This March 21, Ayrton Senna would have turned 62, and this May 1, it will be 28 since his death. The Brazilian marked an era in Formula 1 with his speed and his desire to win. He achieved a long-standing record for pole positions, and is considered one of the most outstanding drivers in the history of the championship.
Senna unfortunately ended up dying after an accident at the Tamburello corner on the seventh lap of the tragic 1994 San Marino GP , where Austrian Roland Ratzenberger also died in qualifying on Saturday. At that time, Ayrton was 34 years old.
Even with that fateful and premature outcome, in 10 full seasons in Formula 1 Senna showed all his talent, which always leads one to think what he could have achieved if his life had not ended on May 1.
We remember here his 20 most outstanding moments and the main statistics of his career.
Top 20 highlights from Ayrton Senna’s F1 career:
(Click on ‘Full version’ at the end of the article if the images do not load)
South African GP, 1984 – First points and physical problem
1 / 20
In his second race Senna already scored points. At the Kyalami circuit he took an impressive sixth place in a mid-grid car, the Toleman. However, in pain after the test, the driver had to be removed from his car. Senna had run much of the Grand Prix with muscle spasms.
Photo by: XPB Images
Monaco GP, 1984 – First podium
2 / 20
Senna ‘entered the map’ of F1 in his sixth race. Employing all his talents on the wet track, he passed world champions such as Niki Lauda and Keke Rosberg and finished second. The test was neutralized with a red flag at the moment in which the Brazilian approached Alain Prost, winner of that race.
Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images
Portuguese GP, 1985 – First pole position, first victory and dominance
3 / 20
In the second race of the 1985 season, Senna managed to start first and was unrivaled in the deluge that fell on the Estoril circuit. He won by more than a minute, leading every lap and also taking the fastest race lap for the first time in F1.
Photo by: LAT Images
Spanish GP, 1986 – Victory by one hundredth and leadership of the World Championship
4 / 20
Senna reached the F1 lead for the first time in one of the most sensational finishes in history. After changing tyres, Nigel Mansell reduced Senna’s gap to the front of the pack in the opening laps. The Englishman came out of the last corner of Jerez with greater speed, taking advantage of his greater grip and came to join Ayrton, who nevertheless won by 0.014 seconds.
Photo by: XPB Images
Monaco GP, 1987 – New Mr. Monaco?
5 / 20
After starting second, Senna saw Nigel Mansell retire after a mechanical failure on his Williams and took victory. It was the first of his six wins in Monaco, where he holds the record to this day.
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch
Monaco GP, 1988 – The biggest mistake
6 / 20
A year after that triumph, Senna made the biggest mistake of his career. An error that he himself considered important for his maturation in F1. He was leading the test in Monte Carlo by 50 seconds ahead of Prost, but he did not slow down. With 11 laps to go he made a mistake and hit the barriers at the entrance of the tunnel, losing a victory, but gaining learning.
Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images
Canadian GP, 1988 – Beat Prost on track
7 / 20
After a difficult start at McLaren, with two retirements and a loss to his teammate Prost, Senna passed the Frenchman on the track in Montreal to win one of the races he valued the most in his career, since for the first time he triumphed in a direct duel with the rooster
Photo by: Tom Haapanen
Japanese GP, 1988 – The first title
8 / 20
The Brazilian had the opportunity to seal his first title in Japan. However, he stalled his car before the start, when he was starting from pole. His luck was that the straight of the Suzuka circuit was downhill, which helped him get his car moving. He went from 14th to first in 27 laps. He won the race and took the title.
Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images
San Marino GP, 1989 – The start of his battle with Prost
9 / 20
In 1988 there was a gentleman’s agreement at McLaren: Senna and Prost could not dispute the position in the first corner of each race. However, at the second round of 1989, at Imola, Senna lost position at the start and regained it by passing Prost on first braking. That generated the first crisis between the two, and started what became the greatest rivalry in F1 history.
Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images
Japanese GP, 1989 – Accident with Prost and lost title in dispatches
10 / 20
Senna and Prost’s feud peaked in 1989 at Suzuka. Senna lost first place at the start and attacked Prost throughout the race. The Brazilian attempted to pass the Frenchman with seven laps to go and was hit by Prost. Alain retired, but Senna used loopholes that were not allowed and continued. He won, but was disqualified for race direction and Prost was champion. Senna felt how the FIA, with a French president, had given the title to a French driver.
Photo by: LAT Images
Italian GP, 1990 – The gamble and the end of the curse at Monza
11 / 20
Senna had struggled at the previous three Italian GPs while leading. Disputing the title with Prost –already at Ferrari–, the 1990 race was very important. Before the test, knowing the relevance, Ayrton made a bet with the McLaren boss that if he won they would let him keep his car. Senna did not tremble: he took pole, led all the laps and won for the first time in Monza.
Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images
Japanese GP, 1990 – Revenge
12 / 20
A year later, the situation was the opposite of 1988. Prost had to win in Japan and Senna, who started from pole, could be champion. After the refusal of the FISA (the highest body of motorsport) to change the side from which the author of the pole on the grid (the dirty side), Senna lost first place to Prost at the start and crashed intentionally against the French in the first corner. Senna was champion and took the blame for the accident a year later.
Photo by: Jean-Francois Galeron
Brazilian GP, 1991 – The prophet in his land… without gears
13 / 20
After years of trying and having bad luck at the Brazilian GP, redemption came in 1991. But not without drama. Senna managed to chase down Riccardo Patrese’s Williams in intermittent rain, but lost fifth and third gear, forcing him to stay in sixth for the closing laps. In the end, Senna won, but due to the physical effort they had to extract him from his car.
Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images
Japanese GP, 1991 – The three-time championship
14 / 20
After seeing Williams far superior in the second half of the 1991 season, Senna needed calm to become champion. The Brazilian driver deliberately blocked Mansell at the Japanese GP, until the Briton lost patience on lap 9, went off the track and gave the Brazilian the third championship title. In the end, Senna gave up the win to teammate Gerhard Berger.
Photo by: LAT Images
Monaco GP, 1992 – Taming the ‘Lion’
15 / 20
Senna once again beat Mansell for his fifth victory in Monaco. The ‘León’, who was leading, had been forced to stop in the pits due to a tire problem. With used compounds in the closing laps, Senna had to use all his coolness and skill to keep the Williams behind and secure his fifth win in the Principality.
Photo by: LAT Images
Brazilian GP, 1993 – A tremendous victory against the ‘Torcida’
16 / 20
Despite an inferior car, a penalty, torrential rain and strong opposition from his rivals, Senna put on one of his magical performances and pulled off an impressive victory at Interlagos in 1993. The euphoria was so great that the crowd invaded the track to celebrate with the idol, causing one of the most iconic scenes in F1 history.
Photo by: LAT Images
European GP, 1993 – The best first lap in history
17 / 20
In the rain, Senna ruled. And it was like that on F1’s only visit to Donington Park. He started fourth, dropped to fifth place and finished the first lap first. From there, he only had to control the test and keep the victory.
Photo by: LAT Images
Monaco GP, 1993 – Bye, Bye Mr. Hill
18 / 20
Senna dethroned Graham Hill as ‘Mister Monaco’ on his last visit to the street circuit. This time he was lucky: Prost failed at the start and Schumacher broke his engine. The victory came easy.
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch
Australian GP, 1993 – The 41st and the last
19 / 20
After failing to match Williams in the second half of the 1993 season, Senna ended the year by winning twice, in Japan and Australia. Those were his last two wins. In his latest conquest, the Brazilian took the opportunity to pay tribute to his rival Prost, who was retiring from F1 that day.
Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images
San Marino GP, 1994 – The last pole
20 / 20
Despite the tragic ending, the 1994 Imola test marked Ayrton Senna’s 65th and final pole position in F1. That was the record for pole positions in the championship until the 2006 Bahrain GP, when Michael Schumacher equaled the Brazilian. With 68, Schumacher was surpassed by Lewis Hamilton in 2017, who is already well over 70.
Photo by: LAT Images
- South African GP, 1984 – First points and physical problem
- Monaco GP, 1984 – First podium
- Portuguese GP, 1985 – First pole position, first victory and dominance
- Spanish GP, 1986 – Victory by one hundredth and leadership of the World Championship
- Monaco GP, 1987 – New Mr. Monaco?
- Monaco GP, 1988 – The biggest mistake
- Canadian GP, 1988 – Defeat Prost on track
- Japanese GP, 1988 – The first title
- San Marino GP, 1989 – The start of his battle with Prost
- Japanese GP, 1989 – Accident with Prost and lost title in dispatches
- Italian GP, 1990 – The bet and the end of the curse at Monza
- Japanese GP, 1990 – Revenge
- Brazilian GP, 1991 – The prophet in his land… without gears
- Japanese GP, 1991 – The three-time championship
- Monaco GP, 1992 – Taming the ‘Lion’
- Brazilian GP, 1993 – A tremendous victory against the ‘Torcida’
- European GP, 1993 – The best first lap in history
- Monaco GP, 1993 – Bye, Bye Mr. Hill
- Australian GP, 1993 – The 41st and the last
- San Marino GP, 1994 – The last pole
Ayrton Senna’s statistics in Formula 1:
| victories | 41 (25.47%) |
| Poles | 65 (40.37%) |
| fast laps | 19 (11.80%) |
| podiums | 80 (49.69%) |
| Great prizes | 161 |
| seasons | eleven |
| laps led | 2,931 of 8,219 |
| Points | 614 |
