Ayrton Senna in 30 Moments
CHAPTER 1: THE ORIGIN OF A CHAMPION
The year is 1960. Ayrton Senna is born to Milton Guirado da Silva and Neide Joanna Senna da Silva. His family calls him Beco.
The year is 1967. Senna gets behind the wheel for the first time. He drives circuits in his father’s jeep around the family farm.
The year is 1973. Senna enters his first race in a kart powered by a lawn mower engine. He starts in pole position and leads most of the way, but retires after crashing into a rival. He has found his calling.
The year is 1980. It is the final race of the Karting World Championships. Senna is battling Terry Fullerton and Peter de Bruijn, his two biggest rivals. Senna has raced in the past two World Championships, getting second the previous year. He is determined to win. But de Bruijn never lets up. Senna finishes second for the second time. He learns to despise defeat.
The year is 1981. Senna is giving up motorsports. His parents want him to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an entrepreneur. But before he can hang up his helmet, Formula Ford offers him $10,000 to join their Formula Ford 2000 team. He considers the offer. He says yes. From this point forward, Ayrton Senna is known as one thing: a racer.
The year is 1983. The British Formula Three world has quickly learned the name Ayrton Senna. He dominates the first half of the season. And as soon as Martin Brundle closes the gap, Senna pulls ahead in the final round and wins the Grand Championship. He is ready to make the leap.
The year is 1984. Senna signs with Toleman’s F1 team after testing for McLaren and Williams. He underwhelms in his debut, but this does not slow Senna down, and the Brazilian scores his first F1 points in his next race in South Africa. But it isn’t until the Monaco Grand Prix that Senna starts to turn heads.
In Monaco, Senna is chasing eventual number two driver in the world Alain Prost in the final laps. He is gaining. Four seconds a lap. Prost is just ahead. He is about to pass. But then, it's over. The red flag is flown. Weather stops the race and Prost is declared victor. This is the beginning of a decade-long rivalry.
The year is 1985. Senna secretly signs with Lotus to avoid his Toleman contract. The Lotus car is faster and more powerful, providing Senna with the tools necessary for his first pole position and first place at the Portuguese Grand Prix. But the car also proves less reliable than Toleman’s, and Senna fails to score in nine of his races — nearly half due to mechanical issues.
The year is 1986. Senna is now the number one driver at Lotus. He takes an early lead in the F1 season, but further mechanical issues limit his ability to truly compete. Despite taking nine podiums, he never comes close to competing for the grand championship. He knows he can do better.
The year is 1987. Senna is frustrated. Despite Lotus inking a deal with Honda to secure the dominant V6 engine, the Lotus cars are still no match for the competition. Senna finishes in third place for the Drivers’ Championship, his best showing. It is not good enough. He wants a team that can fully support his abilities. A team that refuses to compromise. He joins Team McLaren.
CHAPTER 2: DESIGNED TO WIN
The year is 1988. F1 is set to ban turbo-charged engines the following year. Teams are working to design naturally aspirated cars for the future. McLaren takes a risk. They strike a deal with Honda to secure the rights to the RA168E V6-turbo engine for its final year of legality. With the engine in house, McLaren creates an unstoppable car for the coming season — the MP4/4.
It is April of 1988. Senna joins Prost on team McLaren on a three-year contract. The Frenchman and the Brazilian get behind the new McLaren car and they begin one of the most dominant streaks F1 has ever seen. Prost opens strong, taking first at Brazil. Senna answers quickly with a first of his own at San Marino. Then Prost first. Prost first. Senna first. Senna first. Prost first. Senna first. Senna first. Senna first. Senna first. Prost first. Prost first. Senna first. And finally, Prost first.
McLaren wins 15 out of 16 races this year — the most ever by a single car up until that point. It will be a record that will hold for 35 years. On the winner’s podium Prost stands in second, and Senna, after five years of clawing to the top, finally hoists the championship. No longer an also-ran, Senna is officially the best racer in the world. Prost does not agree.
The year is 1989. Prost and Senna are now driving the MP4/5, the successor to the MP4/4, and their rivalry is as bitter as ever. Tension first starts boiling over at San Marino, when Senna overtakes Prost. Prost says there was an agreement whoever won the start would not be challenged through the first corner. Prost wins the start and Senna overtakes him at the first corner. Senna denies any agreement was made. The two’s relationship is deteriorating rapidly.
It is October of 1989. It is the penultimate race of the schedule at the Japanese Grand Prix. Prost leads in points, but Senna can take the championship if he places first. As Senna is coming around turn 46, Prost is on his right. Prost attempts to gain the edge, but tangles their wheels. Crash.
Prost retires from the race. Senna refuses to do the same. Senna requisitions a push start and rages back into first… but it’s too late. The push start is deemed illegal and Senna is disqualified. Prost takes the championship. Prost said the collision was an accident. Senna is furious. He does not accept defeat.
The year is 1990. Prost leaves McLaren for Ferrari and Senna is now officially McLaren’s number one driver. With his rival now off his team, Senna rises to the challenge as the face of McLaren, quickly rattling off six wins. But Prost is not one to stay quiet. He answers back with five wins of his own. The two are destined to meet on the podium.
It is October of 1990. It is the penultimate race of the schedule at the Japanese Grand Prix. Senna leads in points, but Prost can take the championship if he places first. Senna takes pole position and asks to be placed on the left side of the track. His request is denied. Senna is not happy. He is not happy that Prost crashed into him last year. He is not happy that he was disqualified last year at the Japanese Grand Prix. He is not happy that his simple request this year is denied.
