Ayrton Senna, the Hero of Brazil

A small Biography about Ayrton Senna and his career in Formula 1.

(Image Credit to planetf1)

A Brazilian hero

When you think of Formula 1 so many legends come to mind. For example, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Alain Prost, and Emerson Fittipaldi. But that list is missing one of the most influential and significant drivers in F1’s history, Ayrton Senna. Ayrton broke countless records, won championships and inspired not just the nation of Brazil but millions of others, including young karters such as Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli and Sergio Perez. Ayrton overcame numerous obstacles, including racism, to reach Formula 1, and once he arrived, he demonstrated to the world just how skilled he was.

Senna’s early life and feederseries

Ayrton Senna da Silva was born on the 21st of March 1960, in São Paulo, Brazil. Ayrton got his first kart when he was 4, but it was far from professional, with its engine being a lawnmower’s. He started competing in karting at 13, and once he started competing, he couldn't stop winning. In 1977 and 1978, Ayrton won the South American Karting Championship. After this success, he moved to England, where he competed in Formula Ford 1600 for Van Diemen. Here, he won several races, then moved up to Formula Ford in 1982 with Rushen Green Racing after deliberating leaving racing for his family business. After the season ended, with him winning 15 out of the 17 races, he joined the British Formula 3 Championship for West Surry Racing. His time in British F3 was extremely successful, with him winning not only the Macau Grand Prix but also the British F3 championship. With the F3 championship under his belt, Senna joined the Formula 1 grid in 1984 with Toleman. 

Senna’s early F1 career with Toleman

When Senna joined Toleman they were a struggling midfield team, with Toleman placing 9th out of 13 in 1983. But Senna helped change that. In his first season, Senna helped the team go from 9th to 7th, as well as scoring 13 of the team's 16 points. But that wasn’t the only miracle he accomplished. The Monaco Grand Prix was chaos that year, with 8 of the grid DNFing, including legends such as Lauda, Mansell and Piquet. During the race, Senna made countless overtakes, putting him up to P2. He then started closing the gap to Alain Prost in first before the race was halted with a red flag on lap 31, ending it prematurely and stopping Senna from fighting for the win. The world was shocked that this rookie managed to reach P2 in the torrential conditions with a Toleman. This increased the interest in Senna, not only from fans but from other teams and influential individuals in motorsport, with Lotus offering him a seat the following year.

The move to McLaren

In the following three years, Senna drove for Lotus where he became a consistent podium finisher and race winner. But Senna didn’t want to settle for 3rd or 4th in the driver's championship. He wanted to win. So in 1988, Senna joined McLaren. This switch greatly benefited him in the long run as McLaren helped him win three Driver's Championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The move to McLaren didn't come without its struggles, though. McLaren paired Senna with Alain Prost, who some would say was his biggest rival. His rivalry with Prost caused tensions to run high at McLaren, with them both fighting for the championship. It was these tensions that caused both the 1989 Suzuka incident and the 1990 Suzuka incident. In 1989, Prost was ahead of Senna in the championship with 2 races left, but in order for Senna to win, he needed to win both the Suzuka GP and the Adelaide GP. The weekend started well for Ayrton with pole, but Prost decided to change his setup. This change helped Prost overtake Senna during the race and stay in the lead. As the race continued, Senna picked up pace and caught back up to Prost but an impatient overtake attempt caused their cars to collide and Prost had to retire from the race. Senna, however, continued and finished in P1. But this victory didn’t last, as the FIA decided to take away the win, claiming Senna didn’t correctly go through one of the chicanes. This caused Prost to win the championship before the last race. This controversial decision by the FIA continued to fuel Senna’s need to beat Prost and prove himself. So when the Japanese GP rolled around in 1990, Prost and Senna drove recklessly, ending in a 1st lap crash in turn 1, taking both of them out for the race. These two incidents highlight the rivalry, passion and differences between Senna and Prost. Prost had a safer and calculated driving style compared to Senna, who had an aggressive and sharp style. This also highlighted their competitiveness and hunger to win.

The final race

In 1993, Senna saw how dominant the Williams was and knew that he needed to join Williams in the next season if he wanted to win another championship. So in 1994, Senna parted ways with McLaren and joined Williams. The weekend of the San Marino Grand Prix was a tragic one. Roland Ratzenberger, a young driver for Simtek Ford, had a horrendous crash during qualifying that resulted in his passing. This shook the drivers deeply including Senna. It reminded them about the dangers of motorsport, especially Formula 1. Nonetheless, the race continued the next day. But 5 laps in, Ayrton lost control of the car after his steering column snapped and causing him to have a terrible collision with the wall at Tamburello. It was this collision that took Senna’s life. 

A Hero’s legacy

The death of Ayrton left the world in shock. One of the most skilled drivers gone in an instant- it seemed impossible. The world mourned him, Brazil mourned him. To Brazil, he was more than just a good driver. Senna represented discipline, skill, compassion and faith. All of these characteristics caused the world to fall in love with him, and his passing seemed to leave a hole. Today, Senna is remembered through the changes in F1’s safety precautions, Instituto Ayrton Senna (a charity run by his sister helping underprivileged children in Brazil) and the Formula 1 community. Ayrton left a lasting impact on not only the sport but our society and while he may have passed, he will always be present in the spirit of Formula 1.

Article written by Kjesten Hermann