving lessons. Starting from 13th on the grid, he made steady climbing progress towards the lead of the event, managing to be 10th at the first lap around the finish line, and beginning a spectacular comeback, 9th in race 2, 8th at 3, 7th at 7, 6th at 9, 5th at 12, 4th at 14, 3rd at 16, 2nd at 19. A despite being 20" of the leader Alain Prost launches in pursuit, snatching 1" per lap, however the race management decides to suspend it on lap 31 due to bad conditions and terrible visibility, Senna finishes 2nd at 7" of Prost. However, despite it being his best result and Toleman's best, the Brazilian feels frustrated, both he and his team were sure that the race was theirs. By the time the race was stopped, Senna was cutting 4 seconds per lap off the Frenchman. Senna finally overtook Prost during the 32nd lap at the end of which the red flag was shown. However, according to the regulations, the positions of the last lap completed by all the drivers (lap 31), at which time Prost was still leading, were counted. Senna's second place was his first podium finish in Formula 1, and his performances in wet conditions made it a hallmark of his career. The race in the principality only lasted 31 laps and for this fact only half the points were assigned to the first six places (4.5 points to 1st, 3 to 2nd, 2 to 3rd, 1.5 to 4. 1 to 5 and 0.5 to 6), paradoxically, the winner of said race Alain Prost would later lose the world championship by just half a point to his teammate Niki Lauda.

Ayrton Senna behind Nelson Piquet during the Dallas Grand Prix in the United States in 1984

He took another two podium finishes that year—3rd at the British Grand Prix and the same result at the Portuguese Grand Prix—and placed 9th in his first drivers' championship with 13 points. He did not participate in the Italian Grand Prix after he was suspended by Toleman for breach of contract by him signing with Lotus for the 1985 season without first informing the Toleman team of this fact.

Senna also competed in important races during 1984: the 1000 km Nürburgring World Endurance Championship, where along with Henri Pescarolo and Stefan Johansson, he co-drove a Porsche 956 from the Joest team to finish eighth, as well as a race of exhibition to celebrate the reopening of the Nürburgring, which was attended by several Formula 1 drivers, each of whom drove identical Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16. Senna beat Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann. After the race Senna declared: "Now I know I can do it."

Lotus (1985-1987)

1985: First year at Lotus and first victories

Senna was accompanied in his first year at Lotus by Italian driver Elio de Angelis. In the second race of the season, the Portuguese Grand Prix, Senna achieved the first pole position of his Formula 1 career. He also achieved the first victory in his career, which took place in very bad weather conditions, winning by more than a minute over Michele Alboreto's Ferrari. He would not finish in the points again until finishing 2nd at the Austrian Grand Prix, despite taking pole position three more times during the intervening period. (His pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix had angered Alboreto and Niki Lauda, Senna had set a fast time early and was accused of deliberately obstructing other drivers by running more laps than necessary, a charge he rejected.) two more consecutive podium finishes in the Netherlands and Italy, before Senna took his second victory, again in the rain, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. The relationship between Senna and his teammate De Angelis soured further in the course of the season, as both drivers demanded better driver status within Lotus and, after six years with the team, De Angelis left Lotus for Brabham at the end of the year, convinced that Lotus would focus on Brazilian. Senna and De Angelis finished the season 4th and 5th, respectively, in the drivers' standings, separated by five points. In terms of qualifying, however, Senna had begun to establish himself as the fastest on the grid: his tally of seven pole positions that season was far greater than any of the other drivers, including that year's champion himself: Frenchman Alain Prost.

1986: 4th again with Lotus

Senna piloting for Lotus at the UK GP in 1986, which left on round 27, due to problems in the gearbox.

De Angelis was replaced at Lotus by fellow Scotsman Johnny Dumfries after Senna vetoed Derek Warwick from joining the team, saying that Lotus was unable to field two good drivers at the same time. "...It was bad, bad. Until then I had a good relationship with Derek", Senna later admitted. Senna started the season well, second place in Brazil and victory at Jerez at the Spanish Grand Prix by just 0.014s over Englishman Nigel Mansell of Williams-Honda - one of the closest in Formula 1 history - to find himself the World Championship leader after two races. However, the unreliability of the Lotus 98T, especially in the second half of the season saw him adrift following the pairing of Mansell and Piquet at Williams, as well as eventual champion Alain Prost. Nonetheless, Senna was once again the best in qualifying, with eight pole positions, and took another six podium finishes in the season, including another victory at the Detroit Grand Prix, and finished fourth again in the season with 55 points.

