Ayrton Senna’s legend in Formula 1 is so great that, 30 years after his death, he is still on the podium of drivers with the most pole positions. The Brazilian qualified in first place on the starting grid 65 times in the seasons he competed, from 1984 until his tragic death on May 1, 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix.
That figure is only surpassed by the British Lewis Hamilton, who started at the front 104 times and with the possibility of continuing to increase the record, now with the Ferrari team, and by the German Michael Schumacher, who started from first place in 68 races.
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Among the still active drivers who can take the Brazilian’s place on the podium is Max Verstappen. The 26-year-old Dutchman, winner of the last three championships, is, however, 28 pole positions away from Senna.
O tempo passa e o ídolo brasileiro permanece no ranking de pilotos com mais poles na história da Fórmula 1. Com Lewis Hamilton e Michael Schumacher, Senna figura no top 3 da lista com 65 poles. #Formula1 #AyrtonSenna #SennaParaSempre pic.twitter.com/uLrrKVhVJ4
— Ayrton Senna (@ayrtonsenna) April 18, 2024
The one born in São Paulo also leads another record: no one has achieved so many consecutive pole positions. He qualified first at eight circuits in a row, from the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix to the 1989 United States Grand Prix.
They were the golden years with McLaren, the team with which he won the championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
The first three episodes are available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for the upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
