Remembering Senna 20 Years Later

On May 1st, 1994 at exactly 2:17pm, the racing world lost one of the most remarkable drivers it ever had. Ayrton Senna da Silva was on his seventh lap of the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari when his brakes failed and he lost control of his car and came crashing into a wall at about 185 miles per hour. Everyone watching the race was stunned and they prayed for Senna to get out of the car using his own power, as opposed to getting carried off by a stretcher, which was eventually what happened. Senna was then airlifted to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead hours later. Senna's funeral was one to remember. Over one million people lines the streets of São Paulo as Senna's casket drove through the streets.

Ayrton Senna has always been remembered as one of the most successful drivers ever during his time in Formula 1 and that is because he had a powerful drive to succeed in everything he did. Every day Senna would live life the best he could and he would accept nothing less than victory. Senna also knew that he could be killed at any time and even on the morning of his death, his good friend, Dr. Sid Watkins, said to him, “’What else do you need to do? You have been world champion three times, you are obviously the quickest driver. Give it up and let's go fishing.’ Senna replied: ‘Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on.’” This shows that Senna had a drive for success greater than anyone else. Senna wanted to continue winning even though he was already enormously successful and this shows how great his drive for success was. Ayrton Senna accepted nothing but total victory in everything he did and his drive for success was greater than any racecar driver there ever was, even on his last day on Earth. 

Ayrton Senna da Silva grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, a place that always had a special place in his heart. Senna loved his home country and throughout his life, he was always helping people living in poverty in São Paulo by giving them money for food and shelter. Senna did an unbelievable amount for the people of São Paulo and Brazil as a whole, and in honor of his death, Ayrton's sister, Viviane, started the Ayrton Senna Foundation whose mission is "to positively intervene in the lives of Brazilian children and adolescents, providing them with conditions and opportunities to promote their full development as human beings, citizens, and future professionals."

Ceremonies to remember Ayrton Senna include moments of silence, a remembrance at the corner where the crash occurred, and even the Corinthians wearing helmets out onto the field before their Copa Do Brasil match. 


Ayrton Senna is the greatest driver to ever have raced in Formula 1 and his untimely death was a tragedy not only in the racing world, but in the entire world, because it lost a truly remarkable person.