Anecdotally, after winning the Eastern United States Grand Prix on the Detroit street circuit, two days after Brazil were eliminated in the 1986 soccer World Cup in Mexico, in the quarterfinals by the Selection of France (country where Renault comes from: the Lotus engine supplier), Senna stopped his car next to the guardrail and asked a fan stationed at the side of the track for a Brazilian flag and then went around waving with the flag fluttering in the wind. Later, he would repeat this custom every time he won a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

1987: First Attempt to Fight for the Championship

Lotus entered into an agreement with a new engine supplier in 1987, using the same Honda engines that Williams had used to win the Constructors' Championship the previous year. Honda imposed its conditions, yes, and along with the arrival of a new engine also came the arrival of a new teammate, the 34-year-old Japanese veteran, Satoru Nakajima. Senna started the season with mixed fortunes: a podium finish at the San Marino Grand Prix was tempered by controversy at the following race at Spa-Francorchamps, where he collided with Nigel Mansell and was rebuked by the enraged Englishman in pitlane afterwards. Senna then won two consecutive races: the Monaco Grand Prix (the first of his record six victories in the principality) and the Eastern United States Grand Prix in Detroit, his second win in two years on the street circuit., in order to take the lead in the world championship. As the championship progressed however it became apparent that the Williams cars had the advantage over the rest of the grid, the gap between the Honda-powered teams becoming more apparent at the British Grand Prix where Mansell and Piquet drew one lap ahead of the Lotus of Senna and Nakajima. Senna was dissatisfied with his chances of fighting for the title at Lotus and at Monza, he announced that he would join McLaren for the 1988 season. Senna finished the year strong, finishing second in the last two races in Japan (which returned to the F1 after 10 years of absence at the new Suzuka circuit) and Australia. However, subsequent scrutineering at the final race found his Lotus' brake ducts to be wider than allowed by the regulations and he was disqualified, thus bringing his last and most successful season with Lotus to a bitter end. Senna finished third in the Drivers' Championship, with 57 points, one pole position and six podiums. This season marked a turning point both throughout that year and in his racing career in which he built a deep relationship with Honda, a relationship that would pay big dividends, as McLaren had secured an offer from Williams to acquire engines. V6 turbo from Honda for the year 1988.

McLaren (1988-1993)

1988: Arrival at McLaren and first world title

In 1988, building on the relationship he had built with Honda throughout the 1987 season driving for Lotus, and with the approval of McLaren's number one driver, then-two-time French world champion Alain Prost, Senna joined the McLaren team. In an interview with English journalist Nigel Roebuck during the 1998 Japanese Grand Prix, Alain Prost, who was the boss of the Prost Grand Prix Formula 1 team, stated the following:

"...my partner's choice in 1988 was between Senna and Nelson Piquet. When I went with Ron (Dennis) to Japan, to meet with Honda's people, I told Ron that I should choose Ayrton, because he was the most talented pilot, and for me the team was the first. If I were to start my career again, I would act differently, I would concentrate more on myself and my work...”“In fact, I could have said no at the arrival of Ayrton to McLaren. One of my virtues is that normally, when I make a decision, I do not regret it, but from my own point of view, I was definitely wrong on that occasion!”

Alain Prost to Nigel Roebuck in an interview in 1998.

Senna piloting the McLaren MP4/4 during the 1988 Canadian Grand Prix that ended up winning.

Thus began a fierce competition between Senna and Prost, a rivalry that was and is considered one of the greatest in the history of Formula 1 and that culminated in a series of spectacular duels on the track and incidents in the race for two of the next five years. Senna began the season with a disqualification (DSQ) at the Brazilian Grand Prix, later taking his first McLaren victory at the San Marino Grand Prix. Later in Monaco, the Brazilian, after leading comfortably during the race and with 10 laps to go to close his second victory in Monegasque lands, had a lack of concentration before entering the Portier curve and hit the guardrail, which meant goodbye to the Grand Prix. He subsequently secured a 2nd-place finish in Mexico, then two wins in Canada and the United States, another 2nd-place finish in France and a 4-fight win streak in the UK, Germany, Hungary and Belgium before his second and final retirement of the season at Monza.. When while leading the race with two laps to go he collided with Jean-Louis Schlesser on the Goodyear Variant and his McLaren MP4 / 4-Honda froze on the curb. Then, at the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix, Prost got away slightly faster than Senna at the start, but the paulista dived ahead into the first corner. Prost responded and regained position against Senna at the end of the first lap. Senna swerved to block Prost, forcing the Frenchman to nearly run alongside the pit wall at 180 mph (290 km/h). Prost kept his foot on the gas and soon overtook Senna at the first corner and started to pull away again. Although Prost was furious at Senna's manoeuvre, the South American got away with only a warning from the FIA. Senna later apologized to Prost for the incident. Next, in Spain, Ayrton secured a 4th-place finish before facing the crucial title-defining race at Suzuka, Japan.

