A prime stage of European and world motorsport, Silverstone was one of the circuits most closely linked to Ayrton Senna at the beginning of his career before F1 and his debut in the legendary UK circuit took place exactly 40 years ago, in the Formula Ford 1600, in a race that the Brazilian finished in second place.
The track, located in the East Midlands, England, was the place where the Brazilian driver competed the most in Formula 3 events. There were six victories in eight races, a fact that increased the fame of the nickname given by the local press.
Since Formula Ford, journalists have nicknamed the traditional british track as “Silvastone”, in reference to the last name of the driver who was known as “da Silva” at that time.
In addition to winning tests in Formula Ford, F-3 and F-1, Senna set the new circuit record several times. With three victories in Formula Ford and one in Formula 1, in 1988, Senna conquered 10 wins on the same circuit. Counting all the official races of the Brazilian in motorsport, it was in this sacred temple that Ayrton Senna da Silva won the most in his career.
Curiosity: for the British to understand the fact that Ayrton would use the surname “Senna” more than the “da Silva”, it was explained to the British that “Silva” was like “Smith” in England, a very popular surname and that it was found in many families.
