Today one of the greatest drivers of all time, Ayrton Senna, would have turned 65. It is only a guess how many world titles he could have collected in addition to the three already won, if there had not been the tragic end in Formula 1 at Imola...
However, even during his brief journey on earth, he has provided us with countless amazing moments and trivia, showing the impact he has had on fans, fellow athletes, and the media. For example, did you know that…
A luxurious skyscraper has been dedicated to him in Brazil? The Senna Tower, which will rise on the beautiful beach of Balneário Camboriú, will be 509 meters high and it is not only the name that links it to the legend. In fact, the sensational building is designed by Lalalli Senna, Ayrton's granddaughter!
Did you know that his great rival Alain Prost offered him McLaren? At that time there was no sign of what we would later know as the greatest rivalry ever seen in Formula 1.
Did you know that, by coincidence, the last driver to see him alive was Erik Comas, who had been saved by Senna two years earlier? On that sad day, immediately after the accident, a race ban was imposed, but due to a miscommunication and chaos, Comas entered the track. When he arrived at Tamburello, he felt “only Senna’s soul flying away...” After the accident, Comas burst into tears, repeating that he would never race again. At the end of the season he retired...
They say the “spirit of the place”: well, the exact place of Senna’s death really has something similar. The writer of these lines has traveled the Imola circuit, feeling destiny embrace the silence, the wind of the inevitable, the soul of Senna.
Happy birthday, may you have a long journey on the heavenly tracks, Ayrton !
Photo: McLaren
