Remembering Ayrton Senna: The Faith behind the driver

 Abstract

This year, my humble tribute to Ayrton is dedicated to one of the defining aspects of his life, his relationship with God. From birth, this relationship was something that made Ayrton who he was, created an aura around him and defined his life forever. Some episodes will highlight how strong his faith was, and other aspects will enlighten why this is so fundamental in explaining and remembering Senna.

The role of Faith in Ayrton’s life

It is very difficult to put into words the special connection that Ayrton had with God, because we are talking about something that is beyond our comprehension and requires us to have faith in order to understand it. On the other hand, John 1:1-18 says: "In the beginning was the Word", so this effort could at least try to explain this relationship.

Ayrton was born in a Catholic family, and this can easily explain how this relationship started. He developed an intense sense of faith since his childhood. His sister Viviane often recalled how he would pray as a child, not just before going to sleep, but also before racing his go-karts. It was not a mechanical gesture, there was always a deep emotion behind it, as if Ayrton instinctively knew that his life and his gift came from something greater.

As he grew older, that faith matured and became a private yet very powerful dimension of his being. Unlike many athletes who publicly highlight their beliefs, Ayrton did not always speak of it in interviews, but those close to him knew that his faith guided many of his choices on and off the track[1]. He often read the Bible during race weekends. Not for superstition, but for strength and inner peace. Faith was not a ritual for him, it was a connection.

 

When Ayrton Saw God (Monaco 1988)

The 1988 Monaco Grand Prix is often cited as one of Senna’s greatest performances, but what happened that weekend was not just about speed. Ayrton himself described what he experienced during qualifying in deeply spiritual terms. He said:

"I was already on pole, and I just kept going faster and faster. Suddenly I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was kind of driving it by instinct, only I was in a different dimension. It was like I was in a tunnel. Well beyond my conscious understanding. I realized that I was well beyond my conscious limits."

 

This was not just about entering a "flow state" as modern psychology would define it. For Ayrton, that experience was a spiritual encounter. Later, he said that in that moment he saw God. It may sound excessive to the rational mind, but for Senna, who had always perceived the divine in his life, this moment on the streets of Monte Carlo was a revelation.

After his public revelation, which was something very powerful at the time, rivals like The Professor" Alain Prost and others used his words against him, saying that Senna drove recklessly because he felt invincible, having God on his side. Ayrton responded with one of his most famous quotes:

“Because I believe in God and have faith in God, it doesn't mean I am immortal. It doesn't mean I am immune, as has been claimed. I am as scared as anyone of getting hurt, especially driving a Formula One car.”

 

The Last Message from God (Imola 1994)

On the morning of May 1st, 1994, before the Imola Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna opened his Bible. It was a practice he often followed before races, but that day he really needed to talk with God.

The accident of his protégé Rubens Barrichello during Friday’s practice and the tragic death of Roland Ratzenberger on Saturday really shocked him and a lot of different people close to him confirmed this, like Dr. Sid Watkins.

He was a fierce supporter of driver safety and was affected both personally and professionally by what happened during the first two days of that racing weekend.[2]

According to what we know, the passage he saw on his bible seemed particularly significant. His sister Viviane said[3] that he read a passage about having the greatest gift from God, which is God himself.

That morning, his face was serious, distant. Some would say he had a premonition, others might say it was the weight of the accidents from the previous days. But one thing was clear: Ayrton was looking for answers. He was searching for peace. The presence of that verse with him in his Williams cockpit was not accidental, it was a final prayer, a final offering of trust. In his last moments, Senna carried faith with him.

 

Ayrton and God

After that 1^st May 1994, his faith became one of the many dimensions through which people remember him. But more than a footnote in his story, it became a source of inspiration. His family, through the Instituto Ayrton Senna[4], has continued this legacy with a mission deeply aligned with Ayrton’s values: to help others, to believe in people, and to make a positive difference.

In Brazil and across the world, people still speak of Ayrton as not just as racing legend but as a spiritual figure. Someone whose life, marked by incredible courage, sensitivity, and moral strength, pointed to something higher. He was imperfect, like all of us. He was competitive, driven, emotional. But in all of that, he carried a light that many could see but few could define. That light, for him, came from God.

To understand Ayrton Senna without understanding his faith is to miss something essential. His belief in God was not just personal; it was part of his essence, inseparable from the way he lived and raced.

Today, thirty-one years after his passing, his life continues to resonate not just in racetracks, but in hearts. Remembering Ayrton means remembering a man who, in the silence of prayer, found the strength to chase greatness, and who, in the speed of life, never lost sight of the eternal.

That is why this last section is called "Ayrton and God", because it is this relationship that made Ayrton who he was and was the basic principle of his whole life. Unfortunately, we have lost Ayrton too soon, but he never lost his relationship with God, as his epitaph says:

“Nada pode me separar do amor de Deus”.[5]

 

 

Like every year and always,

Obrigado Ayrton!

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[1] D. Beatrice, Remembering Ayrton Senna: The hero behind the driver: https://dbmotorsportf1.blogspot.com/2024/05/remembering-ayrton-senna-hero-behind.html ,2024.

[2] D. Beatrice, How Senna’s death changed motorsport forever: https://dbmotorsportf1.blogspot.com/2022/05/how-sennas-death-changed-motorsport.html , 2022.

[3] A. Kapadia, Senna (Documentary), 2010.

[4] D. Beatrice, The man behind the driver and the Ayrton Senna Institute: https://dbmotorsportf1.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-man-behind-driver-and-ayrton-senna.html , 2023.

[5] English translation: “Nothing can separate me from the love of God”. This is the epitaph written on his tomb in Cimitero Parque Morumby in San Paolo.