183-627: Ayrton Senna da Silva ( Brazilian Portuguese: [aˈiʁtõ ˈsẽnɐ dɐ ˈsiwvɐ] ; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver , who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994 . Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren , and—at the time of his death —held the record for most pole positions (65), among others ; he won 41 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. Born and raised in São Paulo , Senna began competitive kart racing aged 13 in
366-731: A go-kart built by his father using a lawnmower engine. After twice finishing runner-up at the Karting World Championship , Senna progressed to Formula Ford in 1981, dominating the British and European championships in his debut seasons. He then won the 1983 British Formula Three Championship amidst a close title battle with Martin Brundle , further winning the Macau Grand Prix that year. Senna signed for Toleman in 1984 , making his Formula One debut at
549-406: A transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions , has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules . At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also
732-631: A "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in
915-570: A 17-year contract for Silverstone to hold Formula One races, which enabled the circuit to see extensive renovation work. In 2009 he received an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Northampton recognising his successful career and his connection with Northampton through Silverstone and the BRDC. Hill also made a UK television advert with F1 commentator Murray Walker for Pizza Hut , in which Walker commentated on Hill's meal as if it were
1098-537: A 1–2 finish. The victory was his first since being dropped by the Williams team. Hill finished the season with a last lap pass on Frentzen at the Japanese Grand Prix , which earned him fourth place in the race and Jordan fourth position in that year's Constructors' Championship. Hopes were high for 1999 , but Hill did not enjoy a good season. Struggling with the newly introduced four-grooved tyres, he
1281-671: A British driver, which led to the signing of Dumfries. Senna later admitted "It was bad, bad. Until then I had a good relationship with Derek." Senna started the season well, coming second in Brazil behind the Williams - Honda of fellow countryman Nelson Piquet , and winning the Spanish Grand Prix by just 0.014s from Piquet's teammate Nigel Mansell in one of the closest finishes in Formula One history to find himself leading
1464-504: A Jeep around his family's farm and also how to change gears without using a clutch. Senna attended Colegio Rio Branco in the São Paulo neighbourhood of Higienópolis and graduated in 1977 with a grade 5 in physics, alongside other grades in mathematics, chemistry, and English. He later enrolled in a college that specialised in business administration, but dropped out after three months with an average grade of 68%. Senna's first go-kart
1647-409: A circuit already difficult on which to pass. On lap 46, Senna had finally come next to Prost and attempted a pass on the inside at the tight last chicane. Prost turned right into the upcoming corner, cutting Senna off and tangling wheels with him. The collision caused both McLarens to slide to a standstill into the escape road ahead. Prost abandoned the race at that point, whereas Senna urged marshals for
1830-469: A collision involving several cars on the opening lap of the race. For the following race, the Spanish Grand Prix , Williams's test driver David Coulthard was promoted to the race team alongside Hill, who won the race just four weeks after Senna's death. Schumacher led by 66 points to 29 by the midpoint of the season. At the French Grand Prix , Frank Williams brought back Nigel Mansell, for
2013-482: A dispute with tyre supplier Pirelli (Toleman were in the process of switching from Pirelli to Michelin ). Senna then suffered a fuel-pressure problem in the wet Saturday session at Tosa (the furthest point on the circuit from the pits) and did not have enough time for it to be fixed to allow him to make the grid. Senna's best result of the season came at the Monaco Grand Prix , the first wet-weather race of
SECTION 10
#17327729099562196-410: A distance of 8 mi (13 km). It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton . Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline -fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède , Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to
2379-623: A feat unequalled until Sebastian Vettel replicated it in 2012 . Senna also managed to win in Germany , Belgium , and Spain . Unreliability in four consecutive races in Phoenix , Canada , France , and Britain , and further unreliability in Italy , together with collisions in Brazil and Portugal , swung the title in Prost's favour. Prost took the 1989 world title after a collision with Senna at
2562-428: A few millimetres. And he was driving with such precision that those few millimetres were the difference between hitting the wall and not hitting the wall. While I had been, at first, annoyed that we had retired from the race through a driver error, when I saw what had happened, when I saw how he had been driving, that increased my respect for the guy by quite a lot. That season, Senna took two more podium finishes—third at
2745-598: A former Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion, was his teammate. In 1984, Senna hired Nuno Cobra to assess his physical condition due to his concern over his low weight. Senna made his debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro , where he qualified 17th but retired when the Hart 415T turbocharger failed on lap 8. He scored his first World Championship point when he finished 6th in his second race at
2928-469: A further six podium finishes included another win at the Detroit Grand Prix , thus finishing the season fourth in the driver's standings again, with a total of 55 points. The 1986 Formula One cars were the most powerful cars in history, with Senna's 98T producing over 1,300 bhp (969 kW; 1,318 PS) in qualifying and 850 bhp (634 kW; 862 PS) in the race. After winning
3111-734: A growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E , the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship . In single-seater ( open-wheel ) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One (F1), the IndyCar Series and Super Formula . In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing
3294-707: A lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500 , which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series ). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as
3477-829: A lapped Prost. In his first full season, Hill benefited from the experience of his veteran French teammate. He continued to impress as the season went on, and in San Marino Hill took the lead at the start, though he was passed by Prost and Senna and ultimately retired with a spin due to a brake failure. Mechanical problems returned in Spain where he kept pace with Prost for most of the race only for his engine to fail. After strong podiums in Monaco and Canada, Hill took his first career pole in France , finishing second to Prost after team orders prevented him from seriously challenging for
3660-460: A late-season push, and he won three more races to secure the championship, which was settled in Japan when Mansell (who needed to win), went off at the first corner while running third and beached his Williams in the gravel trap. Senna finished second, handing the victory to teammate Gerhard Berger at the last corner as a thank-you gesture for his support over the season. Senna was planning to move to
3843-482: A much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing . It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship , Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and
SECTION 20
#17327729099564026-467: A number of times, dived into the fast first corner ahead. Prost responded and went to pass Senna at the end of the first lap. Senna swerved to block Prost, forcing the Frenchman to nearly run into the pit wall at 290 km/h (180 mph). Prost kept his foot down and soon edged Senna into the first corner and started pulling away. Prost, normally a calm individual, was angered by Senna's manoeuvre, and
4209-574: A one-off drive in the lower level British F3000 championship and shared a Porsche 962 at Le Mans for Richard Lloyd Racing , where the engine failed after 228 laps. He also competed in one race in the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park , driving a Ford Sierra RS500 . Midway through the season, an opportunity arose at the uncompetitive Mooncraft F3000 team. The team tested Hill and Perry McCarthy . Their performances were comparable but according to
4392-450: A practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed. There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford , England,
