the mythical yellow helmet disappeared 30 years ago

It was this Wednesday, May 1st, that Ayrton Senna da Silva disappeared, considered by many to be the greatest driver in the history of Formula 1 and elected by the magazine Look like the Brazilian sportsman of the 20th century, in a country crazy about football and which had, among others, a player called Pelé.

Even today, Ayrton Senna’s death is a mystery. The Tamburello corner, at the San Marino Grand Prix, turned out to be fateful. The weekend of that race was, by all accounts, dark for the highest discipline in motor sport.

On the eve of the Grand Prix, during qualifying training, Austrian Roland Ratzenberger crashed violently into a wall at 314 km/hour. Anyone who has seen the documentary “Watch Senna” is not indifferent to seeing the disturbance in the Williams pits while watching doctors revive Ratzenberger on television. Senna was unable to see any more and walked away visibly disturbed by the scene which, combined with an accident by compatriot Rubens Barrichello on the first day of training, left him startled.

Ayrton Senna was very concerned about safety, he talked about it often, despite much of the talent he displayed in driving had to do with the risk he posed on the track, whatever it was.

On that day, April 30, 1994, the Formula 1 doctor, Sid Watkins, saw a different Ayrton Senna, without smiling, something rare for the São Paulo native. Here the doctrine diverges. There are those who guarantee that Senna was worried about the car, which gave him no guarantee of success, others assure that Ratzenberger’s accident affected him a lot and his girlfriend at the time, the model Adriane Galisteu, revealed that the couple had an ugly argument over not to be well accepted by the Brazilian’s family, who preferred Xuxa, the pilot’s former girlfriend. Maybe all this made Senna different.

Frank Williams, boss of the British team with the same name, was apprehensive when at Senna’s last dinner he didn’t realize whether the Brazilian would perform on the track the following day, but Senna, when he was challenged by his doctor and friend Sid Watkins to both to leave the ‘circus’ and go fishing, he was adamant: “I can’t, I have to run.”

Four long minutes

Senna’s competitive spirit was above all. A new stage in his career at Williams began and he had abandoned the first two grand prix of the season. Without points and seeing rookie Michael Schumacher (Benetton) performing at a great level, Ímola was a kind of all or nothing situation to not miss out on the title train. Senna complained behind the scenes that Benetton had irregular technology that benefited its cars on the track and, at the same time, complained about its single-seater and the car’s instability.

The calm atmosphere around Senna minutes before the start contrasted with the frenzy in the Benetton and even Ferrari pits. The Brazilian starts the race in the lead, always harassed by Schumacher, but on the seventh lap an era in Formula 1 ended. He lost control of the car, hit the wall and was so unlucky that the right arm of the front suspension hit him below the visor. . 10 centimeters up or down and Senna had left the car by his foot.

It took four long minutes to get Senna out of the car and into the helicopter that would take him to Bologna Hospital, but everyone was convinced that the Brazilian had died on the track, despite official information from the hospital pointing out otherwise.

The pilot’s funeral only took place three days after his death. A general commotion hit Brazil, the government decreed three days of national mourning and granted the ceremony honors of heads of state. More than a million people watched Senna’s final goodbye. The funeral ceremony was as impactful as the drama experienced by Brazilians.

The greatest of rivalries

Within the tragedy, it was beautiful to see fellow runners carrying the urn. Emerson Fittipaldi, Gerhard Berger, Rubens Barrichello, Michele Alboreto, Damon Hill and even Alain Prost. Yes, Alain Prost.

The Frenchman experienced the greatest rivalry in the history of Formula 1 with Senna. It was thanks to the fierceness on the track, and which extended abroad, that Formula 1 gained fans. Let no one doubt that.

Ayrton Senna wasn’t exactly that poor boy who had a lot of talent for a sport. None of that. Senna’s family lived freely and allowed the young man to live in England after proving himself in Karts. His talent was unquestionable. After successive demonstrations of value in lower disciplines, Senna reached Formula 1 driving a Toleman and scored points in the second grand prix. In the first season, with a very limited car, he achieved three podiums, one of them in Portugal.

Estoril was his talisman. Estoril and the rain. Now we combine the two ingredients and from there comes Senna’s first victory, on April 21, 1985, at the wheel of a Lotus.

But Lotus was also too small for Senna and McClaren managed, in 1988, to bring together the two best drivers at the time: Alain Prost, the Professor, and Ayrton Senna.

Everything seemed to be going well until it was realized that there were two roosters roosting on the same roost. The Frenchman thought he would remain dominant and perhaps had devalued Senna’s value. In the first year, the Brazilian would become world champion for the first time, a title sentenced in Japan after an epic race in which he started with problems, but from 17th place to the lead with 13 seconds of advantage over the Frenchman was a kind for a walk.

Prost realized that Senna was a worthy competitor and relations between the two cooled considerably in the second year. The titanic fight between the two, in 1989, lasted again until Japan. Senna needed to win to have ambitions of retaining the title in the last race.

However, Prost and Senna collided, but the Brazilian returned to the track with the help of the race marshals and finished first. As soon as the shock occurred, Prost headed to the judges’ room. In the end, Senna was disqualified, the Frenchman became world champion, and the Brazilian’s exchange of words with the FIA ​​president, Jean-Marie Balestre, reached an unexpected proportion. The same Balestre who a few years later recognized that he favored Prost, his compatriot.

The following year the same film, again in Suzuka but with a different winner. Now it was Prost who needed to win, but a shock, with the responsibility falling heavily on Senna’s side, gave the Brazilian his second title.

Prost left for Williams, which had a better car, but Senna would win his third championship in 1991, the year in which he experienced a unique moment, as he finally won the grand prix in his country – and how he celebrated the triumph at Interlagos.

Between 1991 and 1993 Senna had doubts, he realized he couldn’t be competitive, but he also couldn’t go to Williams, as Prost made it a condition that the Brazilian wouldn’t be hired.

With Prost’s transfer to Ferrari, Senna joined Williams. And then that’s what you know. But there was still time for Senna and Prost to reconcile when Senna reached out to the Frenchman in Prost’s last race. And, immediately, he pulled him to the highest place on the podium.

Relations normalized, Prost carried Senna’s coffin and became one of the most committed collaborators of the Ayrton Senna Institute, created by his sister Viviane after his death to help educate children, a concern of Senna’s during his lifetime.

It’s been 30 years since the mythical yellow helmet disappeared, never forgotten and considered by many to be the most brilliant driver in the history of Formula 1 who only needed to fulfill one dream – representing Ferrari.