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EspañolAYRTON SENNA
'Ayrton Senna da Silva' (pronounced / /, March 21, 1960 – May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian three-times Formula One world champion. Many aspects of Senna's talent marked him out as a remarkable driver: particularly his qualifying skill that yielded 65 pole positions in 162 races, and his wet-weather ability. But he also attracted criticism for his uncompromising race craft, a number of controversial incidents, and his bitter rivalry with Frenchman Alain Prost. He is also the last Formula 1 driver to have been killed in a race, while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola in Italy. In 2000, Senna was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Early life
Senna was born in São Paulo. At school he excelled in Gymnastics, art and chemistry but found Maths, Physics and English difficult. The son of a wealthy Brazilian landowner, he developed an interest in motor racing at an early age.
Racing career
Early career
Senna entered karting competition at the age of 13. [1] In 1977, he won the ''South American Kart Championship''. He later finished runner up in the World Championship on several occasions - but never won.[2] In 1981 he began competing in Europe, winning the British Formula Ford 1600 championship. [3] He was champion in British and European Formula Ford 2000 the following year. [4] He also adopted his mother's maiden name, Senna, as da Silva is a very common name in Brazil.[5]
In 1983, Senna won the 1983 British F3 championship after a closely fought and at times controversial battle with Martin Brundle. He also triumphed in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix with Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing Team which was closely related to the West Surrey Racing team he drove for in British F3. [6] [7]
Formula One
Senna attracted the attention of F1 teams Williams, McLaren, Brabham and Toleman, all of whom he tested for. Fellow Brazilian Nelson Piquet opposed him joining Brabham, and of the remaining three only Toleman offered him a race seat for 1984, so he joined the fledgling team. Luca Di Montezemolo is quoted saying that Senna came to him the tuesday before the Imola race and praised Ferrari for the battle against electronics in F1. Senna also told Montezemolo that he would like to end his career with Ferrari. [8]
1984: Toleman
Senna's Toleman TG184 from on display in the Donington Grand Prix Collection.
Senna scored his first World Championship point in his second Grand Prix at Kyalami in South Africa. He repeated the same finish two weeks later at the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder.
But his performance in the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix brought him a lot of attention. He qualified 13th on the grid and made rapid progress through the soaking streets of Monte Carlo. By Lap 19, he passed second place man Niki Lauda and began to cut the gap to race leader Prost. But before he could pass Prost the race was stopped on lap 31 for safety reasons as the rain grew even heavier. [9]
Senna took two more podium finishes that year - third at the British and Portuguese Grands Prix. That left him tied with Nigel Mansell on 13 points, despite having missed the Italian Grand Prix when he was suspended by Toleman after breaking his contract by signing for Lotus for 1985.
Also in 1984 he took part in the 1000km Nürburgring where, alongside Henri Pescarolo and Stefan Johansson, he co-drove a Porsche 956 to 8th. FIA World Endurance Championship 1984 Senna - Porsche 956K - Nurburgring
He also entered an exhibition race to celebrate the opening of the new Nürburgring. Several top F1 drivers took part in the event, driving identical Mercedes 190E 2.3-16. Senna won from Lauda and Carlos Reutemann.
1985-7: Lotus
At Lotus in 1985 he was partnered by Italian driver Elio de Angelis. He set his first pole position at the season opener in Brazil at the Jacarepaguá Circuit in Rio de Janeiro, but retired with an electrical problem.
At the second round, held at the Autódromo do Estoril in Estoril, Portugal on April 21, 1985, he scored his first Grand Prix victory, winning from pole position in heavy rain which even saw second-place man Prost spin off into the wall. [10] He added a second victory, also in the wet, in the Belgian GP at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
He ended 1985 fourth in the World Championship with 38 points and six podiums (two wins, two seconds and two thirds), and seven pole positions.
Senna driving for Lotus at the 1986 British Grand Prix.
For 1986, Ayrton was partnered by Scot Johnny Dumfries after Senna vetoed England's Derek Warwick from joining the team, saying that Lotus were not able to run two competitive cars for two top drivers at the same time.
The new Lotus 98T proved more reliable in 1986 and the season started on a high for Senna, finishing second to his fellow countryman Nelson Piquet at their home event in Brazil at Jacarepaguá. He took the World Championship lead for the first time in his career after winning the Spanish GP at Jerez in which he beat Nigel Mansell's Williams-Honda by 0.014s - one of the closest finishes in Formula One history.
