The Instituto Ayrton Senna was set up in the months after the triple world champion died at Imola in 1994. Asmall team of people led by his sister Viviane, pictured on the previous page, and his niece Bianca, have since dedicated themselves to building bridges across the canyon that divides rich and poor in Brazil.
In 2008 I spent a week in São Paulo, seeing at first hand the work of the institute in and around the city as well as further afield. Having been to the Grand Prix at Interlagos over the years I had become aware of the challenges facing the institute. The circuit sits by a favella on the edge of São Paulo, a tumultuous city that is home to more than 13 million people.
This month, as we mark the 30th anniversary of Senna’s death, I re-visit the story, bringing it up to date with Senna’s niece Bianca, and reviving my conversation with Viviane, and those who knew him best.
Thirty years after the tragic accident at Imola the institute, established with funds from Senna’s legacy, continues to help stop Brazilian children from falling onto the scrapheap, from sliding into the oblivion of drugs, crime and life on the streets.
For Brazilians Senna remains a god, the adulation expressed on posters and flags all over São Paulo. To the rest of the world he was a