4575-460: A push-start, which he received, then proceeding with the race after a pit stop to replace the damaged nose on his car. He took the lead from the Benetton of Alessandro Nannini and went on to claim victory, only to be disqualified following a stewards meeting after the race. Senna was disqualified for cutting the chicane after the collision with Prost, and for crossing into the pit lane entry which
4758-489: A race. Hill has also appeared on many British television programmes, including Top Gear , This is Your Life , TFI Friday , Shooting Stars and Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer . Hill has raced both cars and motorcycles at the Goodwood Festival of Speed , and in 2005 he tested the new GP2 Series car. He drove the 600 bhp (450 kW) Grand Prix Masters single seater racing vehicle for
4941-560: A role in the family business, Senna announced his retirement from Formula Ford and returned to Brazil. Before leaving England, Senna was offered a drive with a two-litre Formula Ford team for £ 10,000. Back in Brazil, he decided to take this offer and returned to live in England. As da Silva is the most common Brazilian surname , he adopted his maternal surname, Senna . For 1982, Senna arrived with sponsorship from Banerj and Pool, dominating
5124-480: A single point the previous year. Hill's title defence in 1997 proved unsuccessful, getting off to a poor start when he only narrowly qualified for the Australian Grand Prix and then retired on the parade lap. The Arrows car, which used tyres from series debutant Bridgestone and previously unproven Yamaha engines, was generally uncompetitive, and Hill did not score his first point for the team until
5307-426: A small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to F1. The Star Mazda Series
5490-475: A sour end. Senna was classified third in the final standings, with 57 points, six podium finishes and only one pole position. This season marked a turning point in Senna's career as, throughout the year, he built a deep relationship with Honda, which paid big dividends, as McLaren had secured Williams's supply of Honda's V6 turbo engines for 1988. In 1988, due to the relationship he had built up with Honda throughout
5673-486: A test driver with the championship-winning Williams team while still competing in the F3000 series. However, midway through 1992 Hill broke into Grand Prix racing as a driver with the dying Brabham team. The formerly competitive team was in serious financial difficulties. Hill started the season only after three races, replacing Giovanna Amati after her sponsorship had failed to materialise. Amati had been unable to get
Ayrton Senna - Misplaced Pages Continue
5856-719: A test run around the Silverstone Circuit in mid-2006. He had discussions to join the series limited to retired Formula One drivers who were aged 45 or over but these talks did not materialise in a drive. Hill served as the driver representative on the stewards' panel at the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix which decided to penalize Hill's former rival Michael Schumacher for overtaking under yellow flag conditions. The decision led to Hill receiving hate mail. Between 18 and 19 May 2012, Hill along with Mark Blundell , Perry McCarthy, Martin Donnelly and Julian Bailey participated in
6039-477: A title challenge and took pole in the Japanese Grand Prix , the final race of the year. However, Hill took the lead at the start and won both the race and the championship while the Canadian retired. Hill equalled the record for starting all 16 races of the season from the front row, matching Ayrton Senna in 1989 and Alain Prost in 1993. Despite winning the title, Hill learned before the season's close that he
6222-456: A triple world champion, could ask questions like he did, knowing the pressure under which drivers raced and famously said: "Being a racing driver means you are racing with other people, and if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver." A year later, after taking his third world championship, Senna admitted that he had deliberately crashed into Prost at the previous year's Japanese Grand Prix, and he then explained to
6405-619: A trophy-related incident in Italy. In 1990, Senna took a commanding lead in the championship with six wins, two second-places, and three thirds. With Prost gone to Ferrari, he also had a new teammate in Austrian driver and friend Gerhard Berger . Among his victories were the opening round on the wide streets of Phoenix , in which he diced for the lead for several laps with Jean Alesi 's Tyrrell before coming out on top, and in Germany , where he fought Benetton driver Alessandro Nannini throughout
6588-434: A younger brother, Leonardo. He was left-handed . Senna was born of both Italian and Spanish heritage: his mother was the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, and his father was born to a Spanish mother from Tíjola , Andalusia . The house where Senna spent the first four years of his life belonged to his maternal grandfather, João Senna, located less than 100 metres (330 ft) from Campo de Marte, where his family operated
6771-823: Is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series , its most famous races being the Daytona 500 , the Southern 500 , the Coca-Cola 600 , and the Brickyard 400 . NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States . NASCAR also sanctions series outside of
6954-448: Is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials , aimed at proving these new machines were
7137-560: Is a British former racing driver and broadcaster , who competed in Formula One from 1992 to 1999 . Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1996 with Williams , and won 22 Grands Prix across eight seasons. Born and raised in London, Hill is the son of two-time Formula One World Champion Graham Hill , and, along with Nico Rosberg , one of two sons of a Formula One World Champion to also win
7320-719: Is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks . These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix , and the British Grand Prix . The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. In
7503-650: Is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy , being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer. Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team
Ayrton Senna - Misplaced Pages Continue
7686-615: Is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of F1). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as F1), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford). F1
7869-532: Is married to Susan "Georgie" George and they have four children, including Joshua . One son was born with Down syndrome and Hill and Georgie are both patrons of the Down's Syndrome Association. In 2009, Hill also became the first patron of St. Joseph's Specialist School and College, a school for children with severe learning disabilities and autism in Cranleigh, Surrey. Joshua started racing in 2008, competing in
8052-923: Is the FIA World Endurance Championship . The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe , divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup . This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3 , GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away
8235-522: Is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars , also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing
8418-634: The 1999 season. In 2006, he became president of the British Racing Drivers' Club , succeeding Jackie Stewart . Hill stepped down from the position in 2011 and was succeeded by Derek Warwick . He presided over the securing of a 17-year contract for Silverstone to hold Formula One races, which enabled the circuit to see extensive renovation work. Hill formerly worked as part of the Sky Sports F1 broadcasting support team providing expert analysis during free practice sessions. Hill
8601-733: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023. With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe. Aspendale Racecourse , in Australia,
8784-634: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , the Rolex 24 at Daytona , 24 Hours of Spa -Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring , the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen , and the 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta . There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour , which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in
8967-484: The Aeronautics Material park and an airport. Senna was highly athletic—excelling in gymnastics and other sports—and developed an interest in cars and motor racing by the age of four. He had poor motor coordination and had trouble climbing stairways by the age of three; an electroencephalogram showed no abnormalities. Senna's parents nicknamed him "Beco". At the age of seven, Senna first learned to drive
9150-514: The Belgian Grand Prix ; Hill's was for colliding with Schumacher under braking at the Italian Grand Prix . Hill's season finished positively when he won the Australian Grand Prix by finishing two laps ahead of the runner-up, Olivier Panis in a Ligier . In 1996 the Williams car was clearly the quickest in Formula One and Hill went on to win the title ahead of his teammate, reigning Indycar champion Jacques Villeneuve , becoming