But his championship lead would not last long after he suffered several retirements due to mechanical failures. The chase for the title became a fight between Alain Prost's McLaren-TAG and the Williams-Honda duo of Piquet and Mansell. Senna took his second victory of the year at the United States GP at Detroit, and finished the season in fourth place again, with 55 points, eight pole positions and six podium finishes.
1987 came with much promise for better things. Lotus now had the same powerful Honda engines as Williams after Renault decided to step out of the sport. After a slow start, Senna won two races in a row: the prestigious Monaco GP (the first of a record breaking six victories at the Principality) and the United States GP at Detroit for the second year in a row, once again taking the World Championship lead. This time, the Lotus-Honda 99T seemed to be more or less on par with the all-conquering Williams-Honda cars once again driven by fellow countryman Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell. But despite the improved performance of 99T, which used a highly innovative and technical active suspension system, the Williams FW11Bs of Piquet and Mansell would still be the cars to beat. The gap between the two teams was no more evident than at the 1987 British Grand Prix at Silverstone where both Mansell and Piquet lapped the identically-engined Lotuses of Senna and team-mate Satoru Nakajima. After a spin due to a faulty clutch in the third to last round in Mexico, Senna was out of the championship hunt, leaving Piquet and teammate Mansell to fight it out for the last two races.
Mansell badly injured his back in a heavy accident while practicing for the 1987 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, effectively handing the 1987 World Championship to Piquet since he would miss the season-ending race at Australia in Adelaide. However, this meant that Senna still had a chance to finish as runner-up in the standings if he finished at least third in both remaining races. He finished second in both Japan and Australia. At the Australian Grand Prix, post-race scrutineering found the brake ducts of his Lotus-Honda to be wider than permitted by the rules and he was disqualified, bringing his last and most successful season with Lotus to a sour end. After the disqualification, he was classified third in the final standings, with 57 points, one pole position, and six podium finishes (four seconds and two thirds). This season marked a turning point in Senna's career as, throughout the year, he built a deep relationship with Honda, a relationship which would pay off in big dividends, for Ayrton was heading for McLaren who had secured Williams' supply of Honda's V6 turbo engines for 1988.[11]
1988-93: McLaren
In 1988, thanks to the relationship he had built up with Honda throughout the 1987 season with Lotus, and with the approval of McLaren's number one driver and then-double world champion, Alain Prost, Senna joined the McLaren team.[1] The foundation for a fierce competition between Senna and Prost was laid, culminating in a number of dramatic race incidents between the two.[12] The pair won 15 of 16 races in the dominant McLaren MP4/4 in 1988 with Senna coming out on top, winning his first Formula One world championship title.[13]
Senna driving the McLaren MP4/5 in .
The following year the rivalry between Senna and Prost intensified into battles on the track and a psychological war off it.[14] Prost took the 1989 world title after a collision with Senna at the Suzuka track, the second to last race in the season, which Senna needed to win if he wanted to remain in contention for the title. Senna had attempted an inside pass when Prost turned into the corner and cut him off, with the two McLarens finishing up with their wheels interlocked in the Suzuka chicane escape road.[15] Senna then got a push-start from marshalls, stopped at the McLaren pit to replace the damaged nose cone of his car, and rejoined the race. He took the lead from the Benetton of Alessandro Nannini and went on to finish first, only to be later disqualified by FIA for getting a push-start after the collision, cutting the chicane to get back on track, and for crossing into the pit lane entry (not part of the track).[16] A large fine and temporary suspension of his super licence followed in the winter of 1989 and Senna engaged in a bitter war of words with the FIA and its then President Jean-Marie Balestre.[2]
