The Death of Ayrton Senna

Author: Richard Williams, ISBN: 9780241950128, 177 pages, paperback, published in 2010

It was another lap, another race, another chance to give his body and soul to the sport he loved. But as Ayrton Senna entered the high-speed Tamburello corner for the seventh time that day, his Williams Renault F16 careered off the track and struck an unprotected concrete barrier. He left the track at 190 mph and was able to slow the car down by braking to 135 mph in slightly under two seconds before hitting the wall. But it was not enough. Ayrton Senna, the greatest driver in Formula 1 history, was dead.

Millions of people around the world watched with horror on that fateful day in Imola at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. To fans he was the most thrilling and charismatic driver of his generation, to his rivals he was the supreme competitor, but to his Brazilian countrymen, he was a hero, an icon who transcended sport.

In this classic sports book Richard Williams explores the complex Brazilian whose brilliance as a driver was matched by a dazzling intellect and a burning desire to win that pushed his life to the limits of what it means to be human.