“If death comes, let it be sudden, overwhelming, and complete. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.”
——Elton ·Senna
Jeremy Clarkson interviews Lewis Hamilton
When F1 fans are asked "Who is your favorite car god?", the answer It may be as diverse as "Fangio, Senna, Schumacher, Raikkonen, Vettel, Hamilton" etc., but when "TOP?GEAR" host Jeremy Clarkson asked about those professional F1 drivers, their answer was actually Amazing consensus - Ayrton Senna, he is recognized as the "King of Cars".
Let us first turn back the time 60 years ago to 1960.
On March 21 of that year, Senna was born into a wealthy Brazilian family, and he and his siblings received a good education. When Senna was 4 years old, his father gave him a mini go-kart. This was also his first contact with racing, and he showed amazing talent.
Like other outstanding F1 drivers, Senna also started his career in go-karts. In 1973, when he was 13 years old, Senna won his first small car race in his hometown and won every victory since then. At this time, Senna also officially entered the racing field and began his karting career.
Senna participated in the Formula Ford 1600CC race
Four years after winning the South American Karting Championship, the 18-year-old Senna was not satisfied with dominating the South American circuit, so he left Enter the field of karts, come to Europe, the birthplace of racing, and start competing in formula car competitions.
Senna began to make a name for himself in the racing world by winning the Ford 1600CC Formula and Ford 2000CC Formula races. In just three years from 1981 to 1983, Senna won 44 races and caused a sensation in the entire racing world.
Senna won the British F3 Championship
In the British F3 World Cup that year, Senna once again took the championship trophy into his arms. In the same year, many F1 teams noticed this rising star, and Senna tested in four F1 teams: Williams, McLaren, Brabham and Tolman.
In 1984, the 24-year-old Senna officially entered the F1 World Formula One Championship, joined the Durman Racing Team, and finally began an unforgettable journey in F1.
1984 F1 Monaco Station
In the Monaco Station that year, Senna drove the uncompetitive Toleman car all the way to second place. If it hadn't rained too hard and French driver Prost asked to terminate the race, Senna would have finally surpassed his opponent and won the Monaco Grand Prix. After this stop, Senna was dubbed the "Rain God".
In his first season in F1, Senna*** scored 13 points and ranked 9th in the year-end driver rankings. Senna's initial F1 career was not as satisfactory as expected. In the second-rate team Durman, the racing strength was far behind that of other big-name teams, and he could not show his strength. It was not until the next year that Senna got a 1985 racing contract from Lotus.
Senna drove a Lotus car
During his two seasons with the Lotus team, Senna continued to grow and his driver rankings also gradually improved. In the first year, Senna won 7 starts and won two championships in Portugal and Belgium. The next year he won eight more starts and two championships in Spain and the United States. In 1987, his last season with the Lotus team, Senna had become the F1 third runner-up that year. However, Senna's goal is to win the F1 world championship, but the mid-range Lotus racing car plays more of a "transit station" role. Senna needs a stronger team to maintain his competitiveness.
Senna drives the McLaren MP4/B car
The desire for victory led Senna to join the then dominant F1 team in 1988, the Marlboro-McLaren-Honda team. . In his first season with McLaren, Senna won the driver's championship with 8 race wins and a total of 94 points. He also helped McLaren win the Team of the Year award in the 1988 season. It is also the most glorious moment in the history of F1.
This is also Senna’s favorite year. From then on, Senna truly created his own glory.
In his second year with the Marlboro-McLaren-Honda team, Senna won the driver's runner-up with 60 points, while the team's other driver Prost won the driver's championship title. It was also this year that the conflict between Senna and Prost reached an irreconcilable point, and they even staged a farce of "fighting" at the Suzuka Grand Prix in Japan.
Senna and Prost
At the moment when Senna was about to surpass Prost and become the leader, Prost quickly cut inside, and finally both of them rushed off the track. Prost chose to retire, but the Brazilian continued to return to the track with the help of track personnel. Running off the track caused damage to the front wing of the car, and Senna had to pit the car to replace the front wing.
Even in the unfavorable situation that delayed a lot of time, Senna still played steadily and eventually surpassed Nannini to win the championship. Although Senna's results were ultimately invalidated by the FIA, this game once again confirmed that Senna is a unique car god in the history of the car world.
After the farce between the two drivers last year, Prost switched to Ferrari, and Senna became the absolute number one driver of McLaren. In battles with old rivals, Senna often had the last laugh, winning the driver's championship in 1990 and 1991. This became the highlight of Senna's career.
Senna drove a Williams car
In his last two years with McLaren, Senna's results were still impressive, but he failed to recreate the glory of the previous two years. Ranked fourth and second in the driver rankings respectively this season. And as 1993 ended, Senna also left the McLaren team and joined the Williams team that had defeated him.
In 1994, Senna moved to Williams and signed a two-year agreement with an annual salary of US$15 million. Senna, who aims to win the fourth driver's championship title in his career, never imagined that his journey to Williams would be so short and bumpy.
Senna retired after a collision with Hakkinen
From the start of the 1994 race, Senna had bad luck. In the first race at his home circuit in St. Paul's Lake District, Senna was so eager to win that he stepped on the accelerator too hard when entering the corner, causing the car to spin and stall. In the second round of the race in Japan, Senna's Williams car was hit by the rear of Finnish player Mika Hakkinen's car just after the start, and he was forced to retire from the race.
Due to the losses in the first two races, Senna went all out to prepare for the race and was determined to win the third race. On May 1, at the third San Marino Grand Prix, Senna still ranked first. Tragedy occurred when the car reached the 7th lap. When Senna passed the Tamburello corner, the car suddenly lost control and rushed directly into the barrier at a speed of 300km/h (the speed before impact was 210-220km/h).
Senna’s cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil
The 34-year-old life also ended abruptly. The fate of Senna left the racing track in this way, and he was also greatly shocked. He left the world, and this sadness is still unforgettable.
Senna drove a Williams car for the last time
Senna said that he fully understood that if this continued, death would be closer and closer to him. However, driving a racing car is like a "metaphor" to him, and he uses this method to constantly surpass himself and discover himself. "It fascinates me. Every time I sprint, I feel something getting closer to me, but it's a paradox. When you're the fastest, you're also the most vulnerable. In that moment, everything may disappear. Struggling between these two extremes can make you understand yourself more clearly. ”
Written at the end
March 21, 2020. , is Ayrton Senna’s sixtieth birthday. If not for the accident at Imola, he would still be a 60-year-old kind man, becoming a role model for future generations to follow. Many of Senna's words have become inspiring words of wisdom. It's just that all of this was fixed when he was in his 30s. Years later, this legendary voice and smile are still there, and he will always be a car god both on and off the track.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.