In 1990, at the same circuit and with both drivers again in contention for the title, Senna took pole ahead of Prost. The pole position in Suzuka was on the right-hand, dirty side of the track. Prost's Ferrari made a better start and pulled ahead of Senna's McLaren. At the first turn Senna aggressively kept his line while Prost turned in and the McLaren ploughed into the rear wheel of Prost's Ferrari at 170mph, putting both cars off the track, this time making Senna the Formula 1 world champion.[17] A year later, after taking his third world championship, Senna explained to the press his actions of the previous year in Suzuka. He maintained that prior to qualifying fastest, he had sought and received assurances from race officials that pole position would be changed to the left-hand, clean side of the track, only to find this decision reversed by Jean-Marie Balestre after he had taken pole.[18] Explaining the collision with Prost, Senna said that what he had wanted was to make clear he was not going to accept what he perceived as unfair decisions by Balestre including his disqualification in 1989 and the pole position in 1990:
"I think what happened in 1989 was unforgivable, and I will never forget it. I still struggle to cope with it even now. You know what took place here: Prost and I crashed at the chicane, when he turned into me. Afterwards, I rejoined the race, and I won it, but they decided against me, and that was not justice. What happened afterwards was... a theatre, but I could not say what I thought. If you do that, you get penalties, you get fined, you lose your licence maybe. Is that a fair way of working? It is not...At Suzuka last year I asked the officials to change pole position from the right side of the track to the left. It was unfair, as it was, because the right side is always dirty, and there is less grip — you sweat to get pole position, and then you are penalised for it. And they said, "Yes, no problem". Then, what happened? Balestre gave an order that it wasn't to be changed. I know how the system works, and I thought this was really s
★
★
★ . So I said to myself, "OK, whatever happens, I'm going to get into the first corner first — I'm not prepared to let the guy (Alain Prost) turn into that corner before me. If I'm near enough to him, he can't turn in front of me — he just has to let me through." I didn't care if we crashed; I went for it. And he took a chance, turned in, and we crashed. It was building up, it was inevitable. It had to happen." So you did cause it then, someone said. "Why did I cause it?" Senna responded. "If you get f
★
★
★
★
★ every time you try to do your job cleanly, within the system, what do you do? Stand back, and say thank you? No way. You should fight for what you think is right. If pole had been on the left, I'd have made it to the first corner in the lead, no problem. That was a bad decision to keep pole on the right, and it was influenced by Ballestre. And the result was what happened in the first corner. I contributed to it, but it was not my responsibility".[19]
In 1992, Senna's absolute determination to win manifested itself in dismay at McLaren's inability to challenge Williams all-conquering FW14B car.[20] McLaren's new car for the season had several shortcomings. There was delay in getting the new model running (it debuted in the fourth race of the season) and in addition to lacking active suspension the new car suffered from reliability issues, was unpredictable in fast corners, while its Honda V12 engine was no longer the most powerful in the circuit.[21] Senna scored wins in Monaco, Hungary, and Italy that year, but finished a disappointing fourth overall in the championship.[22][23]
Questions about Senna's intentions for 1993 lingered as he did not have a contract with any team by the end of the year. He felt the McLaren cars were not as competitive (especially after Honda bowed out of Formula 1 at the end of the 1992 season) and joining Williams alongside Prost became impossible since Prost had a clause on his contract forbidding Senna as a team-mate.[24][25] In December, Senna went to Phoenix, Arizona and tested a Penske IndyCar.[26]
McLaren boss Ron Dennis meanwhile was trying to secure a supply of the dominant Renault V10 engine for 1993.[27] When this deal fell through, McLaren was forced to take a customer supply of Ford V8 engine.[28] As a customer team, McLaren got an engine that was a version behind that of Ford's factory team, Benetton, but hoped to make up for the inferior horsepower with mechanical sophistication, including an effective active suspension system.[29] Dennis then finally persuaded Senna to return to McLaren. But the Brazilian agreed only to sign up for the first race in South Africa, where he would assess if McLaren’s equipment was competitive enough for him to put in a good season.
