Senna

'78, I came to Europe for the first time

to compete outside Brazil

in the World Championship.

It was pure driving. Pure racing.

There wasn't any politics.

No money involved either,

so it was real racing.

We didn't think that karting

would become a career.

But it's taking on a bigger dimension

and we're a little worried

because he will probably race

in Formula One.

May God always protect him

from all danger he may face,

that's my greatest fear.

I want to thank him

for being such a great son,

for his good and honest work this year.

That is more important than any title for me.

Few people really do know myself.

They just don't understand

what it takes from a racing driver.

Somebody that has left behind,

thousands and thousands of miles away,

family and friends

to live in Europe.

Being so young and always fighting.

Nothing ever has come easy.

The time has come.

Ayrton is ready to drive a Formula One car

for the first time.

I think God gave me this chance,

which I have been waiting for so long.

And now He is helping me to stay calm,

relaxed, tranquil.

Well Ayrton, it's a beautiful city

lovely narrow streets for walking,

but not for racing, right?

Yes, exactly. I got here at the last minute

and I'm impressed

because it's my first time in Monaco.

I've had a bit of practice

and, luckily, managed to adapt to the track.

There's no room for error,

as an error would lead to an accident.

But so far I'm pretty happy.

I was already travelling a lot,

reporting on Formula One

when Ayrton began to stand out.

He was driving for Toleman.

Toleman wasn't a winning team.

It wasn't a winning car.

It was never going to win a race.

That's why what Ayrton did at Monaco

showed a touch of genius.

Alain Prost, after a superb start,

has got away in the lead.

It's Nigel Mansell second,

the two Ferraris third and fourth.

Niki Lauda is in fifth position.

Sixth is Rosberg.

Seventh is Manfred Winkelhock.

Eighth is Ayrton Senna.

But Senna has come up through the field.

He started in 13th place

and he's now seventh.

And off goes Nigel Mansell.

Ayrton Senna has now passed Keke Rosberg

and is in third place.

He comes and devours Niki Lauda!

Ayrton Senna takes second place

on the most dangerous part of the circuit!

I think we are watching

the arrival of Ayrton Senna,

a truly outstanding talent.

He's catching Alain Prost at

something like three seconds a lap,

and that is a truly staggering performance.

Prost is waving his hand at the officials.

He wants to stop the race.

And who can blame him?

There is, in fact, from a purist

and a dispassionate point of view,

no reason to stop the race.

There's an official in front of me

with a red flag.

They are going to stop the race.

And the chequered flag is going up.

It is incredible!

Prost is stopping, and Senna

crosses the line before he gets there.

Ayrton waves his arm wildly!

He is celebrating as if he has won the race!

If it went on for a few more laps,

you can be sure

Ayrton would have taken the lead.

I had a great chance to win.

But unless you cross

the finishing line in first place,

it is impossible to know.

Formula One is political, it is money,

and when you are still small,

you have to go through this.

A tragic result for Senna. However,

he's not gonna actually be

World Champion this year.

He will undoubtedly be World Champion

in the future if his career continues.

Ayrton Senna,

the new star of Formula One!

On the Formula One podium

for the first time

after a fantastic performance.

What about next year?

Are you going to stay

with the Toleman team?

- What are your plans now for...

- I don't know.

I don't know at the moment. It's still...

No decisions and nothing clear.

We have to wait more time

to see what happens.

You're not gonna be satisfied until you're

in a winning position though, are you?

I believe if you are doing something

like competing, like motor racing,

you either do well or forget it.

Lotus was the perfect place

for Ayrton to move to.

It was a team that had won championships

and had won many Grand Prix,

and they worked very, very hard

around Ayrton to give his talent

all the facilities that it needed to win.

When I first come to Formula One in '84,

I was starting,

so I had so much to learn

and to achieve that anything...

Any good result was a progress,

was a motivation.

Then I changed to a bigger team, to Lotus,

and I still went up and up and up.

And I'm still doing it.

So even when I have some problems,

I look always to the next race.

Because maybe one race I have no chance,

but next one or the next five will be good

against one bad one.

So, you got to try to

make the numbers bigger and bigger.

Even when he was very young

he already knew what he wanted

and he would make it happen.

For example,

he paid extra attention in class

so he wouldn't have to study at home

and have more time

to play with his go-kart.

There's no doubt that Senna came from

a background of privilege.

His family was very comfortably off.

Once they recognized that

his ambition was to be a racing driver,

they had no problem backing

his early efforts in go-karts.

But it would be a great mistake to think that

he was able to buy his way into Formula One.

Senna himself realized

that to make a serious,

lasting impact on Formula One,

he had to fight his way into it

by virtue of his talent.

Ayrton was a genius in the rain.

Whenever the conditions were bad

and the track got more slippery,

he had something else.

Ayrton Senna wins in Portugal!

AYRTON SENNA:

Winner of Portuguese Grand Prix '85

The race in Estoril was incredible.

He lapped every car but one.

It's marvelous!

It's an extraordinary feeling.

I'm delighted because

in my second year in Formula One,

I achieved my first dream,

which was to win a Grand Prix.

AYRTON SENNA:

Winner of Portuguese Grand Prix '85

It's a unique thing.

It's like a drug.

It is something so strong and so intense.

And once you experience it,

you keep searching for it all the time.

I'm Mili Okada from Japan TV,

Fuji TV, and I'm just a TV personality

and not a news reporter so...

I see. Let's make a picture together.

I think there are many Japanese girls

who are fans of Mr. Senna.

I'm so close to Mr. Senna and so nervous.

Come and see Japan, and see you in Japan.

- Thank you. A little kiss.

- Thank you.

Bye-bye! Another kiss.

There's only one word

that describes Ayrton's style,

and that is "fast."

He would take a car

beyond its design capabilities.

He would brake later, fly into these corners

where the car was just over the edge,

and somehow

he could dance a dance with that car

to where it stayed on the track.

As I watched Ayrton's early career,

what was very apparent was

his pace and his dedication.

But in the end,

what you're looking for is an intellect,

and I thought, "This guy's got what it takes."

In the mid-'80s,

McLaren was the team to beat.

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