Editing Ayrton Senna (section)

===Lotus (1985–1987)===
====1985: First pole positions and wins====
[[File:1985 European GP Senna.jpg|thumb|left|Senna driving the [[Lotus 97T]] at the [[1985 European Grand Prix]]]]

Senna was partnered in his first year at [[Team Lotus|Lotus-Renault]] by Italian driver [[Elio de Angelis]]. He had dominated testing times at Rio, although he retired with electrical issues during the race weekend. Although the Renault-powered Lotus 97T was quick and nimble, particularly on tight and bumpy circuits and perhaps had the best suspension of any car that year, the car was unreliable and Senna made a few mistakes out of inexperience. At the second round of the season, the [[1985 Portuguese Grand Prix|Portuguese Grand Prix]], Senna took the first pole position of his Formula 1 career. He converted it into his first victory in the race, which was held in very wet conditions, winning by over a minute from the Ferrari of [[Michele Alboreto]],{{sfnp|Collings|Edworthy|2002|p=208}} and lapping everyone up to and including third placed [[Patrick Tambay]]. The race was the first [[Grand Slam (Formula One)|Grand Slam]] of Senna's career, as he also set the fastest lap of the race. He later argued it was the best drive of his career,<ref>{{cite news |last=Roebuck |first=Nigel |date=16 June 2000 |title=Legends: Estoril 1985 |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2000/16/legends-estoril-1985 |access-date=12 November 2020 |work=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814234526/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2000/16/legends-estoril-1985 |archive-date=14 August 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> an opinion shared by race engineer [[Steve Hallam]], who recognised Senna's "truly special" talent.<ref>{{cite web |last=Elson |first=James |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/the-revelation-of-estoril-ayrton-sennas-1985-portuguese-gp-win |title=Revelation of Estoril: how Ayrton Senna won the 1985 Portuguese GP |date=23 October 2020 |access-date=9 February 2021 |work=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209094550/https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/the-revelation-of-estoril-ayrton-sennas-1985-portuguese-gp-win |archive-date=9 February 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Senna led at the San Marino, Monaco, British and German Grands Prix but retired from all these races either from engine failure or running out of fuel, and he had a huge accident at the French Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard's fastest corner after an engine failure in the middle of the corner. He did not finish in the points again until coming second at the [[1985 Austrian Grand Prix|Austrian Grand Prix]], despite taking pole three more times in the intervening period. His determination to take pole at the [[1985 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] had infuriated Alboreto and Niki Lauda; Senna had set a fast time early and was accused of deliberately baulking the other drivers by running more laps than necessary, a charge he rejected, although the accusations continued in [[1985 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]] when drivers accused him of running on the racing line when on his slow down lap forcing others on qualifiers to move off line and lose time.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Hamilton |editor-first=Maurice |year=1985 |title=Autocourse 1985&nbsp;– 1986 |publisher=Hazleton Publishing |pages=74 & 104 |isbn=0-905138-38-4}}</ref> Two more podiums followed in [[1985 Dutch Grand Prix|the Netherlands]] and [[1985 Italian Grand Prix|Italy]], before Senna added his second victory in wet-dry conditions, at the [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps]] in Belgium.{{sfnp|Hilton|2004|p=427}} Senna's relationship with De Angelis soured over the season, as both drivers demanded top driver status within Lotus and, after spending six years at the team, De Angelis departed for Brabham at the end of the year, convinced that Lotus were becoming focused around the Brazilian driver.{{sfnp|Hilton|2004|p=163}} Senna and De Angelis finished the season 4th and 5th respectively in the driver rankings, separated by five points. In terms of qualifying, Senna had begun to establish himself as the quickest in the field; his tally of seven poles that season was far more than that of any of the other drivers. Renault's [[V6]] qualifying engines were reported to be producing over {{Convert|1000|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mansell after Grand Prix mark |date=3 November 1985 |newspaper=Rome News-Tribune |page=15B |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4h1NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1280,421147&dq=ayrton+senna&hl=en |access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=18 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218144937/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4h1NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1280%2C421147&dq=ayrton%20senna&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

