Ayrton Senna is one of Brazil’s most famous Formula-1 race car drivers and one of its most beloved sports figures. He was Formula-1 world champion in 1988, 1990, and 1991, and came in second in 1989 and 1993.

Born into a wealthy São Paulo family in 1960, Senna had an early interest in cars, and got his first go-kart at the age of four. He was driving jeeps on his family’s country home property by the age of nine, and began go-kart racing at age 13.

He began racing professionally in 1981, and became an instant success. In 1984, he participated in his first world champions race.

Despite his booming career,  Senna was continually worried about security on the racetrack. He was shocked by the death of fellow racer Roland Ratzenberger, and offered to help authorities investigate the accident in order to make the racetrack safer. But he didn’t get the chance, because just days later he was killed in an accident, on May 1st, 1994 in Bologna, Italy.

Senna always believed in social justice, and once said: “Os ricos não
podem continuar vivendo como se fossem uma ilha no meio de um mar de pobreza.” [The wealthy cannot continue to live on an island in the middle of a sea of poverty] After his death, his family began the Instituto Ayrton Senna, which has helped nearly eight million needy children throughout Brazil.

After his death, Formula-1 increased their safety standards and rules to try to prevent another tragic death. Senna is buried in his hometown, where there is also a memorial of him, and a highway in western Rio de Janeiro is named after him.