9333-614: The Brazilian Grand Prix . After scoring several podium finishes in his rookie season, Senna moved to Lotus in 1985 to replace Nigel Mansell , taking his maiden pole position and victory at the rain-affected Portuguese Grand Prix , a feat he repeated in Belgium . He remained at Lotus for his 1986 and 1987 campaigns, scoring multiple wins in each and finishing third in the latter World Drivers' Championship . Senna signed for McLaren in 1988 to partner Alain Prost ; together, they won 15 of 16 Grands Prix held that season—driving
SECTION 50
#17327729099569516-574: The British and Portuguese Grands Prix—and placed 9th in the Drivers' Championship with 13 points overall. He did not take part in the Italian Grand Prix after he was suspended by Toleman for being in breach of his contract by entering talks with Lotus for 1985 without informing the Toleman team first. Although Senna did have a £100,000 buyout clause in his contract, the team had to be informed before discussions with another team started. Senna became
9699-617: The British Formula Renault Championship in 2011. Joshua retired from motor racing in 2013. Hill is the Patron of the charity Disability Africa which runs inclusion projects for disabled children in African countries. Hill started his motorsport career in motorcycle racing in 1981. He used the same simple, easily identifiable helmet design as his father: eight white oar blades arranged vertically around
9882-587: The British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July. His best result for the year then came at the Hungarian Grand Prix . On a day when the Bridgestone tyres had a competitive edge over their Goodyear rivals, Hill qualified third in a car that had not previously placed higher than 9th on the grid. During the race, he passed his rival and new championship contender, Michael Schumacher, on the track and
10065-542: The Dallas Grand Prix in the United States as the initial highlight of Senna's debut season, instead of Monaco. In an interview, Symonds recalled: The car was reasonably competitive there, so we expected to have a good race, but Ayrton spun early in the race. He then found his way back through the field in a quite effective way and we were looking for a pretty good finish, but then he hit the wall, damaged
10248-476: The Detroit Grand Prix from Frenchmen Prost and Jacques Laffite — which took place one day after Brazil was eliminated from the 1986 FIFA World Cup by France — Senna asked a trackside supporter for the Brazilian flag and he drove one lap waving it. Thereafter, he repeated this ritual every time he won a race. During an interview on American television, he used English curse words to express his frustration at having to go into
10431-423: The Fuelling Around podcast. The deal involved the sales expertise of David Hunt, brother of F1 driver James Hunt . He had a steady first season for Murray Taylor Racing in 1986 before taking a brace of wins in each of the following years for Intersport. He finished third in the 1988 championship. In Europe in the 1990s, a successful driver would usually progress from Formula Three either directly to Formula One,
10614-418: The German Grand Prix , Hill scored his first point of the year and at the Belgian Grand Prix , in very wet conditions, he took the Jordan team's maiden win. At that race, Hill was leading late in the race, with teammate Schumacher closing rapidly, when he asked the team whether they would be allowed to race each other. Team principal Eddie Jordan ordered Ralf Schumacher to hold position instead of risking losing
10797-743: The Honda-powered MP4/4 —with Senna taking his maiden championship by three points after winning a then-record eight Grands Prix. Their fierce rivalry culminated in title-deciding collisions at Suzuka in 1989 and 1990 , despite Prost's move to Ferrari in the latter , with Prost winning the former title and Senna taking the following. Senna took seven victories, including his home Grand Prix in Brazil , as he secured his third title in 1991 . The dominant Williams - Renault combination prevailed throughout his remaining two seasons at McLaren, with Senna achieving several race wins in each, including his record-breaking sixth Monaco Grand Prix victory in 1993 on his way to again finishing runner-up to Prost in
10980-400: The Hungarian Grand Prix in 2007 and 2008 . British Sky Broadcasting signed Hill to join their Formula One presentation team on Sky Sports F1 as a pundit starting from the 2012 Formula One World Championship . Hill resigned after the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix , having worked as an analyst across 13 seasons. Hill was interested in music from an early age and formed the punk band
11163-513: The Italian Grand Prix at Monza . With two laps remaining, Senna held a five-second lead over the Ferraris of Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto , who were closing in on the McLaren MP4/4 (Prost had earlier retired with a badly misfiring engine). Going into the Rettifilo chicane, Senna closed on the Williams FW12 of Jean-Louis Schlesser (standing in for the unwell Nigel Mansell). Schlesser steered wide, attempting to give Senna room to lap him, losing then regaining control to avoid going into
SECTION 60
#173277290995611346-412: The South African Grand Prix at Kyalami with severe cramp in his neck and shoulders, and replicated that result two weeks later at the Belgian Grand Prix . A combination of tyre issues and a fuel-pressure problem resulted in his failure to qualify for the San Marino Grand Prix , the only time this happened during his career. Toleman decided not to run both cars during Friday qualifying at Imola due to
11529-431: The Suzuka Circuit in Japan , the penultimate race of the season which Senna needed to win to remain in contention for the title. Prost had managed to leave the grid faster than Senna by removing the gurney flap from his car, which was unbeknownst to Senna. This reduction in aerodynamic downforce made Prost's car faster on the straights, but slower through corners—a clever choice to make it even harder for Senna to pass on
11712-434: The Tyrrell - Ford of Stefan Bellof was catching both at the same rate, although he was later disqualified due to weight restrictions broken by Tyrrell). Senna was renowned throughout his career for his capacity to provide very specific technical details about the performance of his cars and track conditions long before the advent of telemetry; this skill led Pat Symonds , Senna's first Formula One race engineer, to regard
11895-463: The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include
12078-518: The World Touring Car Cup . The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC , the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The Sports Car Club of America 's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series
12261-429: The "Hormones" with some friends while at school. After achieving success in Formula One, he was able to play guitar with several famous musicians, including his friend George Harrison , and appeared on "Demolition Man", the opening track of Def Leppard 's 1999 album Euphoria . "I'm quite proud of that one to be honest", Hill told the Fuelling Around podcast. "You can actually hear my guitar as they fade it out towards
12444-409: The 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks , stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars . The largest stock car racing governing body
12627-563: The 1987 season with Lotus, and with the approval of McLaren's number-one driver and then-double world champion, Alain Prost, Senna joined the McLaren team. The foundation for a fierce competition between Senna and Prost was laid, culminating in a number of dramatic race incidents between the two over the next five years. The experienced pair also quickly realized, despite their personal rivalry, they had to work together, especially in testing, to keep ahead of their main opposition from Ferrari , Williams, Benetton , and Lotus. One notable incident of
12810-400: The 1992 champion, was not racing in Formula One in 1993, Williams as Constructors' Champion were given numbers "0" and "2". As the junior partner to Prost, Hill took "0", the second man in Formula One history to do so, after Jody Scheckter in 1973 . The season did not start well when Hill spun out of second place shortly after the start of the South African Grand Prix and failed to finish
12993-462: The 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series , Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship . These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than
13176-457: The 3.149-km (1.957-mi) Donington Park circuit, Senna completed 40 laps and was quicker than the other drivers, including Williams's reigning World Champion Keke Rosberg . Neither Williams nor McLaren had a vacancy for the 1984 season. Both Williams boss Frank Williams and McLaren boss Ron Dennis observed that Senna insisted that he got to run their cars before anyone else (other than their regular drivers such as Rosberg) so that he would have
