Ayrton Senna

A three-time Formula 1 champion, Ayrton Senna da Silva was born on March 21, 1960, in the city of São Paulo. He was the son of a motor trader and the uncle of ex-Formula 1 driver Bruno Senna.

Senna is considered one of the most skillful drivers ever to grace the sport. But he was tragically killed at the age of 34 following a crash at the Imola circuit on May 1, 1994, while racing in the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy.

On June 3, 1984, Ayrton Senna and his Toleman came second in a historic Monaco Grand Prix. Denied the win, Senna's first great performance in a Formula 1 car still earned him his first podium at that level.

From 13th position on the grid, the Brazilian was up to ninth by the end of the first lap. On the 32nd lap, when he was in second position and rapidly closing in on French driver Alain Prost, who was leading for McLaren, the Monaco race organizers decided to stop the race because of a torrential downpour.

On April 21, 1985, at a very wet Estoril circuit, Ayrton Senna led the Portuguese Grand Prix from start to finish for Lotus-Renault to take his first Formula 1 win. Once again, he proved himself a master in wet conditions—a skill he would demonstrate time and time again throughout his career.

In his time with Lotus, between 1985 and 1987, Senna's 6 wins, 22 podiums, and 16 pole positions made him the British team's No. 1 driver.

In 1988, Senna moved to McLaren, where he would have to share the spotlight with the then double world champion, French driver Alain Prost. Together, they helped the British team to win all but one race that season, but their partnership also led to one of the greatest rivalries in the sport's history.

For the two seasons they spent as teammates (1988–89), they won 25 out of 32 races, with Senna taking 14 wins and Prost 11. Their differences, however, saw Prost leave the team at the end of the 1989 season.

On October 30, 1988, having taken pole position at the Suzuka circuit for the then record of 12 poles in a single season, Senna had a problem at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. He had to overtake 14 other cars during the race to win his first world title.

In the photo, Senna drives his championship-winning, turbo-charged McLaren at the Nelson Piquet circuit in Brasília. Senna would win two further titles (1990 and 1991) in Japan, making him a three-time Formula 1 world champion.

On March 24, 1991, Ayrton Senna's dream of winning the Brazilian Grand Prix came true with victory at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo.

Under pressure for the 59 laps of the race, a gearbox malfunction forced him to race the last 7 laps in sixth gear, but Senna managed to hold on to his lead until the checkered flag.

At the European Grand Prix on April 11, 1993, in his last season with McLaren, Senna produced a performance that would go down in history. On a wet track at Donington Park, he went from fourth to first place before the end of the first lap.

Considered the best opening lap in Formula 1 history, his exploits that day earned him a plaque at the British circuit.

Ayrton Senna would go on to race just two more Grand Prix for Williams (his fourth and last team): The Pacific Grand Prix in Japan and the San Marino Grand Prix, where he would lose his life.