Ayrton Senna named Patron of Sport in Brazil

The three-time world champion joins a small circle of particularly deserving compatriots: a special law is signed

Mauricio Cannone

– Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Precisely on the day in which Pelé becomes the voice of the dictionary of the Portuguese language in Brazil with the definition of “person out of the ordinary”, another sacred monster of the same country, who also passed away, joins a group of immortals: Ayrton Senna, three times world champion in Formula 1, a legendary driver for fans of this sport, he was named Patron of Brazilian Sport.

signed law

Law 14.559 was signed by the vice president of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin (the president of Brazil, Lula, is traveling) and published this Wednesday in the Diário Oficial, the equivalent of our Official Gazette. Senna, who died on 1 May 1994 following the accident that took place in the San Marino GP at Imola, is now part of that small group of historic names in his country which also includes Santos Dumont, one of the inventors of the plane, or the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer. Winner of three titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, Senna contested 162 GPs in the top motoring category, with 41 victories and the record of 65 pole positions, held for a long time alone.

idol

Since Senna’s death, no other Brazilian driver has managed to clinch the F1 title. To this day, almost 30 years after his passing, he continues to gain fans around the world, many of whom have not had the opportunity to see him in single-seater action. His death also represented a watershed in terms of pilot safety. The most recent tribute from official local governing bodies to a Formula 1 champion was Lewis Hamilton. Last November, the British driver was made an honorary citizen by Brazil. Honor received for his friendly relations with the country and also for never hiding his admiration for Senna, who he honored with the Brazilian flag on the podium after his victory in Sao Paulo in 2021.



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