Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna da Silva was born on 21 March 1960 in São Paulo, Brazil. He began karting at four in a kart built by his father, Milton, and won the South American Kart Championship in 1977, 1978, and 1980. After moving to Europe, he won the British Formula Three Championship in 1983, driving for West Surrey Racing. His Formula One debut came with Toleman at the 1984 Brazilian Grand Prix, and he scored his first championship point with sixth place at Kyalami. In Monaco that year, his rain-soaked drive from thirteenth on the grid to second made him internationally famous. Senna joined Lotus in 1985 and took his first pole position at Estoril in Portugal, where he also won his first Grand Prix in heavy rain. With Lotus, he added victories at Spa-Francorchamps in 1985 and at Jerez, Detroit, and Monaco in 1986, plus Detroit again in 1987. He moved to McLaren for 1988, becoming teammate to Alain Prost in a Honda-powered MP4/4. Senna won eight races that season and secured his first World Drivers' Championship after beating Prost by three points. McLaren won fifteen of sixteen Grands Prix in 1988, one of Formula One's most dominant seasons ever recorded. His rivalry with Prost defined the next two seasons. In 1989, their collision at Suzuka ended Senna's title hopes; Prost became champion. At the same circuit in 1990, Senna and Prost collided again at the first corner, handing Senna the championship. He clinched a third title in 1991, winning seven races, including his first Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Near the finish, his McLaren was stuck in sixth gear, and he finished exhausted after holding off Riccardo Patrese. His 1991 championship was McLaren's last drivers' crown before he left the team at the end of 1993 for Williams in 1994. After Honda withdrew from Formula One at the end of 1992, McLaren lost its works engine partner. Senna nonetheless won five races in 1993, notably beating Prost's dominant Williams at Donington Park in a wet European Grand Prix. He signed for Williams in 1994, joining a team that had won the previous two constructors' titles. On 1 May 1994, during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, his Williams left the track at the Tamburello curve and struck a concrete barrier. Senna sustained injuries and was declared dead at Bologna's Maggiore Hospital; he was thirty-four when crash occurred that day. Senna's record comprised 161 Grand Prix starts, 65 pole positions, 19 fastest laps, and 41 race victories. His 65 poles remained the Formula One record until Michael Schumacher surpassed it in 2006. Brazil declared three days of national mourning, and an estimated three million people lined the streets of São Paulo for his funeral procession. In 1994, his sister Viviane helped create the Instituto Ayrton Senna, which supports public education projects in Brazil. The organization has continued to use his name and image under a licensing agreement with the Senna family. His yellow helmet became a lasting symbol in motorsport.