13359-592: The Benetton team and Michael Schumacher initially proved more competitive and won the first three races. At the San Marino Grand Prix on 1 May, Senna died after his car crashed into a concrete barrier while he was leading. With the team undergoing investigation from the Italian authorities on manslaughter charges, Hill found himself team leader with only one season's experience in the top flight. It
13542-612: The Bois de Boulogne. On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10- franc entrance fee. The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of
13725-494: The Brabham team and was linked to their second seat. The team's main sponsor, Italian dairy company Parmalat , wanted an Italian driver. Brabham's second car was eventually shared by brothers Teo and Corrado Fabi , while Piquet convinced Ecclestone to sign his friend Roberto Moreno as the test driver. Consequently, Senna joined Toleman , a relatively new team, using less competitive Pirelli tyres. Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto ,
13908-501: The Brazilian driver. Senna and De Angelis finished the season 4th and 5th respectively in the driver rankings, separated by five points. In terms of qualifying, Senna had begun to establish himself as the quickest in the field; his tally of seven poles that season was far more than that of any of the other drivers. Renault's V6 qualifying engines were reported to be producing over 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS). De Angelis
14091-472: The Brazilian got away with a warning from the FIA. At the post-race team debrief, Prost voiced his anger at the move which prompted Senna to apologize to Prost for the incident. Ultimately, the pair won 15 of 16 races in the dominant McLaren MP4/4 in 1988 with Senna coming out on top, winning his first Formula One world championship title by taking eight wins to Prost's seven. Although Prost scored more points over
14274-649: The British and European Championships, winning 15 of 17 races held at the former. In 1983 , Senna drove in the British Formula Three Championship for West Surrey Racing . He dominated the first half of the season until Martin Brundle , driving a similar car for Eddie Jordan Racing , closed the gap in the second part of the championship. Senna won the title at the final round after a closely fought and, at times, contentious battle with Brundle. In November that year, Senna also triumphed at
14457-592: The FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am , which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series , which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming
14640-403: The FIA, including his 1989 disqualification and the incorrect pole position in 1990. Senna stated that no matter what happened, he would not yield the corner and that Prost taking his normal racing line would result in an accident. In 1991 , Senna became the youngest ever three-time world champion, taking seven wins and increasing his pole position record to 60 from 127 events. Prost, because of
14823-554: The Formula One World Championship until Jules Bianchi in 2015 . Senna achieved 41 wins , 65 pole positions , 19 fastest laps and 80 podiums in Formula One; he remains a legendary figure within motorsport for his raw speed and aggressive driving style, and is frequently cited as a national hero of Brazil. He was also widely acclaimed for his wet-weather performances, such as at the 1984 Monaco , 1985 Portuguese and 1993 European Grands Prix. Senna
15006-532: The French GP press conference when Ron Dennis declared that they found consistent differences between the Honda engines from Prost and Senna, to the detriment of Prost. Tension and mistrust between the two drivers increased when Senna overtook Prost at the restart of the San Marino Grand Prix , a move which Prost claimed violated a pre-race agreement (Senna denied the existence of any agreement, although Prost's story
15189-421: The French, European, Japanese and Australian Grands Prix with Coulthard doing the majority of the 1994 season. Mansell earned approximately £900,000 for each of his four races, while Hill was paid £300,000 for the entire season, though Hill's position as lead driver remained unquestioned. Hill came back into contention for the title after winning the British Grand Prix , a race his father had never won. Schumacher
15372-640: The Grand Prix, leading Jordan to test Jos Verstappen in case Hill had to be quickly replaced. Following a strong fifth place at his home event, however, Hill changed his mind and decided to see out the year. His best result for the remainder of the season was sixth place, which he achieved in both Hungary and Belgium. With three races of 1999 to go, there were rumours that the Prost Grand Prix team would release Jarno Trulli early after he signed for Jordan's 2000 campaign as Hill's replacement. At
15555-627: The Netherlands and Italy , before Senna added his second victory in wet-dry conditions, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Senna's relationship with De Angelis soured over the season, as both drivers demanded top driver status within Lotus and, after spending six years at the team, De Angelis departed for Brabham at the end of the year, convinced that Lotus were becoming focused around
15738-573: The Prestige and Super Car Private Members Club P1 International with Michael Breen in 2000; Breen bought Hill out in October 2006. Hill also became involved in a BMW dealership, just outside Royal Leamington Spa, that bore his name and an Audi dealership in Exeter. In April 2006, Hill succeeded Jackie Stewart as President of the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC). He presided over the securing of
15921-683: The San Marino, Monaco, British and German Grands Prix but retired from all these races either from engine failure or running out of fuel, and he had a huge accident at the French Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard's fastest corner after an engine failure in the middle of the corner. He did not finish in the points again until coming second at the Austrian Grand Prix , despite taking pole three more times in
16104-500: The South American Kart Championship in 1977. He contested the Karting World Championship five times from 1978 to 1982, finishing runner-up in 1979 and 1980. From 1978 to 1980, he was the teammate and rival of Terry Fullerton at DAP; their fierce rivalry saw several 1–2 finishes in major competitions . Senna later stated that Fullerton was the rival he got the most satisfaction racing against, owing to
16287-713: The UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars . Full-contact formulas include Bangers , Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. Damon Hill Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE (born 17 September 1960)
16470-604: The UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club , BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing , which employs
16653-500: The US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA 's Firehawk Series, which ran in
16836-485: The US-based Indy Car World Series instead of F1) and Alain Prost (1993 champion – retired in 1994). As World Champion, Hill was in high demand and had offers for a race seat from McLaren , Benetton and Ferrari but not adequately financially valued despite his status. As a consequence, he opted to sign for Arrows , a team which had never won a race in its 20-year history and had scored only
17019-551: The United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series , NASCAR Mexico Series , NASCAR Whelen Euro Series , and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race . NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour . Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display
17202-438: The United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series . The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars , with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to F1 cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average
17385-629: The Wheels , in 2016, in which he revealed he had suffered with depression . Hill has frequently appeared in the British media. In June 1975, he appeared alongside his father on the television programme Jim'll Fix It . He again appeared on the programme in January 1995, marking the twentieth anniversary of the show. He has contributed many articles to F1 Racing magazine and has twice appeared in ITV F1 's commentary box, covering for Martin Brundle at
17568-545: The Williams team for the 1992 season, but Honda's CEO, Nobuhiko Kawamoto , personally requested that he remain at McLaren-Honda, which Senna did out of a sense of loyalty; in addition to Alain Prost's recommendation, Honda had played an important part in bringing Senna with them to McLaren. That year, as had been the case in 1988 and 1990, Senna won the International Racing Driver Award" granted by British magazine Autosport annually. The award
