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De Angelis, who had been with the team since 1980. By season's end De Angelis felt he had effectively been pushed out of the team as they focused their attention on Senna and switched to Brabham, a move that was to ultimately prove fatal. 1985 saw another exquisite wet weather drive from Senna in Portugal, and it brought him his first Grand Prix victory.

After two more seasons at Lotus, and six more victories, Senna left to partner Alain Prost at McLaren, where the Frenchman was already a double world champion. Prost was left in no doubt that Senna had not come just to make up the numbers. In an unprecedented season the McLaren drivers won 15 out of 16 races and Senna took the title. 1989 was again a fight between the team-mates but at Imola their relationship deteriorated after a disagreement about who was meant to win following a pre-race discussion. Over the course of the year the situation got worse, culminating in a collision between the two in the title deciding Japanese race. Although Senna managed to restart he had done so illegally. With his disqualification Prost was champion.

By the end of the 1989 season Prost had had enough and left for Ferrari but the rivalry remained. Again the championship would be decided in Japan, and again it would end in a controversial collision. Senna, angry about the pole position being moved to the other side of the track, ensured that neither driver made it past the first corner. With both cars out, Senna was world champion again.

Senna stayed loyal to McLaren for the next two seasons but their fortunes were in decline. Despite this he managed to finish second in the championship in 1993, including a mesmeric wet weather driver at Donington where he made the rest of the field look like amateurs.

Frank Williams had waited more than a decade to sign Senna, since that first test in 1983. Finally, for the 1994 season, he had him on board. The Williams was fast but difficult to handle, following the removal of driver aids, a move which Senna was firmly against.

It's going to be a season with lots of accidents, and I'll risk saying that we'll be lucky if something really serious doesn't happen.'

Ayrton Senna, 1994

His chilling prediction came true on the Saturday at Imola, venue for the San Marino Grand Prix. Formula 1 rookie Roland Ratzenberger perished in a horrifying accident during qualifying. Senna was visibly affected and did not try to hide his emotions. His own life came to an end the next day when, for reasons unknown, his Williams car failed to negotiate an easy left-hand curve called Tamburello. In the cockpit of the shattered car an Austrian flag was found, which Senna had been carrying in memory of the unfortunate Ratzenberger.

The extent of Senna's fame became obvious in the aftermath of the crash, as it was the lead news story throughout the globe. Brazil's president declared three days of national mourning and millions of fans lined the funeral route in his home city of Sao Paolo. Today, Senna's legacy is still visible. Before his death he had taken the first steps to setting up a foundation to help Brazil's street children. His sister has carried on the work as he would have wished and, to date, the Ayrton Senna Foundation has helped more than 1.5 million children.

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