Ayrton Senna is on track during the 1988 San Marino Grand Prix.

For the Japanese Grand Prix, Ayrton took pole position and started with half a title in his pocket. However, as soon as the traffic light turned green, his Honda engine stalled and he remained static in the middle of the track watching how the rest of the pilots passed him. Thanks to the downward slope of the main straight of the Suzuka circuit, his car moved little by little and Senna was able to start the engine to resume the race. As a result of the incident he fell resoundingly from the first position to 14th and then he began to climb from below in a huge way, to such an extent that in the 2nd lap he was already 6th, in the 3rd he was 5th, in the next lap he was 4th, in 11th. º was already placed 3rd and with opportunities to go after the leader of the test, the Frenchman Alain Prost. The rain that fell on the circuit made these opportunities even easier due to Senna's enormous ability to race in these conditions. In this way, after an arduous fight to make his way among the first places, he finally passed Prost at the start of lap 28, taking advantage of the prevailing traffic and a failure in his gearbox, which critically slowed the pace of the Frenchman.. Then Senna remained unbeatable at the front and ended up winning in a formidable way the race that crowned him world champion at the age of 28.

Ultimately, the pair won, in landslide fashion, 15 of the 16 races of the 1988 season, and Senna clinched his first Formula 1 title by taking 8 victories, to Prost's 7 (Prost. Globally had added more points in the season than Senna, but had to abandon three second places, since only the 11 best scores counted). Ayrton fulfilled his dream, but he was going for more, despite the fact that 1988 was only the beginning of the fight with the French, a fight that would intensify until it reached a real war in 1989.

1989: The title escapes with controversies included

Senna in Imola during the 1989 San Marino Grand Prix

If there was friction between Senna and Prost in 1988, their fight would intensify much more in 1989 with battles on the track and psychological warfare off it. The tension and mistrust between the two drivers came to a head in the San Marino GP: Prost and Senna apparently, according to the Frenchman's words, have reached a non-aggression pact in the event that one of the two arrives leading the test at the Tosa curve in the first lap. After a violent crash by Gerhard Berger at the Tamburello curve (where Senna would die 5 years later) and a subsequent fire in his Ferrari 640, the race was interrupted with a red flag and then restarted after a few minutes. This time the man from São Paulo started badly and the Frenchman took the lead, however, Senna overtook Prost at the Tosa curve and as a result the Frenchman became enraged, even accusing Ron Dennis of violating said agreement. As a consequence of this, relations between teammates at McLaren worsened considerably.

Senna had an early lead in the championship with wins in three of the first four races, but the unreliability of his McLaren MP4/5-Honda at Phoenix (electrical failure), Canada (engine failure three laps into final), France (differential) and Italy (engine breakage again in the Parabolic curve a few laps from the end, when he was the leader of the test), along with key mistakes made by the Brazilian in Brazil (front wing breakage for fighting for position with Gerhard Berger in the first corner of the Jacarepaguá circuit), Great Britain (spinned after 11 completed laps leading the race ahead of Prost) and Portugal (collision with Nigel Mansell considering that the Englishman had been disqualified from the race for reversing in the pitlane during a refueling) opened the title in favor of Prost.