After driving McLaren's 1993 car, Senna concluded that the new car had a surprising potential albeit the engine was still down on power and would be no match for Prost’s Williams Renault.[30] Senna declined to sign a one-year contract but agreed to drive on a race-by-race basis, eventually staying for the year.[31] After finishing a second in the opening race in South Africa,[32] Senna won in constantly changing conditions at home in Brazil[33] and in the rain at Donington. The latter has often been regarded as one of Senna's greatest victories.[34] He started the race fourth and dropped to fifth on the run down to the first corner, but was leading before the first lap was completed. He went on to lap the entire field in a race where up to seven pit stops were required by some drivers for rain/slick tyres depending on the conditions.[35][36] Senna then scored a second place finish in Spain and a record breaking sixth win at Monaco.[37] After Monaco, the sixth race of the season, Senna led the championship ahead of Prost in the Williams-Renault and Benetton's Michael Schumacher despite McLaren’s inferior engine.[38] As the season progressed, Prost asserted the superiority of the Williams-Renault car and took the championship. Senna concluded the season and his McLaren career with two wins in Japan and Australia, finishing 2nd overall in the championship.[39][29]
1994: Williams
For 1994 Senna signed with the Williams-Renault team.[41]
Qualifying
Senna was renowned for his qualifying skill, a discipline he mastered like none before to produce a record 65 pole positions from 162 races. This record stood for 12 years after his death, before it was surpassed by Michael Schumacher after taking pole position for the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, his 236th race.
"Magic" Senna, as he was known to his fans, also won the Monaco Grand Prix six times, a record which stands today and a tribute to his skills which earned him the title "Master of Monaco".
Ayrton described in detail an odd feeling that he got during his qualifying laps. His experience when qualifying for the 1988 Monaco GP for example he described as being in a tunnel or dreamlike state:
In that session, lap after lap he broke his own pole position time, until he felt ill at ease, backed off and returned to the pits.
During the 2004 San Marino Grand Prix ten year anniversary remembrance of Ayrton Senna in a series of interviews, Gerhard Berger, Senna's team mate at McLaren from - and a very close friend, expressed a memory of what it was like qualifying with Senna:
This competition could perhaps be attributed to not only Senna's determination and desire to be first (including qualifying), but Senna and Berger's close friendship and horseplay, as the two were always playing practical jokes on each other in attempt to outdo each other.[42]
Berger is quoted as saying "He taught me a lot about our sport, I taught him to laugh".
Wet weather driving
In F1, wet weather racing is considered to be a great equaliser of cars; that is, the driver makes more of a difference. Speeds must be reduced and car superiority in power or grip is greatly reduced. The rain demands great driver car control, ability and driving finesse. Senna had some of his best performances in such conditions.
One of his tactics was not to change into the rain tyres at the start of the rain but to keep racing using slick tyres. Although it made racing much more difficult Senna often gained several seconds of time ahead of his competitors because most of them were driving into pitstop to change into rain tyres.
The 1984 season was Senna's first in F1. He came into a field of competitors from whose ranks 16 world championships would be reaped. Participating as a rookie in a relatively uncompetitive car, the Toleman TG184, Senna had racked up three race retirements, a 6th and a 7th place from his first 5 races.
He started the first wet race of the season, the Monaco Grand Prix in 13th place. The race was stopped for safety reasons after only 31 laps due to monsoon conditions. At the time the race was stopped, Senna was classified in 2nd place, and catching up to race leader Alain Prost, at 4 seconds per lap. Senna's performance in this race, on a track on which it is notoriously difficult to pass other competitors, should be contrasted with the events of recent races at Monaco in which passing has been the exception rather than the norm, especially in dry conditions.
In , at the European GP at Donington Park, Senna drove for the McLaren team. The MP4/8, although one of the front running cars, was considered inferior to the leading Williams FW15C of Prost and Hill, and the Benetton B193 - which used a factory-supplied Ford engine - driven by Michael Schumacher and Riccardo Patrese. Some maintain that the Williams FW14B and FW15C were probably "the most technologically advanced cars that will ever race in Formula One. 1992 Williams FW14B
Senna started in fourth place on the grid. At the very start, Hill cut across Schumacher's line, causing Schumacher to cut further to the outside across Senna's own line. Karl Wendlinger's Sauber then passed both Schumacher and Senna on the inside, leaving Senna in fifth and Schumacher in fourth. Senna cut to the inside, having no room to move to the outside as Schumacher came across. Despite being in fifth place at that point, at the end of the first lap he was in first place, having overtaken Schumacher, Wendlinger, Hill and Prost (Schumacher did not have traction control). Examples of wet weather car control such as this gained Senna the title "The Rain Man" in numerous F1 publications in the early 90s. The opening lap is frequently cited as a one of the sport's great moments. Senna is regarded by many as the fastest driver that has ever been involved in Formula One Motor Racing and was also rated by a 2006 F1 magazine poll to be the greatest Formula One driver of all time. Donington Park 1993
Character
Beyond his exceptional driving skills Senna was one of the sport's most compelling personalities.[43] Intensely introspective and extremely passionate, he used driving as a means for self-discovery, and racing as a metaphor for life:
“The harder I push, the more I find within myself. I am always looking for the next step, a different world to go into, areas where I have not been before. It’s lonely driving a Grand Prix car, but very absorbing. I have experienced new sensations and I want more. That is my excitement, my motivation.”[44]
Starkly contrasting to Senna's intense and unyielding will to win on the track, his exploits off it were humane and compassionate. He was renowned for his close relationship with Gerhard Berger, and the two were always playing practical jokes on each other.
