Fans pay respects to Senna

Officials say there is no official ceremony to mark the day and no confirmation of reports that his sister Viviane, who has headed the Senna Foundation since his death, would be at the race.

The triple champion died when his car crashed while leading the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994 - a day earlier Austrian Roland Ratzenberger had been killed when his front wing broke pitching him into a 180mph accident.

Five years on the reason for the accident remains as big a mystery as it was on the day - despite a multi-million pound long running court case and a judicial investigation.

If that is a mystery the legacy is not: and it is as great as the man himself was - a giant foundation that has raised many millions for Brazil's underprivileged children and a renewed drive for cockpit safety that has saved several lives.