Ayrton Senna da Silva, (pronounced [a?i?tõ ?sen? da ?siwv?] (help·info), March 21, 1960 – May 1, 1994) was a Brazilian race car driver and three-time Formula One world champion. He was killed while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and is the most recent Grand Prix driver to die at the wheel of a Formula One car. Senna began his motorsport career in karting and moved up the ranks to win the British Formula 3 championship in 1983. Making his Formula One debut with Toleman in 1984, he moved to Lotus-Renault the following year, and won six Grands Prix over the next three seasons. In 1988 he joined Frenchman Alain Prost at McLaren-Honda. Between them, Senna and Prost won fifteen out of the sixteen Grands Prix which took place that season, with Senna winning his first World Championship, a title he would go on to win again in 1990 and 1991. McLaren's performance declined in 1992, as the Williams-Renault combination began to dominate the sport, although Senna finished runner-up in 199... more