Ayrton was more than aware of the dangers presented by the sport, although in his early career was mostly in denial of them.
This maybe changed after a heavy practice crash by Martin Donnelly in his Lotus for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. Donnelly was thrown from his car during the violent shunt which very nearly claimed his life.
In 1992 at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium during Friday free practice Érik Comas crashed his Ligier-Renault very heavily at the flat-out Blanchimont section. Other drivers drove past the wreckage at high speed, but Senna jumped out of his car and sprinted back down the track to the wrecked car to do what he could to assist the Frenchman, who was knocked unconscious but thankfully uninjured.[45]
Rather eerily, Senna showed extreme concern regarding the circumstances of the crash which claimed the life of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, where only a day later Senna himself would lose his own life. He insisted on going to the scene of the crash to try and find out what happened. This seemed to spook Ayrton to a level not seen before. Whether he was in the right frame of mind before the start of his last race will never be known.
After Senna's death it was discovered that he had donated millions of dollars of his personal fortune (estimated at $400 million at the time of his death)[46] to children's charities, a fact that during his life he had kept secret. His foundation in Brazil, Instituto Ayrton Senna, has invested nearly US$ 80 million over the last twelve years in social programs and actions in partnership with schools, government, NGOs, and the private sector aimed at offering children and teenagers from low-income backgrounds the skills and opportunities they need to develop to their full potential as persons, citizens and future professionals.[47]
In the documentary film "The Right to Win" made in 2004 as a tribute to Senna, Frank Williams notably recalls that as good a driver as Senna was, ultimately "he was an even greater man outside of the car than he was in it."
The greatest testament to his character was most evident at the moment of his death. As track officials examined the wreckage of his racing car they found a furled, bloodsoaked Austrian flag. A victory flag that he was going to raise in honour of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger, who had died on that track the day before.[48]
The fatal accident at Imola in 1994
NSX
To take advantage of the close relationship Honda had with the Brazilian prodigy during his tenure as #1 driver for the McLaren/Honda F1 Team, Ayrton Senna was called in to fine-tune the Honda NSX's suspension setting during its final development stages. The tests were conducted at Suzuka Circuit with chief NSX engineer Shigeru Uehara and his engineering team present to gather Senna's direct input. As a result of his suspension tuning, Senna subsequently found the prototype NSX initially lacked chassis stiffness to the level he was accustomed to, so the final production version was further reinforced to his satisfaction.
Trivia
Ayrton Senna in Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II released in 1992 .
★ Senna's personal sponsor associated with him through his career was Banco Nacional, a now defunct Brazilian Insurance and Banking Co.
★ In 1992, he endorsed ''Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II'', a video game by Sega.
★ MV Agusta have a special edition of their f4 model called the f4 1000 senna, which is produced in limited numbers every year in his honour.
★ Ayrton Senna was a very passionate Sport Club Corinthians Paulista supporter.
Notable quotations
★ "Winning is like a drug, I cannot justify in any circumstances coming second or third." [49]
★ "Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose."
★ "On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you then go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, 'Okay, this is the limit'. And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high."
★ "One particular thing that Formula-1 can provide you, is that you know you're always exposed to danger. Danger of getting hurt, danger of dying. This is part of your life, and you either face it in a professional, in a cool manner, or you just drop it, just leave it and don't do it anymore really. And I happen to like too much what I do to just drop it, I can't drop it."
★ "Racing, competing, it's in my blood. It's part of me, it's part of my life; I have been doing it all my life and it stands out above everything else."
★ "There are no small accidents on this circuit." - talking about the Imola circuit before the fatal 1994 race.
