The most beautiful man in Formula One there ever was, and the best there ever will be.
Ayrton Senna da Silva was not God, because God was his co-pilot.
They say he shot through F1 like a comet. He debuted in 1984 and at Monaco, drove to a magnificent second to Alain Prost, in torrential rain. It was just a sign of things to come. Senna bought his contract out and moved to Lotus next year, where he stayed till 1988 (before moving to McLaren) during which he started from pole 16 times and won six times.
In his first season with the Woking-based team, he was crowned world champion for the first time, having closely beaten his team mate Alain Prost, with eight wins to Prost’s seven, which combined, gave McLaren best season ever, with 15 wins of 16 races, a record that stands unbeaten today.
Beyond his driving genius, Senna was Formula1’s most charismatic personality. He possessed a powerful physical presence, and when he spoke, his warm brown eyes sparkled and his voice quavered with intensity, his eloquence mesmerising. Even the most jaded members of the F1 fraternity were spellbound by his passionate soliloquies.
“For me, this research is fascinating. Every time I push, I find something more, again and again. But there is a contradiction. The same moment that you become the fastest, you are enormously fragile. Because in a split-second, it can be gone. All of it. These two extremes contribute to knowing yourself, deeper and deeper.” – Senna.
Everyone marvelled at how he put so much of himself, his very soul, into everything he did, not just his driving but into life itself. Behind the wheel the depth of his commitment was there for all to see and the thrilling spectacle of Senna on an all-out qualifying lap or a relentless charge through the field evoked an uneasy combination of both admiration for his superlative skill and fear for his future.
Some thought he drove like a man possessed by demons. In qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, even Senna confessed he became a passenger on a surreal ride into the unknown. Already on pole, he went faster and faster and was eventually over two seconds quicker than Prost in an identical McLaren.
“Suddenly, it frightened me,” Ayrton said, “because I realised I was well beyond my conscious understanding. I drove back slowly to the pits and did not go out anymore that day.”
Senna stayed on at McLaren for six years, winning 35 races and two more drivers’ titles. There ensued a notorious feud between Prost and Senna, two of the greatest drivers of lore. In 1989, Prost won the driver’s title by taking Senna out at the Suzuka chicane. In 1990, Senna exacted revenge at Suzuka’s first corner, winning his second title by taking Prost’s Ferrari out at Suzuka’s first corner.
“Senna is a genius,” Martin Brundle said. “I define genius as just the right side of imbalance. He is so highly developed to the point that he’s almost over the edge. It’s a close call.”
In 1991, Senna was more dominant and made a back-to-back title, in straightforward fashion. 1993 was his last season with McLaren, before moving to Williams for the ill-fated 1994 season.
“I want to live fully, very intensely. I would never want to live partially, suffering from illness or injury. If I ever happen to have an accident that eventually costs my life, I hope it happens in one instant.” – Senna.
And so it did come to happen. On May 1, 1994, at San Marino, while in the race lead, his Williams shot off the track at the Tamburello corner and hit the concrete wall. Senna died. Among the sad mourners was Frank Williams, who said: “Ayrton was no ordinary person. He was actually a greater man out of the car than in it.”
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The Lion\'s Share 
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