Today, Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest drivers of all time, would have turned 65. One can only guess how many more world championship titles he would have accumulated, in addition to his current three, had it not been for Formula 1's dark weekend at Imola...
However, during his short journey, he offered us countless fantastic moments and curiosities, showing the impact he had on fans, his fellow athletes, and the media. For example, did you know that...
Has a luxury skyscraper been named after him in Brazil? The Senna Tower, which will be built on the beautiful Balneário Camboriú beach, will be 509 meters tall, and its name isn't the only connection to the legend. In fact, the sensational building was designed by Lalalli Senna, Ayrton's niece!
Did you know that his great rival Alain Prost offered him the McLaren? At the time, there wasn't even a hint of what we later came to know as the greatest rivalry ever seen in Formula 1.
Did you know that, thanks to a stroke of luck, the last driver to see him alive was Erik Comas, whose life had been saved by Senna two years earlier? On that tragic day after the accident, a track closure was immediately put in place, but Comas entered the track due to a communication error and the chaos. When he arrived at Tamburello, he felt "only Senna's soul flying away..." After this incident, Comas started to cry and repeated that he would never race again. At the end of the season, he retired...
It's often said that "the spirit of the place" is present. Well, the exact spot where Senna died truly has that kind of thing. The author of these lines has traveled the Imola circuit, feeling the destiny entwined with the silence, the breath of absence, the soul of Senna.
Happy birthday, and good luck on the celestial circuits, Ayrton !
Photo: McLaren