17751-428: The World Championship after two races. Although the 98T was like the 97T which came before it, a quick car with superiority on tight, bumpy circuits but plagued with poor reliability, particularly in the second half of the season it saw him drift behind the Williams pairing of Mansell and Piquet, as well as defending and eventual champion Alain Prost. Nonetheless, Senna was once more the top qualifier with eight poles, with
17934-681: The World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan ), Formula Three , Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic . In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford . Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In
18117-435: The accelerator and the cars collided at 270 km/h (170 mph) and went off the track, went through the gravel trap and slammed into the tire barrier, making Senna world champion. Senna stated it was not how he wanted it but how it had to be. Following the second championship-deciding collision in two years, Prost went on record criticising Senna's actions as "disgusting", saying that he seriously considered retiring from
18300-632: The angular Michigan street circuit, and the first ever for an active suspension Formula One car. As the championship progressed, it became evident that the Williams cars had the advantage over the rest of the field, the gap between the Honda-engined teams made most obvious at the British Grand Prix , where Mansell and Piquet in the superior Williams cars lapped the Lotuses of Senna and Nakajima who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Senna became dissatisfied with his chances at Lotus and at Monza it
18483-465: The best chance of a good showing by having a fresh car. Peter Warr actually wanted to replace Nigel Mansell with Senna at Lotus, but their British-based title sponsor, Imperial Tobacco ( John Player & Sons ), wanted a British driver. Senna was determined to drive that season and certainly on his own terms. Senna's test for Brabham occurred at Circuit Paul Ricard in November 1983. Senna impressed
18666-550: The car through qualifying but Hill matched his teammate, Eric van de Poele , by qualifying for two races, the mid-season British and Hungarian Grands Prix. Hill continued to test for the Williams team that year and the British Grand Prix saw Nigel Mansell win the race for Williams, while he finished last in the Brabham. The Brabham team collapsed after the Hungarian Grand Prix and did not complete
18849-481: The championship. Senna negotiated a move to Williams for his 1994 campaign, replacing the retired Prost to partner Damon Hill . During the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola , Senna died as a result of an accident whilst leading the race, driving the Williams FW16 . His state funeral was attended by an estimated three million people. Following subsequent safety reforms , he was the last fatality in
19032-561: The downturn in performance at Ferrari, the likes of which littered the team's history, was no longer a serious competitor. In preseason testing, Senna made public misgivings about the car's competitiveness with the new Honda V12, stating that the engine was not as powerful as the prior year's V10. Even so, Senna won the first four races in Phoenix, Brazil, Imola, and Monaco as his rivals struggled to match his pace and reliability. However, by midseason, Nigel Mansell (who only scored six points by
19215-445: The end of the song. I think it fits well with the track and it went platinum!" Hill also made a regular appearance at the British Grand Prix alongside other Formula One musicians such as Eddie Jordan. After his retirement at the end of the 1999 season, Hill devoted more time to music and played with celebrity bands including Spike Edney 's SAS band, and Pat Cash 's Wild Colonial Boys. Hill also formed his own band, The Conrods, which
19398-482: The event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile. The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily , Italy near the island's capital of Palermo . Founded in 1906 , it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973. The oldest surviving sports car racing event is
19581-465: The family lived in a "25-room country mansion" in Hertfordshire and Damon attended the independent The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School . The death of his father in an aeroplane crash in 1975 left the 15-year-old Hill, his mother, and sisters Samantha and Brigitte in drastically reduced circumstances. Hill worked as a labourer and a motorcycle courier to support his further education. Hill
19764-562: The first driver Lotus had signed not personally chosen by team founder Colin Chapman , who had died in 1982. At the end of the year, Senna had developed Bell's palsy , possibly from a virus. One side of his face had become completely paralysed; Sid Watkins gave Senna steroids to preserve the possibility of recovery. Senna was partnered in his first year at Lotus-Renault by Italian driver Elio de Angelis . He had dominated testing times at Rio, although he retired with electrical issues during
19947-540: The first half of the season, the Jordan 198 car was off the pace and unreliable until improvements in performance from the Canadian Grand Prix . During that race, Hill progressed to second place as others retired or made pit stops for fuel. On lap 38, Michael Schumacher, who was delayed by a stop-and-go penalty after forcing Frentzen's Williams off the track, caught Hill on the home straight; Hill moved across
20130-725: The first round of the VW Scirocco R-Cup at Brands Hatch to raise funds for the Halow Charity. Hill completed seven laps of the circuit before retiring. On 7 October 2012, Hill drove his father's BRM in celebration of the 50th anniversary of having won the 1962 F1 World Championship. In June 2018, Hill became the President of the Brooklands Trust Members who are the support group for Brooklands Museum . Hill published his autobiography, Watching
20313-408: The first son of a Formula One champion to win the championship himself. Taking eight wins and never qualifying off the front row, Hill enjoyed by far his most successful season. At Monaco, where his father had won five times in the 1960s, he led until his engine failed, curtailing his race and allowing Olivier Panis to take his only Formula One win. Near the end of the season, Villeneuve began to mount
20496-571: The following race at Spa-Francorchamps, where he collided with Mansell, and afterward in the pits an irate Mansell grabbed Senna by the throat and had to be restrained by Lotus mechanics. Senna then won two races in a row, which helped him take the lead in the World Championship: the ensuing Monaco Grand Prix (the first of his record six victories at the Principality ) and the Detroit Grand Prix , his second victory in two years at
20679-592: The inaugural Macau Formula Three Grand Prix with the Toyota -powered Theodore Racing Team , owned by Teddy Yip . Senna was managed for most of his junior career by Armando Teixeira, who was assisted by Domingos Piedade. In 1983, Senna tested for Formula One teams Williams , McLaren , Brabham , and Toleman . Peter Warr of Lotus , Ron Dennis of McLaren, and Bernie Ecclestone of Brabham made offers for testing in 1984 and presented long-term contracts that tied Senna to driving later on. During his test for Williams at
20862-541: The intervening period. His determination to take pole at the Monaco Grand Prix had infuriated Alboreto and Niki Lauda; Senna had set a fast time early and was accused of deliberately baulking the other drivers by running more laps than necessary, a charge he rejected, although the accusations continued in Canada when drivers accused him of running on the racing line when on his slow down lap forcing others on qualifiers to move off line and lose time. Two more podiums followed in
21045-515: The lack of money and politics at that level, describing it as "pure racing". In 1981, Senna moved to Eaton , a suburb of Norwich in England, to pursue an open-wheel racing career; he began his career in Formula Ford 1600, winning the British and Townsend Thoresen Championships that year with Van Diemen . Senna initially did not believe he would continue in motorsport. At the end of that season, under pressure from his parents to take up
21228-783: The last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America , GT World Challenge Asia , Super GT , and the International GT Open . There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in
21411-549: The lead following a pit stop problem for Prost, and then at the Italian Grand Prix where Prost's engine failed towards the end. His third consecutive win clinched the Constructors' Championship for Williams and moved him temporarily to second in the Drivers' standings. At the Portuguese Grand Prix Hill came from the back of the grid to third, having stalled on the warm up lap from pole. He finished
21594-423: The left. In addition, as revealed by Formula One journalist Maurice Hamilton, FIA had warned that crossing the yellow line of the pit exit on the right to better position oneself at the first corner would not have been appropriate, further infuriating Senna. At the beginning of the race, Prost pulled ahead of Senna, who immediately tried to repass Prost at the first corner. While Prost turned in, Senna kept his foot on