Prost won the 1989 world title, after a collision with Senna at the Suzuka circuit in Japan, the penultimate race of the season, which Senna needed to win to stay in contention for the title. Senna tried to overtake Prost in the right area at the exit of turn 130R, shortly before reaching Casio's triangle (chicana of the circuit) however Prost closed it shortly before arriving Senna did not give in and both collided. The Brazilian then asked the stewards for help to push his car so that he could restart the engine to rejoin the race. He managed to turn it on and left through the loophole that said chicane has with his damaged McLaren MP4 / 5-Honda, since after the collision with Prost his front wing suffered damage. Then on the next lap he pitted for the part change while Benetton's Italian Alessandro Nannini took the race lead. Senna returned to the track and made a comeback with just a few laps to go, managing to pass the Italian's car in exactly the same place where he tried to pass Prost, and came across first, only to be immediately disqualified by the FIA. for returning to the track with outside assistance, cutting the chicane after the collision and for stepping on the pitlane line (which is not part of the track). A large fine and the temporary suspension of his F1 super license in the winter of 1989 it got the São Paulo into a bitter war of words with the FIA and its then president Jean-Marie Balestre. Senna finished his second season at McLaren with six victories and world runner-up. Prost at the end of the season left McLaren to join Ferrari the following year.

1990: Two-time championship with McLaren and revenge against Prost

McLaren MP4/5B-Honda de Senna autographed by the same Brazilian with which he got the F1 bicamponato.

In 1990, Senna took the championship lead with six wins (USA, Monaco, Canada, Germany, Belgium and Italy), two second places (Hungary and Portugal) and three third places (Brazil, France and UK). His most memorable victories were in Phoenix, during the United States Grand Prix, where he battled for the lead for several laps with a then-unknown Jean Alesi (Tyrell) before taking the lead, and in Germany, where he battled Alessandro Nannini's Benetton throughout the race for victory. As the season reached its fourth final, however, Alain Prost in his Ferrari rose to the challenge with five victories, including a crucial win in Spain, where he and teammate Nigel Mansell went on to score a one-two for the Scuderia. Senna had started with a damaged radiator and the gap between the carioca and Prost was now reduced to 11 points with two races remaining. He also highlighted in that season the frustrated duel that he held on the track until the last lap at the Hungaroring for taking the lead from the Belgian Williams F1 driver: Thierry Boutsen.

In the penultimate round of the championship in Japan at Suzuka (the same circuit where, the previous year, Senna and the Frenchman had a collision), the South American took pole position ahead of Prost. However, by decision of the FIA, Senna was forced to start on the dirty side of the track (right sector), while Prost was placed in the clean area (left side). Once the green light came on, Prost in his Ferrari made a better start and took the lead in front of Senna's McLaren. However, into the first corner Senna aggressively kept his line, while Prost turned and the Brazilian's McLaren hooked its left front wheel into the right rear wheel of Prost's Ferrari at nearly 270 km/h (170 mph), putting both cars off the track, a result that made Senna that year's Formula 1 world champion. A year later, after winning his third world title and second in a row, Senna explained to the press his performance the previous year in Suzuka. He maintained that prior to qualifying, he had requested and received guarantees from race officials that pole position be moved to the left, clean side of the track, only to discover that this decision was reversed by Jean-Marie Balestre, after he the paulista took pole position. Explaining the collision with Prost, Senna said he wanted to make it clear that he was not going to accept what he perceived to be unfair decisions by Balestre, including his disqualification in 1989 and pole position -position in 1990. Prost later called the actions on Senna's record "disgusting" and he claimed that he seriously considered retiring from the sport after that incident.

1991: 3rd championship after hard fight with Nigel Mansell

Senna won the 1991 Monaco Grand Prix for the fourth time on board her McLaren MP4/6-Honda.

Senna won his third title in 1991, claiming seven victories (the first four in a row in the USA, Brazil, San Marino and Monaco, then another two in a row in Hungary and Belgium, to later close with Australia) and remain largely uncontroversial. It should be noted that after 8 seasons in Formula 1 he finally managed to achieve a victory in his native country, at the Interlagos circuit, after leading only with sixth gear for the last six laps while Riccardo Patrese, in 2nd position, cut time from him dangerously behind, aboard his Williams FW14-Renault. The man from São Paulo finished the race exhausted, to such an extent that, after seeing the checkered flag, he left his McLaren next to the Reta Oposta almost fainting and had to be attended by medical personnel. In fact, in such a victory Senna was considered a hero. He received the award from his admirer Juan Manuel Fangio, and there are versions that say that Senna got off the podium as a kind of tribute to his Argentine idol.

