How Senna continues to improve lives in Brazil 30 years after his death

There are many glass-fronted offices in the Sao Paulo district of Pinheiros. But only one has a McLaren MP4/5 – specifically the one Ayrton Senna drove to victory in the 1990 Italian GP – on the 15th floor. This is the home of the Ayrton Senna Institute, where the three-time world champion’s ambition to give Brazilian children better opportunities lives on.

“At the beginning of 1994, Ayrton was having a conversation with his sister Viviane,” explains Thiago Fernandes, business development director at Senna Brands. “He asked for her help. He had been giving a lot of money to a lot of different causes, but he wasn’t seeing concrete results or a structural improvement. So he asked Viviane: ‘Please, can you help me think of something which could help Brazil to improve as a country?’

“Ayrton always understood that he was able to become a Formula 1 driver because he had the opportunity to develop his potential and that he was ‘lucky’ enough to come from a family that could afford to provide him with this opportunity. It frustrated him that the majority of the kids in Brazil didn’t have this luck and opportunity to develop their potential. So behind his request to Viviane was this dream Ayrton had that everyone should be able to develop without being limited by the income the family has in which you are born. But then there was the accident.”

Later that year Viviane started to turn her brother’s dream into a reality by founding the Ayrton Senna Institute. Its focus is on better education as the fundamental path towards greater opportunities for individuals – ultimately benefitting the country as a whole.

“In Brazil, almost 90% of the school-aged population goes to public schools - around 40 million students,” says Fernandes. “In the beginning, the foundation focused on supporting individual kids. But when Viviane looked around she saw a whole bunch of kids that weren’t getting that same opportunity. So holistically, we weren’t really improving the quality of the education. We were only attending a few lucky ones. When Viviane realised this, we reorganised the foundation and started focusing on the teachers. And this has become a key element of how the foundation has been working since then. Instead of a few thousand kids, we now help millions.”

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Social inequality and a lack of opportunities breeds violence, issues not confined to Brazil but are especially problematic in a country with such a large population. Quality of teaching has been a principal focus, developing techniques and resources which structurally improve the education system for the long term.

Ayrton's sister Viviane helped set up the Ayrton Senna Institute after his death

Photo by: Ayrton Senna Institute

The ASI estimates it has already impacted more than 36 million Brazilian students. “And all of this has been done without receiving public money,” Fernandes emphasises.

Itau, one of Brazil’s largest banks, offers an ASI credit card, through which a percentage of every dollar spent is donated to the foundation.

“The Senna family has already donated over $500million, using the royalties from Ayrton’s image rights and the Senna brands. So whether you buy a Senna cap at the track or order a McLaren Senna sportscar, part of the royalties go to the foundation. Why doesn’t 100% of the royalties go the foundation? That’s because we also have to reinvest in the brand.”

“It’s important to stress that Senna family doesn’t want people to be sad on 1 May. They don’t want it to be about the accident, but about what Ayrton left behind” Thiago Fernandes

According to Fernandes, keeping the Senna name relevant is one of the most important challenges the foundation faces. To let the Institute focus completely on the educational side, Senna Brands was set up to manage image rights and brands: “We still have to make the brand relevant for the younger generations. Part of the money goes into developing content and exhibitions, into ways of telling the relevance of Senna as a sports idol, Ayrton as a human being and the work the ASI is doing.”

One project with international scope is a forthcoming Netflix series chronicling the life of Senna, played by the Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone, who bears a striking resemblance to him. Other projects will have a more domestic focus, including an expansion into real estate and fintech; there will also be a big push to mark the 30th anniversary of Senna’s passing.

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“It’s going to be an amazing year,” says Fernandes, “starting 1 May in Brazil with a major event at the Interlagos track, where families can connect with all the good values and memories Ayrton brings to us.”

Runners take to the Interlagos track to celebrate Ayrton Senna Racing Day

Photo by: João Raposo

On the Ayrton Senna Racing Day at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace, amateur and professional athletes will have the opportunity to run the track, with a choice of distances. 10,000 people are expected to attend and the intention is to maintain the Senna name’s prominence and mark the anniversary in a positive way.

“It’s a celebration,” we’re told. “It’s important to stress that the Senna family doesn’t want people to be sad on 1 May. They don’t want it to be about the accident, but about what Ayrton left behind.”

Senna's legacy continues to help millions of Brazilians

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images