Ayrton Senna in photos: life and death of a Formula 1 star

Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian driver who won three Formula 1 world championships for McLaren; in 1988, 1990, and 1991. He is considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.

Ayrton was born on March 21, 1960, in the city of São Paulo. At age 4, he showed a remarkable ability to drive karts. His father immediately recognized the talent of the boy.

His father, Milton Senna (pictured left), always liked cars. He had worked as a car salesman and later expanded his business into the automotive accessories industry. Milton encouraged his son to pursue the sport. He even built Ayrton's first kart using a lawnmower engine.

At the age of nine, Ayrton was already driving jeeps inside his father's rural property. He also watched the Japanese anime 'Speed Racer.'

Ayrton started competing in kart competitions at the age of thirteen. His first official victory took place in his very first race, in July 1973. After that, he collected numerous victories as the champion of São Paulo (1974 and 1976), South America (1977 and 1980), and Brazil (1978, 1979, 1980).

Then, it was time to go global. It wasn't that easy, though, as Senna had to settle for second place two years in a row. In Estoril (Portugal, 1979), Ayrton won the last race but lost in points to the Dutchman Peter Koene. In Nivelles (Belgium, 1980), Ayrton lost to another Dutchman, Peter de Bruyn.

After karting, Senna was invited to participate in English motorsport, which usually is a preparatory stage for those who want to reach Formula 1.

In the 1981 Formula Ford competition, the Brazilian driver became internationally known. He participated in 20 races, of which he won 12, for Team Van Diemen. The first of 12 wins took place on March 15, 1981, at Brands Hatch.

In the photo, we see him in 1988 with the Frenchman Alain Prost.

In 1982, Senna was the European and British Formula Ford 2000 champion, with 22 wins in 28 races, for the team of Dennis Rushen. He was just 22 years old.

In the photo, Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger in Estoril, 1991.

Senna's time in Formula 3 was brilliant. According to Ayrton Senna's official page, the experienced West Surrey team boss Rick Bennetts said at the time: "He (Ayrton) can beat anyone."

And indeed, Senna stole the show. In 1982, he participated in an F3 championship race, just to test the car, and the following year he would race in the category. What happened at that 'test drive' went down in history.

Senna took the pole position, set the fastest lap record, and won the race 13 seconds ahead of Bengt Tragardh. His time in Formula 3 helped Senna conquer the world and guaranteed his entry in the coveted Formula 1 races.

What Senna did in motorsport marked a generation. His impressive talent was recognized around the world and his numbers in the sport were overwhelming.

The driver gathered in his curriculum 65 pole positions, 41 victories, and 3 world championships in Formula 1.

Senna also proved to be a great rider on wet tracks. At Silverstone in 1988, he made a historic maneuver to pass the Austrian driver Gerhard Berger. As he reached the front, Senna almost collided with his rival, Alain Prost.

Berger (right) and Senna were very close. In Christopher Hilton's 'Memories of Senna', Berger jokingly declared: "The worst thing he (Senna) ever did was run faster than me!"

The Japanese Grand Prix was the race that gave Senna his first world title. The Brazilian driver started in 16th place due to technical problems but surprised everyone. He managed to recover positions, lap by lap, and guaranteed victory in the race, along with his much-deserved trophy!

Senna would win his other Formula 1 World Titles in 1990 and 1991. He seemed unstoppable...

It was May 1, 1994. During the third race of the season, the San Marino GP at Imola, Senna set the third fastest lap of the race, followed by Michael Schumacher. Then, while entering the Tamburello corner, he lost control of the car.

Due to a broken steering bar, Senna could not help but crash into the concrete wall at the San Marino track. He suffered lethal injuries in the crash.

Even though he was taken to the hospital by helicopter, Senna could not be saved. He died a few hours later, at the age of 34.

His home country was in mourning. Ayrton Senna's wake, held on May 5, 1994, was one of the largest in Brazil with more than 200,000 people.

On television, millions of fans watched his farewell.

The funeral was held in São Paulo and attended by fellow drivers Emerson Fittipaldi, Christian Fittipaldi, Alain Prost, and Gerhard Berger.

Viviane Senna Lalli, Ayrton's older sister, has kept the driver's memory alive since 1994 through the Ayrton Senna Institute. In the photo, she and her family are posing with Prince Albert of Monaco during an exhibition in honor of Ayrton Senna, in Monte Carlo.

Thanks to the impact of the driver, his whole family got involved in the automobile world. Leonardo Senna Silva (pictured), his younger brother, founded a company called Audi Senna which imported vehicles from the German automaker until 2004.

Viviane told Japan House São Paulo that her brother was always interested in helping the population of Brazil. For that reason, she started the Institute, a non-profit organization with the objective of helping children and young people through quality education.

The agency benefits 1.8 million students annually and collaborates in the training of 65,000 educators spread across 700 municipalities in all regions of Brazil.

On Ayrton Senna's official website, Viviane says that "Ayrton had a real passion for Brazil." In fact, the pilot's helmet, made to measure, always had the colors of the Brazilian flag, green and yellow.

His legacy lives on, not only in the initiatives of the institute that bears his name but also in the memories that sports fans all over the world have of the racer.

Ayrton Senna was a global star. He stood out for his incredible perseverance and ability to overcome obstacles.