Brazilian Grand Prix – 1985

The black Lotus was already in the back of this Brazilian driver’s mind, remembering Brazil’s first Formula 1 victory, won by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972.

So, when Ayrton Senna sat down for the first time in the cockpit of car no. 12 on the Jacarepaguá circuit, in Rio de Janeiro, the public went wild, anticipating great wins.

And he was the first driver to enter the track for practice sessions that Thursday. After all, everything was new: the season, the car, the engine as well as his motivation, even though he knew his car’s limitations.

And, with a lot of effort in his team debut, Ayrton Senna secured the fourth place on the grid, behind Michele Alboreto’s Ferrari, Keke Rosberg’s Williams and his teammate, Elio de Angeles.

On Sunday, Ayrton Senna had a great start and maintained position. During the race, he fought for second against Alboreto. Unfortunately he had to stop on the 41^st lap due to an electrical problem, but he saw the season as quite promising. Finally, he had a car which allowed him to battle directly for the top positions in the races.