Formula 1 in its current form has existed since 1950 when the first-ever F1 race was held at Silverstone. In that 71 year history of the sport, a huge number of drivers have come and gone over those decades and a small number of those have gone on to become world champions.Names like Fangio, Ascari, Clark, Hill, Prost, Senna, Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton. All of these men have won the world title at least once and etched their names into the history books. For some though, certain names conjure up more emotions than others.

One of those names is Senna. We are of course referring to Ayrton Senna. The legendary, three-time F1 world champion of 1988, 1990, and 1991, died during that horrible weekend at Imola in 1994. Senna’s records stood for many years until Michael Schumacher became the man to break them. But even now, nearly 30 years after his passing, Senna is still the hero of many a racing driver, be they up and coming or an already established star. There was something so special about Senna that no one else could replicate. For that, he was surely the greatest driver of his generation.

Senna’s Unbelievable Speed

Ayrton Senna - Monaco 1988 - McLaren MP4/4
via Fox Sports

The first thing that people think of when they think of Senna is just the raw speed the Brazilian had. Yes, of course, he was fast, but throughout his career, he was effectively the qualifying king, able to produce laps that his rivals could only dream about. The biggest highlighter of this surely has to be that stunning pole position lap in Monaco, 1988, where he out-qualified teammate at McLaren, Alain Prost, by 1.5 seconds. That kind of a margin, in the dry and with the same conditions for two drivers, is virtually unheard of now.

Ayrton-Senna.-Lotus.-Formula-1
via Petrolicious

Such was Senna’s raw speed that he would often put cars on pole position that in reality, did not deserve to be. He always had the measure of his teammates at Lotus, and Senna took eight poles with the team in 1985 alone and eight again in 1986. Whilst the Lotus’s of those two years were good cars, they weren’t as good as the McLaren’s or Williams Senna was up against. When Senna finally got into the McLaren, he was able to rack up pole position after pole position, usually having the measure of Prost in qualifying and again when he was teammates with Gerhard Berger.

RELATED: Senna And Earnhardt: Two Legends, Two Different Sports, Same Ruthless Driving Style

Senna’s Ability In The Wet

Senna - Monaco 1984 Driving The Toleman
via YouTube

Quite possibly what people remember most about Senna though, was his ability in the wet. Many think Senna loved the wet when in reality he hated it. But despite that hate for those conditions, Senna had worked hard to ensure if it did rain, he was faster than anyone else out there and there are plenty of races that highlight this ability. Monaco 1984 for example, when he cruised up to second place in the lackluster Toleman, and was hunting down leader Prost when the red flag was shown.

Ayrton Senna Donington 1993
via F1li

Estoril 1985 was another example, wherein utterly atrocious conditions that would call off a race in 2021, Senna drove supremely to his first-ever Grand Prix win. Then most memorable of all is Donington 1993, where Senna put in the lap of his life to go from outside the top four to take the lead in one lap, and ultimately go on to win what was an extraordinary race. Driving a Grand Prix car in the wet is, quite clearly, not an easy feat. Yet Senna made it look as easy as tying a shoelace.

The Legacy That Senna Left

Ayrton Senna At McLaren In Sunglasses
via Sports Casting

When Senna died on May 1st, 1994, it sent shockwaves throughout the entire motorsport world, not just that of Formula 1. He had been a hero to Brazil, at a time when the situation in the country was sometimes desperate due to poverty and government corruption. His rivalry with Prost had gripped the world, and his dedication to the sport, at that time, was unrivaled. He became the hero of the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo, and even now drivers idolize him. The legacy that Senna left to the world and Formula 1 may go unrivaled forever.

RELATED: Retro Review: Ayrton Senna Teaches Us Heel-Toe Shifting At Suzuka In The Acura NSX

Senna Will Be Immortalized Forevermore

Ayrton Senna - Imola 1994 - Williams FW16
via The Guardian

The “Senna” film released some ten years ago went some way to ensure that Senna would be immortalized for generations to come. But in reality, that had already happened. Senna had become the man with the most victories and pole positions in Formula 1. He became a master of Monaco and a man who would happily put his own interests to one side. In 1992, Erik Comas had a horrendous accident at Spa during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix. Senna heard that Comas’s engine was still running, the Belgian driver lying knocked out in his Ligier. Without hesitation, Senna pulled his McLaren over to one side to turn the engine off. Comas says Senna saved his life. That was the measure of the man. That was Ayrton Senna.

Sources: Fox Sports, Petrolicious, YouTube, F1li, Sports Casting, The Guardian, Tag Heuer