Ayrton Senna: Records, Titles, Best Seasons & More

It would be a controversial list of Formula 1's greatest drivers if Ayrton Senna is not included.

The enigmatic and often headline-grabbing Brazilian won three world championships in a career cut tragically short, but he was one of those few competitors who truly transcend their sport.

A fierce competitor - sometimes too fierce in the eyes of his rivals - Senna was known for his total self-belief, superhuman car control and unique driving style.

In an era when lapped cars were not required to let the leaders through, the sight of the famous yellow helmet bearing down on them usually frightened slower drivers into diving out of the way.

After spending most of his career with the McLaren team, where he won all three of his world titles, Senna moved to Williams in 1994, but was killed when he crashed out of the lead of the San Marino Grand Prix due to a mechanical failure.

Starts	161
Wins	41
Podiums	80
Pole Positions	65
Fastest Laps	20
Career Points	610

Ayrton Senna's early career

Born into a wealthy family, Senna learned to drive a jeep around his father's farm at age seven, but did not begin karting competitively until he was 13. 

He began his car racing career in England in 1981, winning the British Formula 3 championship - one rung below F1 at the time - in 1983.

His impressive performances meant he was much in demand from F1 teams for the 1984 season, but, after testing with Williams, McLaren, Brabham and Toleman, Senna got his first taste of F1 politics. 

Pressure from sponsors and other influential figures closed the door to drives with the bigger teams, leaving relative minnows Toleman as his only option.

The 1984 Monaco Grand Prix has become legendary for Senna's mastering of the wet conditions, climbing from 13th on the grid to second and closing rapidly on leader Alain Prost when the race was brought to a premature end on lap 31.

After earning further podium finishes in Britain and Portugal, Senna moved to Lotus for 1985, earning his first victory in another wet race, in Portugal, where he also claimed the first of his then-record 65 pole positions.

Poor reliability blighted 1985, but the following season he claimed eight pole positions and eight podium finishes including two more wins, before adding a further two victories in 1987.

For 1988 Senna joined established star Prost at McLaren, beginning what would become one of F1's most storied rivalries.

In a dominant MP4/4, Senna ousted Prost for the title, which he claimed in the penultimate race in Japan.

Suzuka was the scene of the pair's most infamous incidents and after Senna missed out on the title following his disqualification for a collision with Prost, the Brazilian ensured he didn't make the same mistake twice and wiped out Prost on the first corner without reprimand.

1991 was by far Senna's most comfortable success, winning seven races to finish 24 points clear of Nigel Mansell in second, but in McLaren could not match the mighty Williams car, although Senna managed three wins including a memorable fifth triumph in Monaco.

Frustrated at being unable to secure a switch to Williams for 1993 after being vetoed by their new signing Prost, Senna continued in F1 with McLaren, earning five victories and finishing a distant second in the championship to his old nemesis.

The following season promised much as Senna finally moved to Williams, but he spun out at the season-opener in Brazil while chasing leader Michael Schumacher and was eliminated at the first corner at the following Pacific Grand Prix.

Senna took his third pole position in three races at Imola, but suffered fatal injuries in a crash on lap six, shortly after a safety-car restart during what would become known as F1's darkest weekend.

It saw numerous accidents and two driver deaths, Roland Ratzenberger having been killed in qualifying the day before Senna.

Ayrton Senna titles

How many F1 World Championships has Ayrton Senna won?

Senna won three Drivers' Championships, claiming his first in 1988 before going back-to-back in 1990 and 1991.

Ayrton Senna net worth

Senna was worth an estimated $200 million at the time of his death.

Ayrton Senna F1 records

Senna clocked up a sensational 80 podiums in 161 race starts, which includes his debut season with backmarkers Toleman in 1984. That works out at 49.69%, which is the fifth-highest podium to race ratio in F1 history.

In 1991, at the age of 31, Senna became the youngest ever triple world champion as he dominated the season with seven victories. The feat has since been eclipsed by Sebastian Vettel, who achieved three world titles aged 26.

One record that Senna still retains is the number of consecutive victories at the German Grand Prix, having triumphed in Germany three years in a row between 1988 and 1990.

Ayrton Senna best seasons

The 1988 McLaren proved in a class of its own, winning 15 of the 16 Grand Prix's and missing out only in Italy, where Senna tripped over a backmarker when leading in the closing laps.

The Brazilian won eight races and claimed his first world title at the penultimate race, in Japan.

McLaren remained dominant for 1989, and the Prost-Senna rivalry intensified, coming to a head at Suzuka.

Senna attempted to pass Prost on lap 15 but the Frenchman shut the door. Senna was able to continue, but was subsequently disqualified after getting a push-start from marshals and Prost took the title.

Prost left for Ferrari the following year, but the needle continued with another championship showdown at Suzuka. This time, Senna simply did not brake into the first corner, ploughing into Prost's Ferrari and sealing a second championship for the Brazilian.

Senna became the youngest back-to-back and three-time world champion after a fairly comfortable title defence in 1991 where he started the season by winning the opening four races and finishing 24 points clear of his closest rival, Nigel Mansell.

Ayrton Senna best races

Where do you begin?

Senna rose to prominence at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix where he guided his nimble-but-underpowered Toleman from 13th to 2nd in wet conditions, showcasing his immense skillset and earning his first podium in the process.

A maiden triumph followed the subsequent year in a Lotus and unsurprisingly by Senna's standards, it was a special one. Leading from pole an appallingly wet track without traction control, Senna lapped everyone except Michele Alboreto's Ferrari and his fastest lap was 0.7s quicker than anyone else's.

A move to McLaren thrust Senna into the title picture and in the penultimate race of the 1988 season, the Brazilian recovered from an error at the start and managed interchangeable conditions to slice through the pack, overtake his nemesis Alain Prost and claim his first world championship.

Senna's success at Monaco was well-documented but nothing compared to his 1989 triumph, where he outqualified Prost by 1.1s and finished 52.5s ahead of his teammate in the race. What makes the margin even more remarkable is that Senna suffered from gearbox issues and was without first and second gear for the closing stages of the race.

A similar situation unfolded at Brazil 1991, where the home hero started to lose gears with seven laps to go. Leaving the car in sixth gear, Senna began to suffer from muscle spasms due to the sheer effort required to haul his McLaren around the circuit and despite seeing his 40 second lead evaporate, he did enough to hold off the charging Riccardo Patrese by three seconds.

Senna's proficiency in the rain was evident in the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park. On the backfoot against a superior Williams and slipping to fifth at the start, Senna mastered the difficult conditions immediately with a devastating first lap where he overtook three cars before finishing over a minute clear of second at the chequered flag.