Alain Prost, due to the drop in performance of his Ferrari 642, was no longer a serious competitor at this point. Senna won the first four races. In the middle of the season, Mansell in the most advanced Williams FW14/14B, was able to put him in trouble, proving to have a car much more suitable to reach the title than the Brazilian's McLaren, as happened in Monza, during the Italian Grand Prix. and by the way, also being Senna's biggest rival until 1992. There were some memorable moments, like at the Spanish Grand Prix when Senna and Mansell went wheel to wheel with a few centimeters of space between them, at more than 320 km/ h (200 mph) down the main straight, in a race that the Briton ultimately won. Quite a different spectacle was offered after Mansell's victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Senna's car had come to an end on the last lap but was stranded at the side of the circuit due to the McLaren's total fuel consumption. As Mansell pitted on his victory lap, he allowed the Brazilian to climb into the cockpit of the Williams to return to the pits. Despite Senna's consistency and Williams' unreliability at the start of the season giving him an early lead, Senna insisted that Honda step up its engine development program and demanded further improvements to the car before it was released. too late. These modifications allowed him to give a boost at the end of the season and he managed to win three more races to secure the championship, which was resolved definitively in Japan again when Mansell (who needed to win to preserve his chances of postponing the title definition to the last date in Australia), on lap nine he went off at the first corner, while running third behind Senna and stranded his Williams-Renault in the gravel trap. Senna finished in second place and claimed his third title, handing victory to his teammate Gerhard Berger at the final corner as a gesture of thanks for his support throughout the season.

1992: A season to forget

Senna aboard his McLaren MP4/7A-Honda during the 1992 Monaco Grand Prix, his first victory in that season.

In 1992, Senna was dismayed by McLaren's inability to challenge the mighty Williams who debuted in that championship the revolutionary Williams FW14B-Renault with active suspension, Traction Control. On the other hand, the car with which the Brazilian raced during 1992: the McLaren MP4/6B-Honda (and later the MP4/7A) of the Woking squad for the season had several deficiencies. There was no delay in the debut of the new car (which debuted in the third race of the season, at the Brazilian Grand Prix) one of the novelties of the car was the new semi-automatic gearbox in addition to lacking active suspension, the new car suffered from reliability issues. He was unpredictable in the fast corners, while his Honda V12 engine was no longer the most powerful on the circuit. Senna claimed three wins in Monaco, Hungary and Italy that year, as well as four podium finishes in South Africa (3rd)., San Marino (3rd again), Germany (2nd) and Portugal (3rd).

During qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, French driver Érik Comas crashed violently and Senna was the first to arrive on the scene. He got out of his car and raced across the track to help the Frenchman. Senna regularly took advice from his friend, then Formula 1 doctor Sid Watkins. He arrived and cut the power to the Ligier, then held Comas's neck upright, lest any of his vertebrae be crushed. “He maintained it properly. When I got there, Ayrton was on his knees holding him so he could breathe. And he did not remove his helmet so that we could examine the damage, ”, the doctor recalled. He later went to visit Comas in the hospital.

Senna finished fourth overall in the championship, behind the Williams duo of Mansell and Patrese and the season's breakout driver: Benetton's young German Michael Schumacher. Doubts about Senna's intentions for the year 1993 were maintained throughout the year 1992, since he did not have a contract with any team at the end of the year. He felt that McLaren's cars were much less competitive than before (especially after Honda withdrew from Formula 1 as an engine supplier at the end of the 1992 season). The prospect of migrating to Williams alongside Prost (who had secured a seat for the team in 1993) became impossible, as Prost put a clause in his contract that barred Senna as a team-mate, despite the fact that the The Brazilian proposed to Frank Williams himself to run for free in order to get back into contention for the world championship. Senna, enraged by the news, called Prost a coward at a press conference in Estoril. In December, Senna went to Phoenix, Arizona and tested Emerson Fittipaldi's Penske IndyCar. McLaren, Ron Dennis, meanwhile was trying to secure a supply of Renault's dominant V10 engine for 1993.

1993: Last year and again without caressing the highest trophy

Ayrton at the 1993 German Grand Prix piloting the McLaren MP4/8-Ford

When the deal with Renault fell through, McLaren was forced to accept an offer to supply Ford V8 engines that were two specifications behind Ford's factory Formula 1 team Benetton. McLaren hoped to make up for the shortfall of power in engine performance, along with mechanical sophistication, which included the effective active suspension system. After several attempts, McLaren boss Ron Dennis finally convinced Senna to stay with the English team for another year. The Brazilian, however, only agreed to sign a contract for the first race in South Africa, where he would assess whether the McLaren team was competitive enough to have a good season. After driving the McLaren-Ford MP4/8, Senna concluded that the new car had surprising potential, although the engine was still underpowered and would be no match for Prost's Williams FW15C-Renault. Senna he refused to sign a full-year contract, but agreed to a clause on a race-by-race transfer basis, eventually intending to race there for the full year.

