Ayrton Senna is one of the most legendary drivers in the history of Formula 1 and motor racing. The Brazilian virtuoso became a three-time World Champion during his tenure in the sport.
From his debut in 1984 to his untimely death in 1994, Senna recorded 41 victories (six with Lotus and 35 with McLaren).
The Historic Win: Ayrton Senna’s First F1 Triumph
His first success came in 1985 when he was in his first year driving for Lotus. Senna had a big debut year in 1984 with Toleman, achieving three podiums and performing at a magnificent level at Monaco under heavy rain.
A Rain-Soaked Victory
The heavy rain would smile upon Senna several times during his career, and his maiden win had to be under those circumstances.
On April 21st, 1985, Ayrton Senna won his first F1 race at the Estoril Circuit. He dominated the wet race from Pole Position and led every lap while finishing with a gap of over a minute against the second-placed driver, Michele Alboreto.
The then 25-year-old Brazilian added a second win to his tally later in the year, when he won at Spa-Francorchamps.
Ayrton Senna’s First Win F1 Car
Senna won his first F1 race driving the Lotus 97T, equipped with a V6, turbocharged Renault engine.
In 1985, Senna finished fourth in the World Drivers’ Championship with 38 points and six podiums.
In the following two seasons, Senna competed for Lotus again, winning four more races for the team before moving to McLaren for the 1988 Formula 1 campaign.
In 1986, Senna won the Spanish Grand Prix and the Detroit Grand Prix, while his first win at Monaco came in 1987, and his final win for Lotus came at Detroit.
The Beginning of a Champion’s Legacy
Apart from his first win, the win at Jerez in 1986 was an iconic one, as he defeated Williams’ Nigel Mansell by just 0.014 seconds, which is virtually a tie for the lead.
The race was amazing and saw a big fight for the win between Senna, Mansell and eventual World Champion Alain Prost (McLaren).
Ayrton Senna and his rivalry with Alain Prost
After leaving Lotus, Senna went on to win the 1988 championship with McLaren and the rivalry with Alain Prost started to take form.
After a controversial finish to the 1989 championship, where Prost was declared champion after Senna’s win at Suzuka was taken away, the Brazilian won the title in 1990 and 1991, after big fights with Prost (Ferrari) and Mansell, respectively.
How Many Championships Did Senna Win?
Ayrton Senna won three F1 World Drivers’ Championships (1988, 1990 and 1991). All were won with McLaren-Honda.
Obviously, Senna competed in that season with his usual helmet design, a yellow helmet with a blue and green stripe going from the visor to the back, through the sides of the helmet. The helmets were painted by the legendary Sid Mosca.
Check Ayrton Senna’s championship-winning helmets here.
The only changes in the design throughout Ayrton Senna’s racing career came when he changed teams and new sponsors were added to the helmet, or when the engine supplier was different from a previous year.
Other than that, the tone of yellow varied for some years, but the essence of the design remained the same.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Comparing Senna’s First and Last Wins
Ayrton Senna won 41 Formula 1 races in his career. That tally was the second-best in history at the time of his death and is now the sixth-best.
Senna’s first win came in the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix.
Senna’s Last F1 Win
Ayrton Senna’s last F1 win came in the 1993 Australian Grand Prix a Adelaide, driving the McLaren MP4/8.
That race was also Senna’s final podium and his final race with McLaren.
Where to Buy Ayrton Senna’s Helmets
Check CM Helmets to get the best Formula 1 helmets from Ayrton Senna’s career.
Click here to see the F1 helmets from Ayrton Senna’s F1 career and even his karting helmet.