★ "It's going to be a season with lots of accidents, and I'll risk saying that we'll be lucky if something really serious doesn't happen." - pre-season 1994.
★ "I continuously go further and further learning about my own limitations, my body limitation, psychological limitations. It's a way of life for me."
★ "Of course there are moments that you wonder how long you should be doing it because there are other aspects which are not nice, of this lifestyle. But I just love winning."
★ "My car quit so I parked it." (after retiring from the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix)
★ "If you have a target in your life, a real target, doesn't matter if you are very poor or rich people, if you work hard and believe in God, you can get the success, success in the life."
★ "I know that it is impossible to win always. I just hope that defeat doesn't come this weekend."
★ "If I ever happen to have an accident that eventually costs me my life, I hope it is in one go. I would not like to be in a wheelchair. I would not like to be in a hospital suffering from whatever injury it was. If I'm going to live, I want to live fully. Very intensely, because I am an intense person. It would ruin my life if I had to live partially." (January 1994, 4 months prior to his death)
Controversies and criticism
During his quite long career Senna has been involved in several incidents which caused considerable controversy. Senna has been vilified in the British media for his involvement in title-deciding collisions in 1989 and 1990. German and Italian newspapers have widely condemned his actions in 1990.
Championship deciding collisions
Going into the penultimate race, the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix, the Brazilian needed to win again to keep the World Championship open. Senna duly took pole position from the World Championship leader Alain Prost. At the start Prost made a good start and took the lead and for the first half of the race he chipped away to build up a lead of five seconds. Then Senna began to come back at him and by lap 40 they were only a second apart. Prost had the advantage on the straights, Senna was better in the corners. Senna was desperate to get past Prost and at the end of lap 46 Senna made his move at the chicane. Prost was already turning into the corner when Senna drove halfway alongside on the inside. The two interlocked McLarens slid up the chicane escape road. Prost, thinking the World Championship was over, climbed out. To separate the cars the marshals pushed Senna backwards on to the track. They put the car into a dangerous position and so had to push it forwards again. As they did so Senna bump-started the engine. He drove through the chicane and rejoined. The nose of his car was damaged and he had to pit but he rejoined only five seconds behind leader Alessandro Nannini. Senna's chase was furious and merciless. On lap 50 Ayrton sliced past Nannini at the chicane to retake the lead and won the race. But it was Nannini who appeared on the podium as the winner. Senna had been excluded for missing the chicane and creating a serious accident. McLaren appealed the decision but the FIA Court of Appeal not only upheld the decision but fined Senna $100,000 and gave him a suspended six month ban.
Going into the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix Senna was the Championship leader. After qualifying there was a huge a political battle going on over pole position. McLaren wanted it to be changed so that Senna would be on a clean piece of track but the request was blocked. Senna saw it as collusion between Prost and the officials and it helped to decide him on a frightening deliberate course of action at the start. If his position proved to be a disadvantage Senna was not going to back off in the first corner. Prost made the better start as expected and as they went into the first corner he was half a car length ahead. Senna did not lift off. The two cars collided with enough force to remove Prost' rear wing and spun into the sand trap. Senna was the World Champion. With one race left, Prost was no longer able to get the necessary points to beat Senna. There was lots of controversy after the collision between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. FISA announced plans for a special enquiry into safety after Ferrari threatened to withdraw from F1 unless sanctions were taken against Senna's dangerous driving. Senna, however, only emerged with a warning and a fine.
Other incidents
Senna took the pole position during the qualifying for the 1985 Monaco Grand Prix, but was accused of deliberately baulking other drivers during the final qualifying session by running more laps than necessary. Niki Lauda and Michele Alboreto were most upset by events; Alboreto going so far as to force Senna up an escape road during the session. Senna pointed out that even on the 13th of his 16 qualifying laps he nearly equalled his pole position time.[50]
At the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix Prost discovered that winning meant everything to Senna when he was almost forced into the pit wall at Estoril at more than 180 mph. Prost got away slightly faster than Senna at the start but the Brazilian dived into the first corner ahead. Prost responded and went to pass Senna at the end of the first lap. Senna swerved to block Prost, forcing the Frenchman nearly to run into the pitwall. Prost kept his foot down and soon edged Senna into the first corner and started pulling away fast. After the race Prost was not happy with Senna's maneuver. Senna got away with a warning from the FIA.
