He competed in Formula One during the 1980s and 1990s.
He won 65 pole positions and 3 world titles in his career. In Japan, he was the driving force behind the glory of McLaren Honda and became the face of F1 during the bubble era, and was known by the nickname "the sonic speed nobleman" given by Ichiro Furudate.
Although there are several other drivers whose records alone are equal or better, his overwhelming charisma, drama, and tragic end made him a legend, and he is still so popular in Japan and around the world that he is ranked No. 1 in the Formula 1 driver popularity poll.
He married his childhood friend, but they later divorced and had no children. However, his nephew (his sister's son), Bruno Senna, is an Formula 1 driver.
Overview
Born on March 21, 1960 in Brazil, Ayrton Senna da Silva began driving karts at the age of four and started racing at the age of 13. He won his first race in Portugal in 1985 and became the first driver's champion in 1988, followed by three more championships in 1990 and 1991.
He is often called a genius for his outstanding technique and is regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time, but on the other hand, his genius also led to constant feuds with other F1 drivers.
In particular, he and Alain Prost were on the same team at McLaren for two years from 1988 until 1989. In 1988, McLaren won 15 of the 16 races, with Senna winning eight and Prost seven.
However, the two continued to battle for the championship the following year in 1989, and their relationship deteriorated as it intensified. In the Japanese Grand Prix, while battling for the lead, the two drivers collided. This caused Prost to retire and Senna to be disqualified. As a result, Prost was crowned world champion.
The next year, 1990, Prost moved to Ferrari, but the conflict continued. As mentioned above, Senna won the championship that year, but the decision was again a bad one, as both drivers retired after colliding just after the start at the Japanese Grand Prix.
It is said that the two drivers had acknowledged each other's abilities as drivers since their working days, and at the 1993 Australian Grand Prix, the race in which Prost officially retired, they shook hands after the race and reconciled their differences.
In addition, at the San Marino Grand Prix (see below), a TV station that broadcasts F1 live in France held an event in which Senna commented on the course over the radio during practice. In this event, Senna sent a message over the radio to Prost, the TV commentator, saying, "Alain, I miss you.
After the end of the 1993 season, Senna left to drive for Williams for the 1994 season. During the first two races, Senna failed to score points, with the Williams FW16's unstable aerodynamics causing problems for both him and his team mate Damon Hill.
On May 1, 1994, at 2:27 p.m., during the third round of the San Marino Grand Prix, he went straight at high speed at Tamburello Corner and crashed into a wall. An airway incision was performed at the scene, and he was transported by helicopter to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He died at the age of 34. His funeral was held in Brazil as a state funeral. The direct cause of death is believed to be a direct hit to the head from a front suspension part, and in the video taken immediately after the accident, the upper part of the helmet is seen to be heavily damaged. However, during the course of the investigation of the accident, it was determined that the head movement was caused by a convulsion of the body, which can occur at the time of death.
The San Marino Grand Prix that year had been riddled with serious accidents, including the death of Simtek Ford driver Roland Ratzenberger in an accident on the qualifying the day before, and Jordan driver Rubens Barrichello being seriously injured in a serious crash on the practice the day before that. The officials took the situation very seriously and implemented emergency safety measures, including the reorganization of the GPDA, a players' association, major changes to regulations to improve car safety, and changes to the layout of some of the tracks where F1 races have been held since then.
In addition, the course layout of the Imola Circuit, where the series of accidents occurred, was significantly changed the following year, focusing on the corner where the accident occurred.
Senna has remained a favorite long after his death, with Williams carrying the Senna logo on its cars until 2021 and McLaren producing a hypercar named "Senna" in 2018.
20 years later after Senna's death, Jules Bianchi from Marussia had fatal accident collide tractor crane while picking up the spun-off car of Sauber's Adrian Sutil at Dunlop Curve aat the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit suffered a diffuse axonal injury and Jules Bianchi died in the following year.
Dale Earnhardt died as a result of a fatal accident during the NASCAR race on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA, 7 years after Senna's death, Earnhardt was nudged by Sterling Marlin before then losing control and was hit by Ken Schrader in turn 4, Earnhardt was rushed to Halifax Medical Center and Dale Earnhardt was pronounced dead at 5:16 p.m. local time and Marco Simoncelli died as a result of a fatal accident at the 2011 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix race at the Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia, 17 years after Senna's death, Simoncelli was involved in a fatal accident along with Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi while in fourth position on the second lap. Simoncelli crashed at Turn 11 and was hit by Edwards' Yamaha YZR M1 4-stroke 800cc inline-4, Edwards also crashed and only suffered a shoulder injury, while Simoncelli lay still on the track shortly after the fatal crash with his helmet coming off in the incident and while Rossi only slightly lost balance on his Ducati Desmocedici GP11 4-stroke 800cc V-4 and was able to drive back to the pits and paddock. After the incident, the race was red-flagged and the session was stopped and Simoncelli was rushed to the Sepang International Circuit medical center where Marco Simoncelli was pronounced dead at 4:56pm local time. Later, in the MotoGP race directors' press conference, medical chief Michele Macchiagodena, said that Simoncelli suffered fatal injuries and serious trauma to the head, neck and chest and was given CPR treatment for 45 minutes before finally died.
In Japan
In the early 1990s, when Senna was active in F1, Honda was competing (Senna was on a team supplied by Honda for a long time), and Satoru Nakajima became the first Japanese driver to compete in F1 on a full scale.
He also had a honeymoon relationship with Honda, an engine supplier. When he met Honda's president, Soichiro Honda, he was moved to tears when Soichiro said, "I will make the best engine for you. In addition, he appeared in commercials for production cars and was involved in the development of the NSX supercar created by Honda, with whom he developed a deep relationship. When he last met Takeo Kiuchi, the engineer in charge during his McLaren-Honda days, he pledged his friendship, saying, "I am still young, I can still wait for many more years, I will ride for Honda again.
During the off-season, Senna frequently appeared on Japanese TV programs, and his karting duel with Takaaki Ishibashi of Tonneruzu became a famous event. As a punishment, Senna presented Ishibashi with the helmet he wore when he won the race at Suzuka. The helmet was later delivered to Ishibashi as promised, but Senna had already died in an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix, and the two were never reunited. Ishibashi then said, "I can't wear this helmet because it contains Senna's spirit," and he kept it for display only, and continued the kart racing duel for two years as a "continuation of Senna's will.
As of 2022, his record has been broken by Lewis Hamilton, who is also one of Senna's admirers, and who left a moving comment when he rode in a car that Senna had driven for the BBC's "Top Gear" television program in the UK. Senna is vividly etched in the memories of many people, and he is one of the people that many professional drivers have aspired to be like, and his popularity will never wane in the future.
Related Tags
Formula 1 Jules Bianchi Roland Ratzenberger NASCAR Dale Earnhardt MotoGP Marco Simoncelli Lewis Hamilton