After finishing second in the opening race in South Africa, Senna won in Brazil, for the second and final time, in a race with suddenly changed weather conditions, and at Donington Park later in the European Grand Prix. The latter has often been regarded as one of Senna's greatest victories. Senna started from the 2nd row, and passed four cars ahead on the first lap aboard the Mclaren MP4/8, passing drivers like Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill or the champion of that season, Alain Prost. He led the race at the end of the first lap after passing all his rivals in a race where some drivers had to make up to seven pit stops to make tire changes to wet or slick compounds. In that race Senna lapped everyone the pilots, except Damon Hill.

Pos.	N.o	Pilot	Builder	Vtas.	Time	Grilla	Points
1	8	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Ford	76	1:50:46.570	4	10
2°	0	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault	76	+1:23.199	2	6
3°	2	Alain Prost	Williams-Renault	75	+1 Lap	1	4

Senna then scored a second-place finish in Spain and a sixth win in Monaco, which was a record-setting principality record. After Monaco, Senna unexpectedly relinquished the championship lead to Prost in his Williams-Renault. As the season progressed, Prost and English teammate Damon Hill confirmed the superiority of the Williams F1 car, with Prost securing the drivers' championship while Hill clinched third place in the drivers' standings. Senna came to the end of the season and of his career of six long seasons at McLaren, with two victories in Japan and Australia, finishing second overall in the championship. The penultimate race in Japan had an incident involving the Brazilian, where Jordan rookie Eddie Irvine, who was due to be lapped, put Senna in danger as he battled to wrest the lead from Frenchman Alain Prost. The outraged Brazilian later appeared in Jordan's garage and after a lengthy argument, punched the Irishman.

Williams (1994)

For 1994, Senna finally signed with the Williams-Renault team. The clause that Prost had put in his contract prohibiting Senna from joining Williams was not extended to 1994 and Prost retired with another year on his contract., instead of facing the possibility of being the teammate of his biggest rival again. The Brazilian started as the main favorite to win the 1994 World Cup, but from the beginning it was seen that Ayrton was going to have it much more difficult than expected. provided. First, the FW16 did not turn out to be a suitable car for the Brazilian, since he suffered problems getting into the cabin, although he was able to solve this during the preseason. Added to this, pre-season testing showed that the new Williams-Renault FW16 had speed, but was difficult to drive. Senna had made numerous comments that the FW16 had some quirks that needed to be ironed out. The car in question, after regulation changes to ban active suspension and traction control, failed to show the superiority of any of its predecessors (the 1993 FW15C and FW14B). The surprise of the tests was the Benetton team, whose car was more agile than Williams', although less powerful.

The first race of the season was in Brazil, where Senna took pole. In the race, Senna took an early lead, but Schumacher's Benetton was constantly on his heels. Schumacher took the lead for the race and did not relinquish it after passing Senna in the pits during a refueling. Refusing to settle for second place, Senna continued to fight for the lead, even going as fast as two seconds per lap over teammate Damon Hill. While trying to fight to catch up with the German, Senna spun at the exit of Junção corner and his engine stalled, forcing him to retire from the race. The second test was the Pacific Grand Prix in Aida (Japan), where Senna once again put the car on pole. However, he was hit from behind at the first corner by Mika Häkkinen and his race came to a final end when the Ferrari driven by Nicola Larini also crashed into his Williams. Hill also retired with transmission problems, while Schumacher took victory again.

It was Senna's worst start to an F1 season, failing to score points or finish both events despite taking pole position in both races. Schumacher led in the drivers' championship by twenty points clear of Senna.

Accident and death

Image taken instants after the tricampon accident, aboard the Williams FW16 in Tamburello.

In the 1994 season, Senna was still uncomfortable with the car's cabin. That is why he requested a modification in it to achieve the desired comfort. During the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, at Imola on May 1, 1994, there was a big accident at the start and he had to enter the safety car that was much slower than the cars on the track. This only added to Senna's desire and desperation to be able to move fast (he could be seen signaling the safety car to go faster).

