Ayrton Senna in Formula Ford 2000 (1982)

In 1982, Ayrton Senna competed in two Championships in Formula Ford 2000 category. In the Pace Petroleum British Championship and the EFDA European Series.

He drove exclusively for the works supported Ruben Green team in a Van Diemen Nelson RF82 and won both championships.

Returned to Brazil before the end of the championship


In Formula Ford 2000: 17 victories, 12 poles and 17 fastest laps.

In EFDA European Series: 5 victories, 8 poles (in all races) and 5 fastest laps.

Ayrton Senna Interview First Victory in F1 (Estoril'85)

Circuit: Estoril (Portuguese Gran Prix'85)

Qualifying Time: 1m21.007sec

Pole Gap: -0,413sec

Pole num. 1 in his career.

Reace Position: 1st

Victory num. 1 in his career.
Fastest Lap: 1th fastest: 1m44.121sec

Podium: 1rst Ayrton Senna (Lotus-Renault)
              2nd Michelle Alboreto (Ferrari) + 1m02,978sec
              3rd Patrick Tambay (Renault) +1 lap



Ayrton Senna in Portuguese F1 GP'86 with his Lotus 97T.

In the wet Friday session Senna was fastest with 1m21,708sec, almost matching Nelson Piquet's 1984 record. In the dry on Saturday he clocked a time of 1m21,007sec. His Friday time was beaten on Saturday only by the McLaren of Prost. 

Senna's first victory we also one of his best. In the Portuguese downpour he took a clean sweep: he won, took pole position, fastest lap and fastest practice time of the weekend and led every lap. He never tooked beatable. It was a drive more than worthy of a veterans as opposed to a young driver with only 15 Formula One races behind him. 

In this year, in sonly Senna's second year he got a car capable of taking him to victory. He took two wins at a time when his experienced and highly-rated team-mate Elio de Angelis took just one, and the Brazilian newcomer also took another four podiums places. His performance was good enough to net him fourth place in the championship and he could have done better had he not been hampered by unreliability. He led 9 of 16 rounds and 26% of the total of distance, the record for a drive that year. 

Senna Pre-Qualy Concentrate

Circuit: Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexican Gran Prix'86)

Qualifying Time: 1m16.990sec

Pole Gap: -0,298sec

Pole num. 15 in his career.

Reace Position: 3rd +52.513sec

Fastest Lap: 4th fastest: 1m20.237sec

Podium: 1rst Gerard Berger (Benetton-BMW)
              2nd Alain Prost (TAG-McLaren)
              3rd Ayrton Senna (Lotus-Renault)



Ayrton Senna in Mexican F1 GP'86 with his Lotus 98T.

In that race, Senna made a good pole. Put his Lotus Renault 98T 1.431sec between himself and the sixth-placed man, eventual champion Alain Prost in his TAG-McLaren. Only the car stopped Senna winning the 1986 world championship.