Editing Ayrton Senna (section)

====1991: Youngest back-to-back and three-time world champion====
[[File:Ayrton Senna McLaren MP4-6 1991 United States.jpg|thumb|Senna won the {{F1|1991}} season-opening [[1991 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]] with the new Honda V12-powered [[McLaren MP4/6]].]]

In {{f1|1991}}, Senna became the youngest ever three-time world champion, taking seven wins and increasing his pole position record to 60 from 127 events. 1991 was a difficult season for Senna, who publicly questioned the new Honda V12 engine's competitiveness, suggesting that it was weaker than the last year's V10.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Codling |first1=Stuart |title=Art of the Formula 1 Race Car |last2=Mann |first2=James |last3=Windsor |first3=Peter |last4=Murray |first4=Gordon |publisher=Motorbooks |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7603-3731-8 |page=177}}</ref> Prost's Ferrari suffered a downturn in performance and was not competitive, but Nigel Mansell, now with Williams, was driving the [[Adrian Newey]] designed Williams-Renault.

Senna won the first four races in Phoenix, Brazil, Imola, and Monaco as his rivals struggled to match his pace and reliability. Mansell scored only six points by the time Senna had 40 points.{{Cn|date=February 2025}} At the [[1991 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]], Senna and Mansell went wheel-to-wheel with only centimetres to spare, at over 320&nbsp;km/h (200&nbsp;mph) down the main straight, a race which the Briton eventually won.

Senna also got into several accidents and mishaps, including a jet-skiing accident before the [[1991 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican Grand Prix]]; a crash in qualifying at that race at the fastest corner on the track;<ref>{{cite news|title=Senna returns to the front of the pack|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vYJUAAAAIBAJ&pg=5472,2118430&dq=ayrton+senna+mexico&hl=en|newspaper=New Straits Times|date=6 July 1991|page=47|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=18 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218145221/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vYJUAAAAIBAJ&pg=5472,2118430&dq=ayrton+senna+mexico&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> a retirement on the final lap of the [[1991 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] (Mansell eventually gave Senna a ride back to the pits during his victory lap); a testing accident at [[Hockenheimring|Hockenheim]] that sent Senna's car 15 feet into the air and forced him to spend the night in the hospital; and a retirement at the [[1991 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]] after running out of fuel.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}

To save the season, Senna demanded additional engine upgrades from Honda. These modifications, including modifications introduced at Hungary and variable inlet trumpets introduced at Belgium enabled him to make a late-season push. He won three more races to pull away from Mansell. Once again, Senna clinched the title in [[1991 Japanese Grand Prix|Japan]] when Mansell (who needed to win) went off at the first corner while running third and beached his Williams in the gravel trap. Senna finished second, handing the victory to teammate Berger at the last corner as a thank-you gesture for his support over the season.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o_ROAAAAIBAJ&pg=5769,2993516&dq=ayrton+senna&hl=en |title=Senna gives up win for driver's title |newspaper=Boca Raton News |date=21 October 1991 |page=11 |access-date=1 November 2020 |archive-date=18 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218145222/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o_ROAAAAIBAJ&pg=5769,2993516&dq=ayrton+senna&hl=en |url-status=live}}</ref>

At the end of the season, Senna won his third consecutive ''[[Autosport]]'' International Racing Driver Award. At that year's FISA gala dinner, he gave Balestre a helmet because of the sincere atmosphere and as an insulting psychological gesture.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=EXCLUSIVE: Watch Ayrton Senna at the 1991 AUTOSPORT Awards|magazine=[[Autosport]]|date=31 October 2011 |url=http://plus.autosport.com/free/feature/3941/exclusive-watch-ayrton-senna-at-the-1991-autosport-awards/|access-date=14 November 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084703/http://plus.autosport.com/free/feature/3941/exclusive-watch-ayrton-senna-at-the-1991-autosport-awards/|url-status=live}}</ref>