Ayrton Senna

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Ayrton Senna
Born	Ayrton Senna da Silva (1960-03-21)21 March 1960 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Died	1 May 1994(1994-05-01) (aged 34) Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Cause of death	Injuries sustained at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Spouse	Lilian de Vasconcelos Souza ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1982)​
Partners	Adriane Yamin (1985–1988) Xuxa (1988–1990) Christine Ferracciu (1990–1991) Adriane Galisteu (1993–1994)
Relatives	Viviane Senna (sister) Bruno Senna (nephew)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Brazilian
Active years	1984–1994
Teams	Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, Williams
Engines	Hart, Renault, Honda, Ford
Entries	162 (161 starts)
Championships	3 (1988, 1990, 1991)
Wins	41
Podiums	80
Career points	610 (614)[1]
Pole positions	65
Fastest laps	19
First entry	1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
First win	1985 Portuguese Grand Prix
Last win	1993 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Website	ayrtonsenna.com.br
Signature

This article is part of a series about Ayrton Senna
Brazilian racing driver Grand Prix wins Death Prost–Senna rivalry Instituto Ayrton Senna Eponym McLaren Senna Media Senna (film) Senninha (comic) Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II
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Ayrton Senna da Silva (Brazilian Portuguese: [aˈiʁtõ ˈsẽnɐ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ] ^ⓘ; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1988, 1990, and 1991. One of three Formula One drivers from Brazil to become World Champion, Senna won 41 Grands Prix and set 65 pole positions, with the latter being the record until 2006. He died as a result of an accident while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, driving for the Williams team.

Senna began his motorsport career in karting, moved up to open-wheel racing in 1981 and won the 1983 British Formula Three Championship. He made his Formula One debut with Toleman Motorsport in 1984, before moving to Team Lotus for the 1985 season and winning six Grands Prix over the next three seasons. In 1988, he joined Frenchman Alain Prost at McLaren. Between them, they won all but one of the 16 Grands Prix that year, and Senna claimed his first World Championship. Prost claimed the championship in 1989, and Senna his second and third championships in the 1990 and 1991 seasons. In 1992, the Williams-Renault combination began to dominate Formula One. Senna managed to finish the 1993 season as runner-up, winning five races and negotiating a move to Williams in 1994.

Senna was recognised for his qualifying speed over one lap and the ability to push his car to the very limit. From 1989 until 2006, he held the record for most pole positions. He was also acclaimed for his wet weather performances, such as the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, and the 1993 European Grand Prix. He holds a record six victories at the Monaco Grand Prix, is the sixth-most successful driver of all time in terms of most Grand Prix wins, and has won more races for McLaren than any other driver. Senna courted controversy throughout his career, particularly during the turbulent Prost–Senna rivalry. In the Japanese Grands Prix of 1989 and 1990, each of which decided the championship of that year, collisions between Senna and Prost determined the eventual winner.