Today, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, drivers of all time, Ayrton Senna, would have turned 65. It's hard to estimate how many championship titles he would have won, in addition to the three he already has, if it hadn't been for Formula 1's black weekend in Imola...
But even during his short earthly journey, he gifted us with many fantastic moments and interesting facts about the impact he had on fans, sports colleagues, and the media. For example, did you know that...
A luxury skyscraper in Brazil has been named after him? The Senna Tower, which is being built on the beautiful beach of Balneário Camboriú, will be 509 meters high and it's not just its name that connects it to the legend. This amazing building is designed by none other than Ayrton's niece, Lalalli Senna!
Did you know that his great rival Alain Prost offered him McLaren? At that time, there was no sign of what would later become the greatest rivalry in Formula 1 history.
Did you know that, by chance, the last person to see him alive was Erik Comas, whose life Senna had saved two years earlier? On that fateful sad day, immediately after the accident, the track was declared closed, but Comas made it onto the track due to a communication error and chaos. When he reached Tamburello, he could only "feel Senna's soul flying away..." After the incident, Comas burst into tears and repeated that he would never race again. At the end of the season, he retired...
They say that the "spirit of the place": Well, the exact place of Senna's death may indeed have something like that. The writer of these lines passed the Imola track, feeling the fate associated with silence, the breeze of passing, Senna's soul.
Happy birthday, wide road on the heavenly racetracks, Ayrton !
Photo: McLaren
