“$12,000 that stopped Ayrton Senna from retiring” – How Brazillian legend made his way into Formula One

Ayrton Senna is one of the most successful drivers who paid his way into Formula One in 1982 and began a made history.

Ayrton Senna is one of the drivers who paid his way into the sport and turned out to be one of the greatest of all time.

Formula 1 is a big bucks sport and it has always been a sport where drivers need some kind of backing to reach the top. So being a ‘pay driver’ is one way to do so.

Talking about Senna, much of his early racing career was possible due to his privileged childhood. He was the son of a wealthy Sao Paulo landowner and factory owner.

His father funded his way through karting and junior series back home in Brazil. Senna had an illustrious career during his karting days and junior years. He moved to England in 1981 to participate in single seater racing.

Senna participated in and won the RAC and Townsend Thoresen Formula Ford 1600 Championships in 1981 with the Van Diemen team.

That same year, family pressure began to build up on the young Brazillian talent. His parents wanted him to take up a role in the family business and he announced his retirement from the sport.

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$12,000 that stopped Ayrton Senna from retiring

It is shocking to think that if Senna had remained adamant about his decision to go home and look after his family business, the world of F1 would have been deprived of a major talent.

But an offer at the correct time provided a potential opportunity to the Brazillian driver and he decided to make his way to the top.

Before leaving England to go look after his family business, Senna was offered a drive with a Formula Ford 2000 team for $12,000. Back in Brazil, he decided to take this offer and returned to live in England.

But he did not return empty handed. He returned from Brazil with big sponsors like Banerj, the bank of Rio De Janeiro state and Pool, a jeans factory covering his costs.

With these, Senna went on to win the 1982 British and European Formula Ford 2000 championships.

Even when the Brazillian made his way into F1 and drove for Toleman, Lotus, McLaren and Williams, his major sponsors stayed.

One of the most iconic among these was the Brazillian bank, Banco Nacional which supported him from 1984 to 1994. It was unusual to see him as the only driver with non-team branding on his overalls during this era.

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