Complete Formula One Results
() (Races in 'bold' indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
1. ''Ayrton Senna: Racing in My Blood, Official Video Biography'' (Kultur Video, 1991).
2. Christopher Hilton, ''Memories of Ayrton Senna'' (Haynes, 2005), p. 154.
3. Hilton (2005), p. 154.
4. Hilton (2005), pp. 33-43, 154.
5. Hilton (2005), p. 9.
6. Hilton (2005), p. 43-47, 154.
7. Greg Girard, Ian Lambot, and Philip Newsome, ''Macau Grand Prix: The Road To Success'' (Watermark Surrey, 1998).
8. Who's Who: Ayrton Senna
9. Mark Hughes and Simon Arron, ''The Complete Book of Formula One'' (Motorbooks International, 2003), p. 310.
10. Timothy Collings and Sarah Edworthy, ''The Formula One Years: A Season-by-Season Account of the World's Premier Motor Racing Championship from 1950 to the Present Day'' (Carlton Books, 2002), p. 208.
11. "Engines: Honda Motor Company," GP Encyclopedia, printed from www.grandprix.com on June 2, 2007.
12. Hughes and Arron (2003), p. 340.
13. Bruce Jones, ed. ''50 Years of the Formula One World Championship'' (Carlton, 1999). p. 221-222.
14. Christopher Hilton, ''Ayrton Senna: The Whole Story'' (Haynes, 2004)
15. Pierre Menard and Jacques Vassal, ''Ayrton Senna: Above and Beyond'' (Chronosports, 2003), pp. 94-95
16. Jones, ed. (1999), pp. 227-228.
17. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 106-107.
18. Menard and Vassal(2003), p. 107.
19. "Senna blows his top at Suzuka," printed from www.autosport.com on May 30, 2007
20. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 129-130.
21. Menard and Vassal (2003), pp. 128-129.
22. Jones (1999), pp. 253, 257.
23. Collings and Edworthy (2002), pp. 244-247.
24. Menard and Vassal (2003), pp. 129-132.
25. Collings and Edworthy (2002), p. 239, 250.
26. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 132.
27. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 130.
28. “Constructors: McLaren International,” GP Encyclopedia, printed from www.grandprix.com on May 30, 2007.
29. "History of McLaren: Time Line – the 1990s." printed from www.mclaren.com on May 30, 2007.
30. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 133.
31. Collings and Edworthy (2002), p. 250.
32. “Grand Prix Results: South African GP, 1993,” GP Encyclopedia, printed from www.grandprix.com on May 30, 2007.
33. “Grand Prix Results: Brazilian GP, 1993,” GP Encyclopedia, printed from www.grandprix.com on May 30, 2007.
34. Collings and Edworthy (2002), p. 250
35. “Grand Prix Results: European GP, 1993,” GP Encyclopedia, printed from www.grandprix.com on May 30, 2007.
36. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 134.
37. Ian Thomsen, “Senna, Hill and Monaco: Roaring Through the Ghost of a Winner Past,” ''International Herald Tribune'', Monday, May 24, 1993; printed from http://www.iht.com on May 28, 2007.
38. Menard and Vassal (2003), pp. 134-135.
39. Collings and Edworthy (2002), pp. 251-253.
40. "History of McLaren: Time Line – the 1990s." printed from www.mclaren.com on May 30, 2007.
41. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 138.
42. Menard and Vassal (2003), p. 70.
43. [3]
44. Collings and Edworthy (2002), p. 238.
45. Henry, Alan (ed.) ''Autocourse 1992 - 1993'' Hazleton publishing p.205 ISBN 0-905138-96-1
46. [4]
47. [5]
48. Ayrton Senna da Silva at www.f1complete.com
49. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/1/newsid_2479000/2479971.stm
50. Hamilton, Maurice (ed.) (1985) ''Autocourse 1985 - 1986'' Hazleton publishing pp.74 & 104 ISBN 0-905138-38-4
Further reading
★ Article, April 21, 2004 re: Ayrton Senna brand and charitable organization 10 years later (The Times)
★ Ayrton Senna Photos
★ Ayrton Senna career details
★
★ Ayrton Senna statistics
External links
★ Official Ayrton Senna Website
★ Instituto Ayrton Senna official site
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