Where do I begin? Thousands upon thousands of articles, posts and essays have been written about the life and career of Ayrton Senna. Born in Sao Paulo in 1960, Senna first broke into Formula 1 in 1984, where he immediately made a name for himself. The defining arc of his glittering, and hugely controversial career, was from 1988 to 1991, but before we come to that, let’s look at how Senna’s Formula 1 career began.
Like many of his peers, Senna started out racing karts. At the age of 13 he was racing competitively against older boys, and he won the South American Karting Champion in 1977. Moving up to the Karting World Championship, Senna competed from 1978 to 1982, and was twice runner-up. After a little bit of doubt as to whether motor racing was what he wanted to do, and a couple of moves to England, back to Brazil and then back to England, Senna would compete in the 1983 British Formula 3 Championship, where he had some fierce battles with Martin Brundle, and ultimately came out on top. In the meantime, he had been testing for several F1 teams, including Williams, McLaren, Brabham and Toleman. Eventually Senna would sign a contract for a race seat with Toleman, a relatively new and uncompetitive team, but also one that gave him an early opportunity to race at the highest level.
Senna managed three podium appearances in 1984, despite the car’s deficiencies, and this including a stunning charge from 13th to second at a rain-soaked Monaco. At one stage, he was lapping four seconds faster than race leader Alain Prost, in a vastly superior McLaren. It has been argued this race put Senna firmly on the map, and it could be said it gave him a taste of glory. With rising ambitions, Senna set his sights on better cars, and his first season put him on the radar of Lotus.
The Breakout Year
Driving for Lotus in 1985, Senna initially retired from the first race in his native Brazil. He channelled the disappointment of that experience to take the first of many pole positions at the next race in Portugal, and he converted pole to victory. Out of 16 races, Senna would finish nine of them (reliability proving a crucial factor of his season), however he would finish on the podium in seven of those races, including a second win in Belgium. He had burst onto the scene as a racy, bullish driver, prepared to be ruthless, and it was also clear he possessed a supreme degree of natural talent. In 1986 he took two more wins, and once again was on the podium in virtually all of his points finishes. In fact, Senna scored points at every race he finished.
Senna’s final year with Lotus was in 1987. By now, the paddock recognised his pace, and his ability to extract results from machinery that was less than optimal. Two more wins and a host of podium finishes came his way, but Senna had absolute faith in his skills, and wanted to take a step up. During his time with Lotus, he had developed a strong relationship with the team’s Honda engine suppliers, and when he moved to McLaren in 1988, he took the Honda engines with him. 1988 would also mark the first year of a rivalry that did not merely define Formula 1, but transcend it…
The First of Many
When Ayrton Senna signed for McLaren in 1988, he joined established two-time champion Alain Prost. Prost had a reputation for being incredibly quick, and was said to initially relish the challenge of facing Senna, who had built a similar reputation. The pair were not challenged by anyone else in the quest for the world championship, and this led to some spicy racing action. Prost, normally a calm figure, was angered by Senna nearly pushing him into the pit wall in Portugal, the first true flashpoint in their relationship. Senna also copied Prost’s car setups, since he knew Prost was something of a master of this trait, and this is said to have rankled Prost.
After a season-long duel, Senna secured his first world championship in Japan. He started poorly, stalling the car, but managed to get going, chasing down those ahead, until he reached Prost. By then the rain had started, and whilst Senna enjoyed wet races, Prost was not fond of them. Between that, and a gearbox problem, Prost was powerless to stop Senna from claiming the win that gave him the title. The fans had loved the exciting tussle between the two best drivers on the grid, and there would be more to come in 1989.
Acrimonious Eruptions
Over the course of 1989, the relationship between Senna and Prost rapidly soured. Whilst Prost felt Senna was receiving the lion’s share of attention from McLaren, and felt Senna had betrayed his word over a gentleman’s agreement in Monaco, Senna suffered most of the mechanical troubles, which cost him wins at the USA and Canada. Another engine failure cost Senna a win at the Italian Grand Prix, where Prost announced he was leaving McLaren for Ferrari, believing that his existing team was playing favourites. A war of words had blown up between the two, and matters came to a head in Japan.
Senna simply had to win if he was to remain in the title fight. The penultimate race had seen him claim the title the year before, but here he knew a failure to score points would certainly end his chances, and he also knew that Prost planned to be as ferocious as himself. Whilst trailing the Frenchman on lap 46, Senna tried to squeeze up the inside of the final chicane and Prost closed the door. The two collided, and both went off. Prost got out of his car, assuming both the race and title to be done, but Senna got a push, and a bump start, and took to an escape road to resume racing. He went on to win the race, but was later disqualified for using the escape road. McLaren appealed the decision, but the authorities rejected it.
Senna was furious. He and the team cited examples of other cars using escape roads without penalties, but the FIA were unmoved. Senna would later assert a conspiracy against him, led by Jean Marie Balestre, the FIA president (and compatriot of Prost). The bad blood between Senna and Prost festered, with some dramatic consequences the following year.
Furious Finales
The first half of 1990 was a story of Senna’s dominance. He won three of the first five races, and both he and McLaren certainly looked fast. However Prost and Ferrari reeled them back in during the middle of the year. The result of this was that everything would once again come to a head in Japan, and this time, the aggression was ramped up to new levels.
Whereas in 1989 Senna had been the one needing victory, here Prost depended upon it. Whilst Senna qualified on pole, Prost benefited from the cleaner side of the track, thanks to machinations from Balestre and the FIA. Senna was annoyed by this move, since it effectively negated the advantage of pole, and he had not forgotten his perceived injustice from the year before. He made it clear that he would not yield the first corner under any circumstances, and people expected fireworks.
