Ayrton Senna’s life revolved around F1. His goal was always to reach the top — and he did — but not without the support of several key figures along the way. One of them was Keith Sutton, his photographer and public relations manager from his junior days.
Sutton, who has worked in F1 for over 40 years, sold all his photos to Getty Images in 2017 when he took a step back from the pinnacle of motorsport. Recently, Getty invited him to revisit those images. The experience proved to be an emotional one for him.
Sutton documented Senna’s early career extensively and came across a picture of the Brazilian’s first-ever single-seater race at Brands Hatch on March 15, 1981. It was part of the Formula Ford 1600 Championship.
The Briton remembered this fondly, having also captured Senna‘s moments on the podium. As he recalled the Sao Paulo-born driver’s journey to stardom, he became emotional, realizing that his own career success was also intertwined with Senna’s.
“That was the start of something special, obviously,” Sutton said in a video on Instagram.
He went on to recount all the junior formula championships Senna won between 1981 and 1984 before making it to F1, and the memories left him teary-eyed. “I made it with him, of course, after doing all his photography and all his PR,” he said. “This is bringing back so many memories. It’s very emotional for me. We were just too young.”
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The decade from 1984 to 1994 was likely the best period of Sutton’s life, as he witnessed Senna stamp his authority on F1 and become a legendary figure in the sport’s history.
Even today, 30 years after the icon’s passing, Sutton keeps his beloved driver’s memory alive whenever he gets the chance to speak about him.
Sutton knew all about Senna on and off the track
As his confidante, Sutton knew many aspects of Senna’s life that were unknown to the public. For instance, he was the one who revealed that the former McLaren driver had a secret girlfriend during his junior formula days.
Recently, Sutton shared a picture of this girlfriend, Marie Claude, on his Instagram, detailing her background and relationship with Senna. In a surprising turn, Marie herself commented on the post, revealing that she had vowed to keep their relationship a secret until she grew old.
“Keeping my promise not to publicly unveil my precious relationship with Ayrton before I was 60,” Marie stated.
Sutton glossed over the fact that Senna had relationships with multiple women throughout his career. Who knows, perhaps there are other details about Senna’s life that Sutton is aware of but chooses to keep hidden out of respect for their friendship.
