F1 legend Ayrton Senna was born in 1960 and passed away aged 34 in the year 1994 – here is what Lewis Hamilton had to say on the late legend’s birthday
Lewis Hamilton made a special post on the occasion of his idol and F1 legend Ayrton Senna’s 63rd birthday. Senna was born on March 21, 1960, in Sao Paulo, Brazil and passed away after a horrific crash on May 1, 1994, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Hamilton’s heartfelt post on Instagram included several pictures of Senna from his racing days and he wrote: “Parabéns Ayrton, minha inspiração sempre,” which when translated to English reads – “Congratulations Ayrton, my inspiration always.”
It is no secret that Hamilton has always idolised Senna and it is the legendary Brazilian who inspired him to take up professional racing. The seven-time F1 World Champion’s love for Brazil and Senna is documented and he was even conferred honorary Brazilian citizenship last year.
Hamilton has stated on record that Senna is ‘F1’s greatest ever icon’ according to him – this comes from someone who has won seven F1 World Championships while the late Senna had three.
Ayrton Senna passed away as a result of a horrific crash that occurred during the main race of the San Marino Grand Prix. Senna was always vocal about the safety of F1 drivers and was the leading figure of the campaign for the cause. As fate would have it, Senna passed away as a result of the dreadful accident in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit.
During the race, Senna rounded the high-speed Tamburello corner on lap 7 and his car left the racing line at around 307 km/h, ran in a straight line off the track and smashed against a concrete wall. Within two minutes of crashing, Senna was extracted from his car and his initial treatment took place by the side of his car with Senna having a weak heartbeat and significant blood loss. Senna was airlifted to the hospital and was declared dead in the evening.
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