====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>

====1987: Last season at Lotus====
[[File:Lotus 99T front-left 2012 Autosport International.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Lotus 99T]] raced by Senna in {{F1|1987}}]]

[[Team Lotus]] had a new engine deal in 1987, running the same turbocharged Honda V6 engines as Williams had used to win the previous year's Constructors' Championship, and with them came a new teammate, 34-year-old Japanese driver, [[Satoru Nakajima]], who was a test driver employed directly by Honda. The team guaranteed Senna contractually preferential treatment over Nakajima in the allocation of equipment.<ref>{{cite web |author=Fábio Seixas |title=O contrato de Senna em 1987 |url=http://fabioseixas.blogfolha.uol.com.br/2013/07/10/o-contrato-de-senna-em-1987/ |access-date=13 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206163307/https://fabioseixas.blogfolha.uol.com.br/2013/07/10/o-contrato-de-senna-em-1987/ |archive-date=6 February 2020 |work=[[Folha de S.Paulo]] |date=10 July 2013 |language=pt}}</ref> Senna started the season with mixed fortunes: a podium at the [[1987 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]] was tempered by controversy at the following [[1987 Belgian Grand Prix|race]] at Spa-Francorchamps, where he collided with Mansell, and afterward in the pits an irate Mansell grabbed Senna by the throat and had to be restrained by Lotus mechanics.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing-testy-times-for-senna-and-schumacher-1533774.html |location=London |work=The Independent |title=Motor Racing: Testy times for Senna and Schumacher |date=17 July 1992 |access-date=19 September 2017 |archive-date=2 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502095221/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing-testy-times-for-senna-and-schumacher-1533774.html |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp|Hilton|2004|p=432}} Senna then won two races in a row, which helped him take the lead in the World Championship: the ensuing [[1987 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] (the first of his record six victories at the [[Monaco|Principality]]) and the [[1987 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]], his second victory in two years at the angular [[Michigan]] street circuit,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Jones F.|first=Robert|title=Street Smart in Motown |magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=29 June 1987 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066128/2/index.htm|access-date=13 October 2012|archive-date=22 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322045806/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066128/2/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the first ever for an [[active suspension]] Formula One car.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2007/05/17/banned-active-suspension |title=Banned! Active suspension |last=Collantine |first=Keith |date=17 May 2007 |publisher=F1 Fanatic |access-date=4 June 2014 |archive-date=19 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919071015/http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2007/05/17/banned-active-suspension/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

As the championship progressed, it became evident that the Williams cars had the advantage over the rest of the field, the gap between the Honda-engined teams made most obvious at the [[1987 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]], where Mansell and Piquet in the superior Williams cars lapped the Lotuses of Senna and Nakajima who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Senna became dissatisfied with his chances at Lotus and at [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]] it was announced that he would be joining McLaren for 1988.{{sfnp|Hilton|2004|p=186}} Senna was fined $15,000 for punching a corner marshal after they refused to push his stalled car in Mexico then finished the season strongly, coming second in the final two races in [[1987 Japanese Grand Prix|Japan]] and [[1987 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]]; post-race scrutineering at the final race found the brake ducts of his Lotus to be wider than permitted by the rules and he was disqualified, bringing his last and most successful season with Lotus to a sour end.{{sfnp|Hilton|2004|p=188}} Senna was classified third in the final standings, with 57 points, six podium finishes and only one pole position. This season marked a turning point in Senna's career as, throughout the year, he built a deep relationship with Honda, which paid big dividends, as McLaren had secured Williams's supply of Honda's V6 turbo engines for 1988.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/eng-honda.html |title=Engines: Honda Motor Company |publisher=grandprix.com |access-date=22 April 2014 |archive-date=3 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503051705/https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/eng-honda.html |url-status=live}}</ref>