21777-587: The main straight, a race which the Briton eventually won. Though Senna's consistency, the car's competitiveness, and the Williams' unreliability at the beginning of the season gave him an early advantage, Senna insisted that Honda step up their engine development program and demanded further improvements to the MP4/6 before it was too late. These modifications, including modifications introduced at Hungary and variable inlet trumpets introduced at Belgium enabled him to make
21960-442: The most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as
22143-406: The next two races put him in the championship lead. However, Schumacher won seven of the next twelve races, and took his second title with two races to spare, while Benetton took the Constructors' Championship. Schumacher and Hill had several on-track incidents during the season, two of which led to suspended one-race bans for both. Schumacher's penalty was for blocking and forcing Hill off the road at
22326-464: The oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories. Over the last few years, auto racing has seen
22509-511: The oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana . It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators. NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR " Strictly Stock " race ever
22692-404: The penultimate round of the championship in Japan , where Senna and Prost collided the previous year, Senna took pole ahead of Prost. Before qualifying, Senna had sought assurances from the organisers to move pole position left onto the clean side of the racetrack. After qualifying, FIA president Balestre denied Senna's request, leaving Senna to start on the dirty right side, thus favouring Prost on
22875-476: The pinnacle of the sport, or to the International Formula 3000 championship. However, Hill did not have enough sponsorship available to fund a drive in F3000. He says "I ended up having to reappraise my career a bit. The first thing was to realise how lucky I was to be driving anything. I made the decision that whatever I drove I would do it to the best of my ability and see where it led." He took
23058-433: The pits earlier than expected due to a deflating rear tire. Senna also had a brief foray into rallying when he was invited by British magazine Cars & Car Conversions to try out a Vauxhall Nova , an MG Metro 6R4 , a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and a Ford Escort on a stretch of land closed to the public. Team Lotus had a new engine deal in 1987, running the same turbocharged Honda V6 engines as Williams had used to win
23241-446: The press his actions and motives at Suzuka that year, saying that it was a payback for 1989. He maintained that prior to qualifying fastest, he had sought and received assurances from race officials that pole position would be changed to the left, clean side of the track (where the racing line was), only to find this decision reversed after he had taken pole. Senna said that he was not going to accept what he saw as unfair decision-making by
23424-406: The previous year's Constructors' Championship, and with them came a new teammate, 34-year-old Japanese driver, Satoru Nakajima , who was a test driver employed directly by Honda. The team guaranteed Senna contractually preferential treatment over Nakajima in the allocation of equipment. Senna started the season with mixed fortunes: a podium at the San Marino Grand Prix was tempered by controversy at
23607-509: The race after colliding with Alessandro Zanardi on lap 17. At the Brazilian Grand Prix , Hill qualified and spent the early stages of the race running second behind Prost, and then took the lead when Prost crashed, but was relegated back to second by another three-time World Champion, Ayrton Senna . Nevertheless, the race still gave Hill his first podium finish. In the next round in Europe , Hill again finished second behind Senna and ahead of
23790-476: The race for the win. Senna won six races, including another Monaco win. As the season reached its final quarter, Prost in his Ferrari rose to the challenge with five wins, including a crucial victory in Spain where he and teammate Nigel Mansell finished 1–2 for the Scuderia. Senna had gone out with a damaged radiator, and the gap between Senna and Prost was now reduced to nine points with two races left. At
23973-407: The race to have a look at the place where he had crashed. And he was absolutely right, which was the amazing thing! Dallas being a street circuit, the track was surrounded by concrete blocks and what had happened – we could see it from the tyre marks – was that someone had hit at the far end of the concrete block and that made it swivel slightly, so that the leading edge of the block was standing out by
24156-562: The race weekend. Although the Renault-powered Lotus 97T was quick and nimble, particularly on tight and bumpy circuits and perhaps had the best suspension of any car that year, the car was unreliable and Senna made a few mistakes out of inexperience. At the second round of the season, the Portuguese Grand Prix , Senna took the first pole position of his Formula 1 career. He converted it into his first victory in
24339-505: The race, which was held in very wet conditions, winning by over a minute from the Ferrari of Michele Alboreto , and lapping everyone up to and including third placed Patrick Tambay . The race was the first Grand Slam of Senna's career, as he also set the fastest lap of the race. He later argued it was the best drive of his career, an opinion shared by race engineer Steve Hallam , who recognised Senna's "truly special" talent. Senna led at
24522-444: The rear wheel and the driveshaft and retired, which was a real shame. The real significance of that was that when he came back to the pits he told me what happened and said "I'm sure that the wall moved!" And even though I've heard every excuse every driver has ever made, I certainly hadn't heard of that one! But Ayrton being Ayrton, with his incredible belief in himself, the absolute conviction, he then talked me into going with him after
24705-569: The reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series , which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series , both of which mix prototypes and GTs. Turismo Carretera (TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of
24888-515: The same time, his teammate, Frentzen, became a title contender going into the final few races of the season and, eventually, finished third in the championship. In so doing, both Hill and Frentzen helped Jordan to achieve its best-ever finish with a third position in the Constructors' Championship. Hill's last race was the Japanese Grand Prix where he spun off the track and pulled into the pit lane citing mental fatigue. In retirement Hill has continued to be involved with cars and motorsport. He founded
25071-442: The sand trap, and the two collided; Senna's car was beached on top of a curb and had stalled. Ferrari went on to finish 1–2, the first in an Italian Grand Prix since the death of the team's founder Enzo Ferrari . This proved to be the only race McLaren did not win in 1988. In 1989 , the rivalry between Senna and Prost intensified into numerous battles on the track and a psychological war off it. Some controversy also arose after
25254-460: The season by finishing fourth in Japan and third in Australia , though he lost second in the Drivers' Championship to Ayrton Senna, who passed Hill by winning the last two races. In 1994 , Ayrton Senna joined Hill at Williams. As the reigning champion, this time Prost, was again no longer racing, Hill retained his number '0'. The pre-season betting was that Senna would coast to the title, but
25437-419: The season, three of his second places were dropped, as only the eleven-best scores counted, meaning that Senna bested Prost by three points. During the season, Senna rewrote the record books. His eight wins beat the old record of seven jointly held by Jim Clark ( 1963 ) and Prost (1984). His 13 pole positions also beat the record of nine held by Nelson Piquet (1984). The biggest incident of the year happened at
25620-425: The season. When Mansell's teammate Riccardo Patrese left Williams to drive for Benetton in 1993 , Hill was unexpectedly promoted to the race team alongside triple World Champion Alain Prost ahead of more experienced candidates such as Martin Brundle and Mika Häkkinen . Traditionally, the reigning driver's World Champion carried the number "1" on his car and his teammate took the number "2". Because Mansell,
25803-410: The season. Qualifying 13th on the grid, he made steady progress in climbing through the field, passing Niki Lauda for second on lap 19. He quickly began to cut the gap to race leader Alain Prost . Before he could attack Prost, the race was stopped on lap 31 for safety reasons, as the rain had grown even heavier. At the time the race was stopped, Senna was catching Prost by about 4 seconds per lap (while
