Wall of Fame - Infostrada

Ayrton Senna

D2

3 x

Country Brazil
Date of birth 21-Mar-1960 († 01-May-1994)
Era 1980s, 1990s
List of honours World Champion: 1988, 1990, 1991; Grand Prix victories: 41

Profile Ayrton Senna da Silva was born the son of a wealthy land owner in 1960 in São Paulo. His father was a racing fan and encouraged his son to venture into what would become one of the most brilliant careers in Formula One history. An untimely death in the heat of the battle at the age of 34 has given the Brazilian ace a legendary status for racing lovers worldwide. Senna entered the main stage of motorsports, the Formula 1, in 1984 the year in which he started out for the Toleman team. Despite their humble status, Senna quickly began turning heads as he pushed his vehicle to the edge of the envelope. Lotus was quick to secure his services for the 1985 season and Senna responded by winning the Grand Prix of Portugal. Mechanical woes prevented him from becoming an immediate threat for the driver title, but it was clear a star had been born. 1985 is also the year that saw Senna clinch his first of an all-time record of 65 pole positions. His record was only broken in 2006 by Michael Schumacher. The Portugal victory was Senna’s first of 41 in 161 race starts. 1988 saw Senna collect his first of three driver titles (he also won in 1990 and 1991) amidst an enthralling and intensifying battle with French star Alain Prost, whom he had joined as a teammate at McLaren in 1988. In that year, the two combined to win 15 of 16 races. By 1992 Williams had replaced McLaren as the top team in F1. Senna joined Williams in 1994 only to find himself playing catchup with Team Benetton. It never materialised. On May 1, 1994 Senna died after a crash at Imola and part of racing died with him.