Senna decides to act. On the first turn, Senna never takes his foot off the accelerator and crashes into Prost. The competition is over. Senna wins the championship. Another year is decided by collision.
The year is 1991. Prost and Ferrari take a step back. There are no rivals left. Senna and the new McLaren MP4/6 dominate the early F1 season, winning the first four races. The Williams Team, behind driver Nigel Mansell, attempts a late season comeback, but it is too late. Ayrton Senna wins the championship, becoming the youngest back-to-back winner and youngest three-time winner. His legacy is secured. He is one of the greatest racers of all time.
The year is 1992. The Williams FW14B is the dominant car of the season, thanks to the Renault V10 engine powering it. Despite Senna and McLaren’s best efforts, the McLaren Team cannot compete. His brightest moment of the season isn’t on the track, but beside it. He heroically saves French driver Érik Comas from a burning collision at the Belgian Grand Prix. He gains the admiration of his fellow drivers.
The year is 1993. McLaren is unable to secure the Renault V10 and must resort to Ford V8s. Senna tries to join the Williams team, but Prost has already taken a spot and vetoes any attempt for Senna to join him. Senna must decide whether to take a year off, or drive with McLaren. Of course, he drives.
It is November of 1993. Despite its underpowered engine, the McLaren MP4/8 is proving its worth against the Williams FW15C. Senna takes two of the first three races and seems poised to place a stranglehold on first. But a series of mechanical issues plague Senna and Prost takes six of the last seven.
At the last race of the year in Australia, Prost’s point lead is insurmountable. But Senna doesn’t care. He races not just to win, but to live. He takes first place ahead of Prost — this time, for the last time. He welcomes his rival on stage. They embrace each other. Rivalry melts into respect. This will be the last time Prost and Senna race, and the end to McLaren and Senna’s dominance over F1.
CHAPTER 3: SENNA FOREVER
The year is 1994. Prost retires from Williams and Senna takes his spot. But Senna has concerns about the new Williams car, the FW16. He believes the handling is loose and in his own words states, “It's going to be a season with lots of accidents.” Unfortunately, he will soon be proven correct.
It is May of 1994. Senna is distraught. He just saw rookie driver Roland Ratzenberger die from a collision on the first day of the San Marino Grand Prix. It is recommended he retire from the race. Senna refuses. He must race.
On the next day, he leads the competition through the first six laps. But on the seventh lap, Senna loses control of his car and slams into the concrete retaining wall. He is quickly airlifted to a hospital, but nothing can be done.
Ayrton Senna is dead.
It is May of 1994. A funeral is held for Senna in Sao Paulo. Over 200,000 people attend. His epithet reads, "Nothing can separate me from the love of God."
In the wake of Senna and Ratzenberger’s death, numerous safety regulations are implemented by F1. In the 30 years prior to Senna’s death, 16 drivers died in Grands Prix. In the 30 years since, just one.
It is November of 1994. Viviane Senna, Ayrton’s sister, creates the Instituto Ayrton Senna in her brother’s honor. The Institute is a non-profit organization that aims to provide opportunities for the children of Brazil. Since its inception, the organization has invested over $80 million in social programs and actions across the country.
The year is 2004. Ten years have passed since Senna’s passing, but his legacy lives on. He has been inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame, been honored by the 1994 Brazilian World Cup team, and more people visit his grave than those of John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley combined.
The year is 2014. Twenty years have passed since Senna’s passing. Senna is now rightfully viewed as one of the best drivers of all time. He has been voted as the greatest driver in history across numerous polls in the years since his death. Thousands gather at the Tamburello corner, the exact scene of his death, to share a moment of silence in his honor.
The year is 2017. McLaren Automotive reveals a new supercar, The McLaren Senna. Named in honor of the legendary driver, the Senna is designed and engineered to make it a road-legal track car that is raw and uncompromising: just like the Brazilian who inspired it.
The year is 2024. Thirty years have passed since Senna’s passing. McLaren announces Senna30 — a 30-year retrospective and celebration of the life and legacy of one the most decorated drivers of all time. The anniversary collects tributes from current McLaren employees, stories from team members who worked alongside Senna, and evidence of his indelible legacy with McLaren. Owners speak on what it means to drive a Senna. A parade is held in his honor. The entire McLaren family gathers to recognize one of the greatest drivers in history.
It is May of 2024. McLaren reveals its Senna Sempre livery for the Monaco Grand Prix, the race Senna won six separate times with McLaren. The livery pulls colors from Senna’s helmet and subtly incorporates numbers and quotes from Senna’s career. As the cars race by, fans are treated to a brief taste of the thrill of Senna on the track.
It is June of 2024. McLaren brings together the largest gathering of McLaren Sennas ever at Circuit of the Americas for their Pure McLaren event. It is electric on the track. Every person there understands the importance of Ayrton Senna, and the legacy of the name behind the car they drive. Ayrton’s nephew Bruno Senna, an accomplished racer in his own right, makes an appearance and speaks on behalf of the Senna family. McLaren resurrects one of the classic MP4/5s to race around the track.
Finally, the Senna owners get behind the wheel and take a victory lap in Ayrton Senna’s honor. And over the roar of the engines, you can almost hear Senna cutting the corners and blazing down the straightaways one last time.