The race resumed on lap 6. On lap 7, the car did not go into the Tamburello corner, but went straight off the track at approximately 305 km/h and crashed into a concrete wall 218 km away /h. The right front wheel came off and struck his helmet while a suspension arm (from the same wheel) pierced his helmet and visor, causing skull fractures with loss of brain mass.

After the crash, Senna, with serious head injuries, lay unconscious waiting for the race to be aborted and medical assistance to come to the vehicle. It was necessary to perform an in situ tracheotomy until, minutes later, he was transferred by helicopter to the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna, where he remained in an induced coma for a few hours. Shortly after, his brain death was confirmed, although everything indicates that he suffered instant death in the coup. In the end, the race was won by Michael Schumacher.

The tomb of Ayrton Senna in the cemetery of Morumbi in São Paulo.

This event occurred one day after another driver, the Austrian Roland Ratzenberger, died during qualifying at the Gilles Villeneuve curve.

The apparent cause of the Brazilian's Williams FW16 being thrown into the wall of the Tamburello curve was the broken steering rod of his car. This was not proven in the trial that lasted several years in Italy. The case was reopened years later, so that finally in 2007 it was declared that a broken steering column was the cause of the accident, but due to the time that had elapsed, there was no legal action against Patrick Head. The Williams team never accepted their responsibility, nor did the engineers in charge of the poor modification of the steering column that Senna had previously requested, which was of very poor quality, causing Senna to run out of control of the car right at the aforementioned curve.. There were other theories such as that the cause was that the car lost height due to the cooling of the tires due to the safety car exit, which caused a loss of pressure in them, causing a loss of adhesion when the chassis made contact with the track. (Sparks were even seen flying from the car before impact). It should also be said that what ended Ayrton's life was not the brutal deceleration that he resisted, calculated at 4 g (4 times the gravitational acceleration). The cause of death would have been damage to the base of the skull caused by a suspension arm, a long, thin metal bar that, still attached to the wheel, pierced the helmet just at the crossing point of the visor and embedded itself in the pilot's head.

His coffin was carried through the streets of São Paulo in a fire truck, followed by more than a million people. He was buried, with the honors of head of state, in the Morumbi cemetery, in said Brazilian city. Pilots such as Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Ron Dennis attended his funeral.

The lesson learned from the accident changed motorsport profoundly, helping to save many lives since then.

Legacy

Memorable Races

• 1984 Monaco Grand Prix: In the rain, and on board the modest Toleman Hart performed a great performance. He overwhelmed pilots driving monopoles far superior to his. It could have been his first achievement in F1, but he came second after suspending the competition at the time Senna was going for the McLaren of Alain Prost.
• 1985 Portugal Grand Prix: gets its first success in F1 under the rain of Estoril. Ayrton was driving a Lotus driven by a turbo engine from the French house Renault.
• 1988 Japan Grand Prix: Coming out from the pole the engine is dull, when you get to boot it is already 14.o. Realizing a great setback, he wins the race and title of that year, aboard a McLaren-Honda.
• Japan Grand Prix 1989: in the fight for her bi-campeonate with Alain Prost, both collid in the Chicana Casio de Suzuka. Prost abandons and Senna returns helped by the commissars of the circuit and shorten the Chicana, crossing the first under the flag in pictures. He was disqualified and, as he was also unable to score on the next and last test of the World Cup (Australia) when he suffered another collision, Alain Prost won the title.
• 1990 Japan Grand Prix: After the start of the race Ayrton hits with Prost driving for Ferrari, in the first variant. They both leave but this time it's Senna who gets the title.
• Brazilian Grand Prix 1991: Senna won comfortably, but his McLaren is affected by a problem in the speed box. This motivates Senna to make an enormous physical effort to run only in sixth gear. He wins the race, but coming down from his exhausted monopoly.
• 1992 Monaco Grand Prix: ran in the first position, persecuted by Nigel Mansell who piloted a Williams-Renault FW14B. The Brazilian supports all British attacks for several rounds and takes the race.
• 1993 European Grand Prix: in a race under rain Senna starts in 4th position reaching 5th to the first curve and in that same first round he manages to advance to the 4 monoplazas that precede him by putting himself in first position. He gained authority in front of the Williams on the Donington Park circuit.

