84
1984
Toleman
Debut season; second at Monaco in the rain.
Ayrton SennaF1 career history
The definitive qualifier of his era, whose rivalry with Prost shaped a decade and whose death at Imola reshaped the sport's safety.
- Titles
- 3
- Wins
- 41
- Poles
- 65
- Podiums
- 80
- Starts
- 161
- Teams
- 4
Career Chronology
Filter by season
4 of 4 team stints shown · 1984 — 1994
3 championship seasons in this range:1988 · 1990 · 1991
Full career totals
1984 — 1994 · 11 seasons- Races
- 161
- Wins
- 41
- Podiums
- 80
- Poles
- 65
- Championships
- 3
Win rate 25.5%Podium rate 49.7%Points 614Best season 1988 (8 wins, 11 podiums)Titles 1988, 1990, 1991
Exports the 1984 — 1994 selection only
85
1985 — 1987
Lotus
Six wins, 16 poles, black-and-gold and then yellow Camel liveries.
- 16 poles
88
1988 — 1993
McLaren
Three world championships; 35 wins with Honda and Ford power.
- 1988 title
- 1990 title
- 1991 title
- 35 wins
94
1994
Williams
Three races, three retirements. Killed at Imola on 1 May.
The Long Version
He turned down bigger offers to join Toleman in 1984, then nearly won a rain-shortened Monaco in his debut season.
Three seasons at Lotus produced six wins before McLaren paired him with Alain Prost in 1988.
Titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991 came with collisions at Suzuka that still define the rivalry.
He signed for Williams in 1994 and was killed at Imola in his third race for the team.
Where Those Teams Went
McLaren Formula 1 Team3 identities
Founded by a driver, saved by a merger, and rebuilt three separate times into a championship machine.
Trace the McLaren rebrands from 1966 →Williams Racing4 identities
Frank Williams's second attempt at a team became the most successful independent constructor in the sport's history.
Trace the Williams rebrands from 1977 →BWT Alpine F1 Team6 identities
The Enstone team has raced as Toleman, Benetton, Renault, Lotus, Renault again and now Alpine — winning titles under two of those names.
Trace the Alpine rebrands from 1981 →Team Lotus1 identities
Colin Chapman's team invented the modern racing car three times over: the monocoque, sponsorship liveries and ground effect.
Trace the Lotus rebrands from 1958 →