''Senna or Prost?' A question that has been asked for the past three decades, during which an epic feud was fought between two legends, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. Ayrton Senna, an eventual martyr of the sport, was born in Brazil in 1960, but his life began eight years later when his karting career ignited.
Ayrton was a racing wonder-boy, even without any previous racing experience, Ayrton's karting debut was a victorious one! This was a trait which lingered with the Brazilian for his entire racing career. Senna left Brazil in 1981 to further his racing passion in Britain, the home of Formula 1, after just three years in England, he had already won the British F3 title, an amazing feat for a young Brazilian so far from home.
1984 was the year in which Ayrton was signed as a test driver, for not one but two Formula 1 teams, Brabham and Williams, both of which had managed to secure the previous four world championships. Ayrton, however, decided to sign for Toleman, a smaller UK based team. In just his sixth F1 race ever in Monaco, in a mediocre car, Ayrton was storming in second place just behind Alain Prost, in a winning McLaren, before the race was red flagged due to torrential rain. He finished that season in thirteenth.
The next three seasons saw him elevate to fourth and third in the Championship respectively after signing with the black and gold Lotus. 1985 also saw Ayrton taking his first Formula 1 win at Estoril. But this wasn't sufficient enough for a racer of his calibre, consequently, Ayrton joined McLaren in 1988, which saw him teamed with the then two time world champion, Alain Prost, sparking the legendary bitter rivalry. 1988 saw Senna crowned world champion by a mere three points over his teammate, Alain Prost. But the season to follow would lead to a vicious battle fuelled by racing politics.
Suzuka 1989 was the race that saw the incident occur between the two rivals, an incident which would leave a sour taste in any racers mouth, an incident which led Prost to retire from the race, and rendered Senna runner up in the championship. As a fall out from this, Prost left for Ferrari for the following season, yet the rivalry was still as prominent as ever. 1990 saw Senna crowned a two-time world champion.
Senna won his third championship the following year in 1991, equalling that of Alain Prost. In 1993 Senna finished runner up in the Championship to Prost, leading him to sign for Williams for the 1994 season. A season which would be his last...
Imola 1994... After qualifying on pole on Saturday, Ayrton Senna started on the front row of the grid, the lights went out for the race start, only to be halted by a safety car after a small crash. The race was green flagged and only seventeen minuets after the race start, Senna's car collided with the barriers... A fatal crash, aged just 34.
Just months before the horrendous weekend in May, Ayrton had commented on his future, "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."
The three time world champion had set a benchmark for every racing driver: 65 pole positions, 41 wins, 80 podiums, 614 points, 3 world titles and a place in the history books.
Ayrton Senna was not only a hero in Formula 1, he also brought hope and light to Brazil. Ayrton will forever be an icon and a name that will never be forgotten.
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