25986-563: The sport after that incident. During an interview with Eurosport at the Australian Grand Prix, Prost revealed that he had seen the Honda engine telemetry at Suzuka and that it showed that Senna had kept his foot absolutely flat through the 4th gear corner when he had hit Prost — Senna had not even taken his foot off the accelerator to change down to 4th for this corner, strongly intimating that Senna had taken Prost out on purpose. Jackie Stewart interviewed Senna at
26169-711: The sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship . Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have
26352-400: The stewards of the meeting denied that Balestre forced their decision, claiming that he was not present when the decision was made. Senna finished the season second with six wins and one second place. Prost, who could not stand working with Senna in what he felt was a hostile environment, left McLaren for rivals Ferrari the following year. Prost had burned bridges even with Ron Dennis after
26535-453: The subsequent race in Australia (where Senna won pole and led for 61 laps before gearbox trouble forced him to slide off into a tyre barrier) and brought up a number of controversial collisions in which Senna had been involved over the last few years, stating that Senna had made more contact with other cars and drivers in the last four years than all the champions before him. Feigning irritation, Senna questioned how someone like Stewart, himself
26718-461: The team manager, John Wickham, the team sponsors preferred the Hill name. Although his best result was a 15th place, Hill's race performances for Mooncraft led to an offer to drive a Lola chassis for Middlebridge Racing in 1990. He took three pole positions and led five races in 1990, but did not win a race during his Formula 3000 career. Hill started his Grand Prix career during the 1991 season as
26901-608: The time Senna had 40 points) was able to put up a challenge in the Adrian Newey designed Williams-Renault. 1991 was a difficult season for Senna. Before the Mexican Grand Prix , Senna was injured in a jet-skiing accident near São Paulo for which he required stitches on the back of his head. During qualifying for that Grand Prix, he attempted to take the banked 180-degree Peraltada corner (Mexico City circuit's fastest corner) faster than normal, ending up spinning off
27084-453: The time of the incident "Williams were already 100% certain that Michael was guilty of foul play" but did not protest Schumacher's title because the team was still dealing with the death of Ayrton Senna. In 2007, Hill explicitly accused Schumacher of causing the collision deliberately. Hill's season earned him the 1994 BBC Sports Personality of the Year . Coming into the 1995 season , Hill
27267-399: The title. He started racing on motorbikes in 1981, and after minor success moved on to single-seater racing cars. Hill became a test driver for the Formula One title-winning Williams team in 1992. He was promoted to the Williams race team the following year after Riccardo Patrese 's departure and took the first of his 22 victories at the 1993 Hungarian Grand Prix . During the mid-1990s, Hill
27450-400: The track and rolling over the car after crashing into a tyre barrier. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Senna's car had come to a halt on the final lap, but he was not left stranded out on the circuit, as race-winner Mansell pulled over on his parade lap and allowed the Brazilian to ride on the Williams side-pod back to the pits. Senna then had an enormous accident during testing at
27633-478: The track hitting the wall with the right-hand side of his Benetton while leading. Coming into the sixth corner Hill moved to pass the Benetton and the two collided, breaking the Williams's front left suspension wishbone , and forcing both drivers' retirement from the race. BBC Formula One commentator Murray Walker , had often maintained that Schumacher did not cause the crash intentionally, but Williams co-owner Patrick Head felt differently. In 2006 he said that at
27816-434: The track three times to block Schumacher, who took the place by running over the kerbs at the last chicane. Hill then ran fourth after his only pit stop before retiring due to an electrical failure. After the race, Schumacher accused Hill of dangerous driving. Hill responded by stating that Schumacher "cannot claim anyone drives badly when you look at the things he's been up to in his career. He took Frentzen out completely." At
27999-441: The two UK national championships. He also took third place in the final of the 1985 Formula Ford Festival , helping the UK to win the team prize. For 1986, Hill planned to move up to the British Formula Three Championship with title-winning team West Surrey Racing . The loss of sponsorship from Ricoh, and then the death of his proposed teammate Bertrand Fabi in a testing accident, ended Hill's proposed drive. Hill says "When Bert
28182-556: The upper surface of a dark blue helmet. The device and colours represent the London Rowing Club for which Graham Hill rowed in the early 1950s. Although he won a 350 cc clubman's championship at the Brands Hatch circuit, his racing budget came from working as a building labourer. He also worked as a dispatch rider for Apollo Despatch in London, then later Special Delivery, a London motorcycle dispatch company and
28365-656: The very fast Hockenheim circuit in Germany where his car flew 15 feet into the air after a tyre failure, and turned over several times upon coming down onto the track. The car was destroyed and Senna had to spend the night in hospital in nearby Mannheim . While still able to compete in the German Grand Prix soon thereafter, at that event Senna ran out of fuel mere laps before the end. At the Spanish Grand Prix , Senna and Mansell went wheel-to-wheel with only centimetres to spare, at over 320 km/h (200 mph) down
28548-533: The win. He looked set to win the British Grand Prix before another engine failure put him out and led the German Grand Prix comfortably only to suffer a puncture with two laps left, handing the win to Prost. At the Hungarian race, Hill did take his first career win after leading from start to finish. In doing so he became the first son of a Formula One Grand Prix winner to take victory himself, and he followed it with two more wins, first at Spa where he took
28731-478: The year was at the Monaco Grand Prix , where Senna out-qualified Prost by 1.4 seconds and led for most of the race before crashing on lap 67. Instead of returning to the pit lane, Senna was so distressed by his mistake that he went back to his apartment and did not contact the team until he walked into the pit garage as they were packing up later that night. After team manager Jo Ramirez called him through his Monaco apartment's cleaner hours after he had crashed, Senna
28914-602: Was Michael Schumacher 's main rival for the Formula One Drivers' Championship, which saw the two clash several times on and off the track. Their collision at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix gave Schumacher his first title by a single point. Hill became champion in 1996 with eight wins, but was dropped by Williams for the following season. He went on to drive for the less competitive Arrows and Jordan teams, and in 1998 gave Jordan their first win. Hill retired from racing after being dropped by Jordan following
29097-796: Was active between 1999 and 2003 and played cover versions of well-known songs from The Rolling Stones , The Beatles and The Kinks . Since becoming president of the BRDC in 2006, Hill says he has stopped playing the guitar, being "too busy doing school runs and looking after pets." ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.) ‡ Endurance driver ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Did not finish, but
29280-702: Was also awarded the Segrave Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club . The trophy is awarded to the British national who accomplishes the most outstanding demonstration of the possibilities of transport by land, sea, air, or water. Hill became the fourth driver in nine years to win the World Drivers' Championship for Williams and not drive for the team the following season, as occurred with Nelson Piquet ( 1987 champion – 1988 driver for Lotus ), Nigel Mansell (1992 champion – 1993 driver in
29463-464: Was announced that he would be joining McLaren for 1988. Senna was fined $ 15,000 for punching a corner marshal after they refused to push his stalled car in Mexico then finished the season strongly, coming second in the final two races in Japan and Australia ; post-race scrutineering at the final race found the brake ducts of his Lotus to be wider than permitted by the rules and he was disqualified, bringing his last and most successful season with Lotus to
29646-404: Was backed up by John Hogan of the team's major sponsor, Marlboro ). A discussion between the two drivers and Dennis during a test session at the Pembrey circuit in Wales served to effectively confirm Senna and Prost's personal animosity to Dennis and the team. Senna took an early lead in the championship with victories in San Marino, Monaco , and Mexico . Senna also led every lap of those races,
