On 21 March 1960 Ayrton Senna was born, the man who made his native Brazil and the whole world dream. The passion for motorsport ran through his veins from birth: at only 7 years old, he was already riding a Fiat 147, his father's car, which little Ayrton enjoyed driving in the backyard.
Racing was not to be his life; his family had other plans. Ayrton was to take the reins of the family business after finishing his studies, but the adrenaline rush that karts gave him took over. Young Ayrton insisted on having his parents' blessing: his future was already engraved, he could not avoid it, he had to become a driver, the greatest ever.
When he began his career in minor competitions, his talent, especially in wet track conditions, did not go unnoticed. Ayrton made the difference, whoever was in the pit lane or in the pits learned this: his destiny was Formula 1 and his arrival came in 1983, driving the Toleman
Monaco 1984: the consecration
One of the races etched in the hearts of fans is undoubtedly the Monte-Carlo round, which in that edition saw rain pour down heavily on the iconic circuit. Senna had qualified in thirteenth position, but his race had a completely different flavour: the extreme conditions fired up the Brazilian, who performed overtaking after overtaking thanks to impeccable driving. While many experienced drivers made mistakes, Ayrton advanced more and more, as if the rain did not touch him, as if he were flying.
The race was interrupted due to extreme rain when Senna was in second position, behind Prost, with whom he was closing his gap curve after curve. The 1984 Monaco GP is remembered by many as the Brasialian's missed victory but also as the day of his consecration; from that moment on everything was clear: he would be part of F1 history.
Early successes in Lotus and arrival in McLaren
His arrival at Lotus brought the first victories for young Ayrton, who was eager to become World Champion. But he understood that to become one, he had to think big and own the strongest single-seater on the grid, the McLaren. His arrival in 1988 caused a lot of noise in the British team: because alongside him was not just any driver, but Alain Prost, the reigning world champion.
The Frenchman silently understood Senna's ability and how much he would be able to undermine his World Championship successes, so he tried to make life inside the British team ‘complicated’ for him. But Senna was no quitter, he enjoyed the challenges, they spurred him on to do more and this led to the two of them having one of the most iconic fights F1 has ever had.
The 1989 French and Japanese GPs were the stages where the climax of their rivalry was witnessed, where it became clear that McLaren had the best bullfighter on the grid, but it was not easy to manage them with such a juicy prize at stake. Despite the struggles, the controversies with the Federation for some decisions taken against him, Senna managed to be crowned World Champion three times: in 1988, 1990 and in 1991, the year in which he achieved one of the most exciting and memorable victories of his career in his beloved Brazil.
1994: the cursed year
After his long stint at McLaren, Senna decided to join Williams, a legendary team with which he wanted to go down in history even more, but the reality was quite different. He found himself with a difficult single-seater, with which the Brazilian struggled to familiarise himself. Moreover, the regulatory changes that came into force that very season gave Williams a beating, in great difficulty at the start of the championship that would later become the last in Ayrton's life.
Needless to remind you all what happened in that Imola, for many considered for a long time to be cursed: the episode is well etched in the minds of those who were in those stands, as well as those sitting in front of the TV and also for those new generations who have seen it happen again in the years to follow. Ayrton left us almost 31 years ago, but his memory is more alive than ever. Today is his birthday and who knows what would have happened in his life if that Imola race in 1994' had never taken place: who knows if he would have won other titles, if he would have joined Ferrari as he so much wanted and if today, we would have found him in the paddock watching these new generations challenge each other.
We will never have an answer to these questions, we can only relive what he gave us, immortal in time. From all of us in the Formula1.it editorial staff: Feliz aniversário, Ayrton! Obrigado por tudo
Main cover photo www.mclaren.com
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