Editing Ayrton Senna (section)

====1986: Eight pole positions and eight podiums====
[[File:Senna Brands 1986.jpg|thumb|left|Senna driving the [[Lotus 98T]] at the [[1986 British Grand Prix]]]]

De Angelis was replaced at Lotus by [[Scotland]]'s [[Johnny Dumfries]] after Senna vetoed Derek Warwick from joining the team, saying that Lotus could not run competitive cars for two top drivers at the same time. Senna allegedly pushed for his former flatmate and fellow Brazilian [[Maurício Gugelmin]] to join the team as a pure number two driver, but the team's major sponsor [[John Player & Sons]] (JPS) insisted on a British driver, which led to the signing of Dumfries. Senna later admitted "It was bad, bad. Until then I had a good relationship with Derek."{{sfnp|Hilton|2004|p=170}} Senna started the season well, coming second in [[1986 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] behind the [[Williams FW11|Williams]]-[[Honda in Formula One|Honda]] of fellow countryman [[Nelson Piquet]], and winning the [[1986 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]] by just 0.014s from Piquet's teammate Nigel Mansell in one of the closest finishes in Formula One history to find himself leading the World Championship after two races.{{sfnp|Hilton|2004|p=428}} Although the 98T was like the 97T which came before it, a quick car with superiority on tight, bumpy circuits but plagued with poor reliability, particularly in the second half of the season it saw him drift behind the Williams pairing of Mansell and Piquet, as well as defending and eventual champion Alain Prost. Nonetheless, Senna was once more the top qualifier with eight poles, with a further six podium finishes included another win at the [[1986 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]], thus finishing the season fourth in the driver's standings again, with a total of 55 points. The 1986 Formula One cars were the most powerful cars in history, with Senna's 98T producing over {{Convert|1300|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} in qualifying and {{Convert|850|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} in the race.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ayrton Senna, Lotus 98T|url=http://www.thomsonstudio.com/node/62|publisher=Thomson Studio|access-date=17 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232258/http://www.thomsonstudio.com/node/62|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After winning the [[1986 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]] from Frenchmen Prost and [[Jacques Laffite]]⁠{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}which took place one day after [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] was eliminated from the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]] by [[France national football team|France]]⁠{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}Senna asked a trackside supporter for the [[Brazilian flag]] and he drove one lap waving it. Thereafter, he repeated this ritual every time he won a race. During an interview on American television, he used English curse words to express his frustration at having to go into the pits earlier than expected due to a deflating rear tire.<ref name=asenna /> Senna also had a brief foray into rallying when he was invited by British magazine ''Cars & Car Conversions'' to try out a [[Vauxhall Nova]], an [[Austin Metro|MG Metro 6R4]], a [[Ford Sierra RS Cosworth]] and a [[Ford Escort (Europe)|Ford Escort]] on a stretch of land closed to the public.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrc.com/news/features-archive/senna-%A1piloto-de-rallye/?fid=14986|title=Senna: The rally driver!|publisher=wrc.com|date=8 July 2011|access-date=30 August 2012|archive-date=17 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017043910/https://www.wrc.com/news/features-archive/senna-%EF%BF%BDpiloto-de-rallye/?fid=14986|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://senna.com/en/piloto/provas-especiais/o-dia-em-que-ayrton-senna-testou-carros-de-rali-na-europa/ |title=The day Ayrton Senna tested rally cars in Europe|publisher=AyrtonSenna.com|access-date=June 22, 2023|archive-date=21 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621163515/https://senna.com/en/piloto/provas-especiais/o-dia-em-que-ayrton-senna-testou-carros-de-rali-na-europa/|url-status=live}}</ref>