01 May Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was born on the 21st of March 1960 in Sao Paulo and died the 1st of May 1994 in a Racing crash. He was a Brazilian racing driver who won three Formula 1 World Championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. He was killed in an accident driving at 300km/hour while leading the 1994 San Marino (Imola) Grand-Prix.
He was among the most dominant and successful Formula One drivers of the modern era and is considered by many as the greatest racing driver of all times. In his history he won 40 races and 65 pole positions.
Senna began his motorsport career in karting, moving up to open-wheel racing in 1981, and winning the British Formula 3 championship in 1983.
He made his Formula One debut with Toleman-Hart in 1984 before moving to Lotus-Renault the following year and winning six Grand-Prix over the next three seasons.
In 1988, he joined the French Alain Prost in the team Mclaren-Honda. He finished his carrier in the team Williams in 1994.
His death was a tragic event in the Formula 1 organisation. Everybody was stupefied by his death and his crash.
About his personal life, we know that:
- He was a devoted Catholic.
- His biggest relation with a girlfriend was with Adriane Galisteu, a brazilian model.
- He has no children
- He has a nephew « Bruno Senna » who races today in Hispania Racing F1 Team.
He Secretly Donated Millions to Children
For years, almost nobody knew that Senna quietly donated large sums of money to charities supporting disadvantaged children in Brazil. He rarely spoke about these contributions because he believed generosity should remain private. After his passing, his family created the Ayrton Senna Institute, which has since helped millions of Brazilian children access better education.
He Nearly Joined Ferrari
Many fans know Senna dreamed of driving for Ferrari, but few realize how close it came to happening. Discussions took place during the early 1990s, and Senna reportedly considered ending his career with the famous Italian team. Unfortunately, history never gave him that opportunity.
He Had an Incredible Memory
Members of his teams recalled that Senna could remember every corner, bump, and braking point from circuits he had not visited for months. During technical meetings, he could describe exactly where the car behaved differently compared to previous seasons.
He Was Extremely Superstitious
Senna had numerous personal routines before races. While he wasn’t obsessed with lucky charms, he preferred maintaining familiar habits and routines that helped him stay mentally focused. Small changes to his preparation could make him uncomfortable.