Senna was born Ayrton Senna da Silva in São Paolo, Brazil, but dropped the last part of his name early in his racing career. His father was a wealthy businessman and landowner, and Senna was able to draw on his family's support as he progressed through the junior ranks of the world of motor racing. He first made his mark  on the Brazilian Kart racing circuit in 1973 and won the  South American Championship in 1977.
In 1981 he moved to England to compete on the Formula Ford 1600 circuit, and in 1984 he joined the Toleman Group Formula One team. That year his highest placing was third at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. It was not until the following season when he joined the Lotus Renault team that he showed his true potential, winning two races and notching up a string of places.
The 1988 season saw him switch to the superior McLaren team and win his first world championship, a feat that he repeated in 1990 and 1991. Controversy came in the form of a series of intense rivalries with other drivers, most notably Alain Prost and, to a lesser extent, Nigel Mansell. Nevertheless, he was favourite to win the 1994 world championship when he was killed at Imola, San Marino.
With cars evolving so rapidly, it is hard to judge whether Senna was one of the greats of motor racing, to be ranked alongside Juan Fangio and Jim Clark. But the speed of his ascent in Formula One meant that had he not died, he would have had many years racing ahead of him in which he might have won the undisputed title of greatest driver of all time.