Ayrton Senna da Silva is a great Formula 1 driver, always striving for excellence. His career was cut short during the 1994 São Paulo Grand Prix. At that time, he was already a three-time world champion and was striving for a fourth title.
For many, Formula 1 is associated with the great racer Ayrton Senna da Silva, who during his career managed to become the champion in the Royal Races three times. If it had not been for the terrible accident that claimed the life of the pilot, there would certainly have been more titles.
At one time, Senna himself said that he could not drive a car on a road that was not dangerous. He always strived for excellence. The Brazilian was well aware that everyone has limitations, but he has them much less than other riders. The whole world recognized this.
For what he did during the races, Senna received the nickname "The Wizard". Even if the rider started from the last positions, he could still come in the first place in the end, regardless of weather conditions and tire wear.
Carier start
Ayrton Senna was born in Brazil, the city of São Paulo. The father put his son at the helm of the kart at the age of four and immediately realized that a real master of driving was growing up. At the age of 13, Ayrton is already a participant in karting competitions. He was lucky that his parents had the opportunity to support financially, since this sport requires certain investments.
At the age of 18, Senna becomes the champion in the Formula Ford 1600 class, and five years later he manages to win the British Formula 3. At 24, Ayrton makes his Formula 1 debut as part of the Towleman team. Naturally, a long stay in one of the weakest teams of the Royal Races is not included in the future champion's plans. For this reason, a year later, he moves to the more eminent "Lotus".
The first victory came to him at the Portuguese Grand Prix. The driver started from pole position in the pouring rain and was able to win by a wide margin. Subsequently, he won almost all races when it rained.
Rivalry and partnership with Alain Prost
Driving not on the strongest car, the Brazilian still won victories. At the same time, he was demanding not only of himself, but also of the mechanics, forcing them to improve the car. However, after a while, he still went under the banner of the stronger McLaren team, which set the tone in the races. It is here that Alain Prost becomes his partner, with whom there has always been a tense relationship.
During his racing career, Ayrton Senna fought several times with other pilots, sometimes spoke out sharply about deliberately committed accidents. All this suggests that he was always aimed only at winning. So, at the hands of the champion suffered, for example, Nelson Piquet and Eddie Irvine.
Gradually, he became cramped in the McLaren team, which led to his departure to Williams-Renault in 1994. This only intensifies the rivalry with Alain Prost, a former partner. The team was just starting to gain momentum and often resorted to testing the car right in the race.
The accident that made Senna a legend
The year started off badly. At the beginning of the season, Roland Ratzenberger dies in one of the races, which was a wake-up call. During the qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix, Senna's friend Rubens Barichello gets into a serious accident. In the race itself, the Brazilian striving to break through, accelerates to 310 km / h at one of the corners, something happens to the car and it crashes into the wall. These were the last seconds of the great driver.
After the death of Ayrton Senna, tough measures were taken to secure the tracks as much as possible, but the greatest rider cannot be returned. He was replaced by Michael Schumacher, who managed to dominate Formula 1 for a decade. But if Senna had survived, it is unlikely that Michael would have enjoyed victories in such a large number. The great Brazilian has always been slightly ahead of his rivals.
