Some of us (including myself) were either too young or maybe not even born when Ayrton Senna died. It was a day which motorsport fans worldwide recall as being the ‘darkest day in Formula One’, if not world sport.
Senna is still mourned 20 years after that fateful weekend at Imola and his life still celebrated by all Formula One fans, regardless of which generation they are from. It’s a sure sign of the is mark he left on Formula One racing before his death.
The accident made headlines the world over in 1994, highlighting Senna’s status not just as a pro athlete, but as a human being. Watching footage from his home nation of Brazil during their days of mourning after the accident shows how much his compatriots idolised their superstar.
When we think of Senna today we should consider hree aspects of his life: the genius, the hero and the legend.
On the track, Senna was a genius. Those who were fortunate to watch him race during his 10-year career would have seen the intense battles with rivals, including Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell.
He was a very ruthless racer. He would do whatever was necessary to win, even if it meant disobeying a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ as Senna did in 1989 where he overtook his teammate Prost at Imola. The pair would have plenty of psychological standoffs in 1989, and it continued in 1990 when Prost moved to Ferrari.
His Formula One statistics from are impressive. Senna was a master when it came to pole positions, his career tally of 65 putting him three poles behind Michael Schumacher on the all-time pole scoring list. In terms of race wins, Senna won 41 races from his 162 starts, putting him third in the all-time race wins standings.
The majority of his success came during his time at McLaren, where he won his first championship in 1988, dominating the season with wins at 8 out of the 19 grands prix. The next two titles came in 1990 and 1991, following Prost’s departure from McLaren.
Off the track, Senna was held up as a hero. He devoted a lot of time and money to aiding impoverished children in his homeland, which was seen as a selfless act from a person who on the racetrack was very selfish. Senna’s strong faith in God also strengthened his resolve, as he believed he had a ‘God given right to win’.
After his death, the Instituto Ayrton Senna was set up and is still currently run by his sister Viviane. This non-governmental organisation was set up to honour Senna’s vision of educating Brazil’s struggling children.
Some would remember the qualifying stages of the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix, during which Senna got out of his McLaren to go to the aid of the crashed Erik Comas. On the day of his death in San Marino, he intended to fly the Austrian flag at the end of the race to pay tribute to Roland Ratzenberger, who died only the day before Senna.
It was another touching gesture that he could not make in the end.
Senna’s legacy today is not just for his status in Formula One, but the culmination of his extraordinary feats at the height of his fame. These extraordinary feats are what made the Brazilian driver a remarkable human being, and why many of us recognise him with the status of ‘legend’.
As we fans reflect on this dark day, we must also use this day to remember all the other fallen drivers before Senna: Ratzenberger, François Cevert, Gilles Villeneuve, Ronnie Peterson and so on.
It reminds us as spectators of how dangerous this sport once was. Driver fatalities were common through the 1960s and ’70s, but thanks to the drastic overhaul in safety after Senna’s death, a Formula One fatalities are now something of the past.
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