29829-405: Was born in Hampstead , London, to Graham and Bette Hill. Graham Hill was a racing driver in the international Formula One series. He won the world Drivers' Championship in 1962 and 1968, and became a well-known personality in the United Kingdom. Graham Hill's career provided a comfortable living. Bette (née Shubrook) was a former rower and medalist at the European Rowing Championships . By 1975
30012-467: Was built by his father using a small 1 hp lawnmower engine. Senna started racing at Interlagos and entered his first kart racing competition at the age of 13. He started his debut race on pole position , against drivers who were several years older than him; he managed to lead most of the race before retiring after colliding with an opponent. His father supported him throughout his karting career, with Lucio Pascal Gascon becoming his manager. Senna won
30195-415: Was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca . In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from
30378-407: Was disqualified from that race and banned for two further races for overtaking Hill during the formation lap and ignoring the subsequent black flag. Four more victories for Hill, three of which were in races where Schumacher was excluded or disqualified, took the title battle to the final event at Adelaide. At Schumacher's first race since his ban, the European Grand Prix , he suggested that Hill (who
30561-440: Was eight years his senior) was not a world-class driver. However, during the penultimate race at the Japanese Grand Prix , Hill took victory ahead of Schumacher in a rain-soaked event. This put Hill just one point behind the German before the last race of the season. Neither Hill nor Schumacher finished the season-closing Australian Grand Prix , after a controversial collision which gave the title to Schumacher. Schumacher ran off
30744-518: Was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida , U.S.. From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars , with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers. From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston . The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as
30927-404: Was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000. Senna was born at 02:35 local time on 21 March 1960, in the Pro-Matre Maternity Hospital of Santana , a neighbourhood of São Paulo . The middle child of a wealthy Brazilian family, he was born to landowner and factory owner Milton Guirado da Silva and his wife Neide Joanna Senna da Silva; he had an older sister, Viviane , and
31110-405: Was killed, I took the conscious decision that I wasn't going to stop doing that sort of thing. It's not just competing, it's doing something more exciting. I'm at my fullest skiing, racing or whatever. And I'm more frightened of letting it all slip and reaching 60 and finding I've done nothing." Hill borrowed £100,000 to finance his racing thanks to a sponsorship deal with Cellnet, as he explained to
31293-450: Was leading late in the race, 35 seconds ahead of the eventual 1997 World Champion, Villeneuve, until a hydraulic problem drastically slowed the Arrows. Villeneuve thus passed Hill, who finished second. Only after one year with Arrows, Hill came close to signing a deal with Alain Prost's team, before deciding to instead sign up with the Jordan team for the 1998 season . His new teammate was Ralf Schumacher , younger brother of Michael. In
31476-404: Was much faster and efficient than any other car that season. McLaren's new car for the season had several shortcomings. A delay occurred in getting the new MP4/7A model running (it was McLaren's first car with a semi-automatic gearbox and it debuted in the third race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix) and in addition to lacking active suspension, the new car suffered from reliability issues and
31659-422: Was not part of the track. A large fine and temporary suspension of his FIA Super License followed in the winter of 1989, and an irate Senna engaged in public criticism of the FIA and its then-president, Jean-Marie Balestre , whom he blamed for his disqualification in Japan. Senna claimed that Balestre had forced the race stewards to disqualify him so his fellow Frenchman Prost could win the championship, though
31842-430: Was one of the title favourites. The Williams team were reigning Constructors' Champions, having beaten Benetton in 1994, and with young David Coulthard, who was embarking on his first full season in Formula One, as teammate, Hill was the clear number one driver. The year seemed to start well with pole position in Brazil, although a spin while in the lead due to a mechanical problem handed the lead to Schumacher. But wins in
32025-483: Was outpaced by his new teammate, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who was Hill's replacement at Williams two years prior. After a crash at the Canadian Grand Prix , Hill announced plans to retire from the sport at the end of the year, but after failing to finish the French Grand Prix that Frentzen won, he considered quitting the sport immediately. Jordan persuaded Hill to at least stay for the British Grand Prix . Going into that race weekend, Hill announced he would retire after
32208-715: Was presented by Stirling Moss and Senna was interviewed on stage by Formula 1 commentator Murray Walker . During the interview, Senna confirmed that at the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) gala dinner in Paris the day before, under the auspices of Jackie Stewart, Senna had given one of his helmets to his renowned foe, Jean-Marie Balestre, because of the sincere atmosphere that presented itself and as an insulting psychological gesture. In 1992, Senna's determination to win manifested itself in dismay at McLaren's inability to challenge Williams's all-conquering FW14B car. The FW14B, thanks in part to its aerodynamic-enhancing active suspension and powerful Renault V10 engine
32391-496: Was provided TZ350 racing bikes by them. His mother, who was concerned about the dangers of racing motorcycles, persuaded him to take a racing car course at the Winfield Racing School in France in 1983. Although he showed "above-average aptitude", Hill had only sporadic single-seater races until the end of 1984. He graduated through British Formula Ford , winning six races driving a Van Diemen for Manadient Racing in 1985, his first full season in cars, and finishing third and fifth in
32574-404: Was replaced at Lotus by Scotland 's Johnny Dumfries after Senna vetoed Derek Warwick from joining the team, saying that Lotus could not run competitive cars for two top drivers at the same time. Senna allegedly pushed for his former flatmate and fellow Brazilian Maurício Gugelmin to join the team as a pure number two driver, but the team's major sponsor John Player & Sons (JPS) insisted on
32757-443: Was still devastated by his own mistake. As the television cameras had not captured his crash, team boss Ron Dennis did not know what had caused his DNF until then, although Prost speculated that judging from the tyre marks, it appeared as though Senna had clipped the inside barrier at Portier, which pitched him into the outside guard rail. At the Portuguese Grand Prix , Prost made a slightly faster start than Senna who, as he would
32940-419: Was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit , opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement. Brooklands , in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a 4.43 km (2.75 mi) concrete track with high-speed banked corners. One of
33123-476: Was to be dropped by Williams in favour of Heinz-Harald Frentzen for the following season. Hill left Williams as the team's second most successful driver in terms of race victories, with 21, second only to Mansell. Hill's 1996 World Championship earned him his second BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award , making him one of only five people to receive the award twice – the others being boxer Henry Cooper , Nigel Mansell , Andy Murray and Lewis Hamilton . Hill
33306-440: Was unpredictable in fast corners, while its Honda V12 engine was no longer the most powerful on the circuit. Even so, Senna scored wins in Monaco , Hungary , and Italy that year. Senna finished fourth overall in the championship, behind the Williams duo of Mansell and Riccardo Patrese , and Benetton's Michael Schumacher . Racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing , motor racing , or automobile racing )
33489-415: Was widely reported at the time that the Williams car's steering column had failed, though Hill told BBC Sport in 2004 that he believed Senna simply took the corner too fast for the conditions, referring to the fact that the car had just restarted the race with cold tyres after being slowed down by a safety car. Hill represented Williams alone at the next race, the Monaco Grand Prix . His race ended early in
#955044