GPs won

• 6 GP of Monaco (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993)
• 5 GP of Belgium (1985, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991)
• 5 United States GP (1986, 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1991)
• 3 GP of San Marino (1988, 1989 and 1991)
• 3 GP of Germany (1988, 1989 and 1990)
• 3 GP of Hungary (1988, 1991 and 1992)
• 2 GP of Spain (1986 and 1989)
• 2 GP of Canada (1988 and 1990)
• 2 GP of Japan (1988 and 1993)
• 2 GP of Italy (1990 and 1992)
• 2 GP of Brazil (1991 and 1993)
• 2 GP of Australia (1991 and 1993)
• 1 GP of Portugal (1985)
• 1 United Kingdom GP (1988)
• 1 GP of Mexico (1989)
• 1 GP of Europe (1993)

Career Summary

Results

Formula 1

(Key) (bold indicates pole position) (italics indicates fastest lap)

The Foundation

In January 1994, the cartoon character "Senninha" was created, Ayrton himself was present at the ceremony. Later, the Ayrton Senna Institute was founded, which is in charge of helping underprivileged children in Brazil with educational, sports, environmental and health projects. The image of "Senninha" It is in school notebooks, t-shirts, toys, etc. Much of those sales go to Institute projects. The motto of the foundation is "everyone has the potential to be a winner", in a clear allusion to giving the possibility to children who do not have financial means in their beloved Brazil. Every year a marathon is held in São Paulo to raise funds, organized by the same foundation that his sister Viviane presides over. The marathon is named "Ayrton Senna Racing Day" and it is an important event in Brazil.

Tributes

Ayrton Senna next to a dog.

• In addition to the many ceremonies that commemorate Senna, a statue of him has also been made in Imola. In the Interlagos circuit there is a curve in the form of "S" that receives the name "S de Senna".
• The SP-070 road in São Paulo is named Rodovia Ayrton Senna (formerly Rodovia dos Trabalhadores), as well as multiple parks and monuments with the name of the world tricampeon throughout Brazil. Currently in all Formula 1 manufactured by Williams, the front wing looks like Senna's "S" right in front, where he liked to be Ayrton.

• Senna has 2 statues and 1 statue of the FIA with her face in homage.

• In the Tamburello curve (where he died) the back of the wall has flags, amateur names from all parts of the world, and other memories, such as flowers and photos. Every year the fans go to the wall to pay tribute to him. In November 2010, Senna was released, a documentary film in his honor.

• In the Argentine Republic, Senna has a space of homage at the Juan Manuel Fangio Museum in the city of Balcarce, in the province of Buenos Aires, where he exhibited a car that he piloted and photos along with the multiple F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio, whom Ayrton admired and with whom he had formed a friendship.

• In 1990 the Ayrton Senna Stadium was inaugurated in Macapá in the state of Amapá.
• Brazil's soccer team paid him a tribute after winning the 15th World Cup of Football held in the United States in 1994, with a banner that said "Senna... we accelerated together, O Tetra é nosso!" ("Senna... we accelerated together, the Tetra is our")
• In 1995, the Ayrton Senna Monument was inaugurated in São Paulo.
• He was a Corinthians fan. When 20 years of his death were completed, in 2014, all the team players went to the court with helmets that had the same design that the Brazilian pilot used.
• In 2017 the McLaren Automotive Automobile Company created the McLaren Senna. The car takes the name of the Brazilian pilot surrendering to his successes with McLaren F1.
• In 2018, the Brazilian team of Corinthians paid tribute to Senna, making an outfit with the signature of this pilot and inspired by his Black and Gold Lotus.
• In 2020, a new race circuit will be opened in Rio de Janeiro that will have its name.
• In 2020, in commemoration of the 80 years of the founding of the José Carlos Pace Authodrome, located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, a giant mural was made in one of the buildings of the installation, recalling the emotional victory of the pilot in the circuit, in the Brazilian Grand Prix of Formula 1 of 1991, being remembered as one of the most memorable in his career (Senna did not win in Brazil until then).

Rally

Senna made a small foray into rallying in 1986. In an interview for the British magazine Car and Car Conversions, he tested several rally cars, including a Vauxhall Nova, a Austin Rover Metro 6R4, a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and a Ford Escort on a stretch of dirt closed to the public, where he even went wide at the first corner with the Ford Sierra.

Filmography

• Senna (documentary) (2010).