The people were right. Prost got away quicker, and moved around the outside of Senna towards turn one. Senna, true to his word, did not lift, and instead went at full power into the corner. The two collided at speed, and barrelled off into the gravel. Senna was world champion for a second time, and Prost was livid. Senna himself was sheepish in the immediate aftermath of the collision, though he also claim that “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” A year later, Senna would confess to deliberately causing the accident.
The Emotional Victory
Senna had now won two world championships, along with a host of races, accolades, and admiration. However, one trophy was missing. Heading into the 1991 season, Senna had not won on home soil. He hungered to win at the Brazilian Grand Prix, so much so that when his Mclaren’s gearbox began to fail, Senna soldiered on, in considerable pain, and managed to win despite the discomfort. There is famous footage of him crying out in a combination of ecstasy and agony, and he had to be helped from the car after the race. Senna refused help in lifting the trophy.
1991 was arguably the most complete performance from Senna. He won the first four races of the season, and took three more wins on his way to his third world championship. Whilst Nigel Mansell of Williams did mount a mid-season charge, Senna had enough about him to close off the challenge, and it was yet again in Japan where the title came his way. His third title placed him firmly in the record books, and no one could hold any doubt about his sheer skill, nor his will to be the best.
Things began to move away from Senna in 1992. Williams upped their game with their car, and McLaren fell behind. Despite this, Senna won three races, including holding off a determined Mansell at Monaco, a venue that Senna often excelled at. With it becoming clear the momentum had shifted, Senna wanted to drive for Williams in 1993, and even offered his services for free, but his old nemesis Alain Prost had signed for the team, and had a clause in his contract denying Senna a seat for 1993. Senna was furious, and even publicly called Prost a coward, but Prost was unmoved.
Nonetheless, Senna and McLaren started 1993 very well. Despite losing the Honda engines and replacing them with Ford engines, Senna was able to extract more out of the car than he arguably had any right to. He took three wins in the first six races, and one of them, at a rain-soaked Donington Park for the European Grand Prix, was as great a display of mastery as any ever seen in the sport.
Senna had qualified fourth, and slipped to fifth at the first corner. He then displayed all of his considerably wet-weather acumen to pass car after car, showing a confidence in himself that few other drivers have ever had. He was in the lead of the race by the end of the first lap, and would not relinquish it. In the end, Senna won by a minute from Williams’ Damon Hill. This has been heralded as his greatest ever drive.
Unfortunately, Senna could not compete forever against the superior Williams cars. Prost took command of the championship with four straight wins, and sealed the title with two races still to go. Senna would win those races, and at the end of the final race in Australia, he took the unusual step of embracing his formerly fierce rival Prost, who had announced his retirement at the end of the campaign.
The Darkest Hour
There has been much said about the 1994 Formula 1 season. It ended on a controversial note, but that is a story for another post. It began with Senna getting the seat at Williams, partnered with Damon Hill. It also saw major regulation changes, with traction control, active suspension, and other electrical aids being banned. Since the FW16 had been designed around these concepts, the car had to be hastily updated to meet the new rules.
The result was a car that Senna said was difficult to drive. It was quick, but unbalanced. Such were his difficulties with the car that Senna consulted with Prost, who had recent experience of Williams. For the first race of the season in Brazil, Senna took pole, but span out on lap 56, whilst chasing the Benetton of Michael Schumacher. At the next round, the Pacific Grand Prix in Japan, Senna was hit by Mika Häkkinen, and then by Larini, at the start of the race, having taken pole yet again.
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix has become regarded as one of the worst F1 weekends in living memory. Rubens Barrichello was hurt in practice, and missed the rest of the weekend. Several mechanics and even spectators were injured over the course of the weekend, and on Saturday the 30th of April, Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying. His was the first death of a driver at a race weekend since the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, and it shook up Senna. He visited the site of the crash, and was advised by his friend and F1 doctor Sid Watkins to retire. Watkins recalled that Senna broke down in tears, but also refused to walk away from F1.
On Sunday the 1st of May 1994, Senna, leading the race from Michael Schumacher, veered off the track at high speed when his car failed to turn. He hit a concrete barrier at 131 mph, and was killed instantly. Within his car, rescuers found an Austrian flag, which Senna had planned to unfurl in honour of Ratzenberger.
Senna’s Legacy
It goes without saying that Ayrton Senna’s death shook the sporting world. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the Brazilian team dedicated their victorious tournament to their compatriot. Senna received a state funeral, and half a million people showed up for the procession. In the wake of his death, Formula 1 had to take a long look at itself, and the approach to driver safety.
Beyond the tragedy, people also remembered Senna’s sheer brilliance. His race-craft was incredible. His natural talent was unrivalled. Numerous other drivers, including champions, herald him as the greatest of all time. You can pick any one of his wins, and see a display of excellence, though you will find Senna’s greatest races were in the rain. Few have mastery of the damp conditions like Senna had.
Whilst Senna was said to be ruthless, and indeed he was, he also had a compassionate side. When Erik Comas crashed his Ligier into the barriers at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, Senna stopped his car on track, at great personal risk, to aid the stricken Frenchman, who had been knocked unconscious. He devoted millions of dollars towards the poor, and set up an institution in his native Brazil, the Instituto Ayrton Senna, to aid young Brazilians, and give them opportunities for a better future. There is something of a paradox there, but that is the nature of how competitive Senna was.
Career Stats
From 1984 to 1994, Senna started 161 grands prix. His trio of world championships is accompanied by 41 wins, 80 appearances on the podium, 65 pole positions, and 19 fastest laps. I dare say the numbers will never be able to tell the full, raw story of what made Ayrton Senna a legend.