Leonardo Senna: "Ayrton's dream was Ferrari and today he would be Italian"

In an exclusive interview for formula1.it, Leonardo, Ayrton Senna’s younger brother, talks about the Brazilian driver and his dream of racing for Scuderia Ferrari. Here is the full article from Formula1.it:

Extreme speed and single-seaters as the ultimate technological expression of motorsport have always fascinated us, but they are not the aspects that truly make our hearts beat. What excites us the most are the ingenious and crazy feats of the drivers; fearless risk knights with oil-stained suits, eventually transformed into infallible robots dancing with milliseconds.

In any case, there are champions who span the ages; characters so brilliant as to capture our emotions, after provoking them; it applies to those who watched them live and those who were captivated despite enjoying them only through archival images, which are fragments of immortality.

When I realized that I would have the opportunity to interview Leonardo Senna, Ayrton’s younger brother, I felt more than a shiver. I became that incredulous child who asked his older brother who that driver was, on the white and blue car with the coffee sponsor, who, in the rain of Monaco ’84, was about to humiliate Professor Prost and his white and red McLaren, which at that time had very few rivals. That was perhaps the first taste of a challenge that will remain one of the most beautiful in Formula One history: we talked about this with Leonardo, but we’ll tell you about it in another article.

As is my habit, in the days before the interview, I prepared the questions and equipment, found a nice location, even thought of a tribute for my guest, but I didn’t imagine that the emotion would betray me to the point of forgetting many things I had meticulously prepared. It happens.

The first questions, with a broken voice, concern his presence in Italy, intercepted in a small town in the province of Messina, Terme Vigliatore, where Leonardo and mother Neyde spent several weeks. It’s almost hard to believe his answer:

“We are an Italian family, my ancestors are Italian, and we came to obtain citizenship here in Italy. Brazil has one of the largest Italian colonies in the world, and we have this connection with Italy for the family, but also for gastronomy.”

You read it correctly; Leonardo and Neyde Senna now have Italian citizenship. Leonardo now manages the Senna brand, created for Ayrton, known and loved worldwide, especially in Italy, even though Magic never had the opportunity to drive for the Ferrari team.

Stories about his possible move to Maranello are numerous; a few weeks ago, we also collected the testimony of Cesare Fiorio, who spoke of the pre-contract signed by Ayrton, which had effectively succumbed to the advances and charm of Ferrari just before leaving McLaren. An arrival that, for various reasons, did not materialize and saw Senna move to Williams instead. Sliding doors that could have changed the history of Formula 1, and Leonardo confirms this, revealing an explicit desire of Ayrton:

“It was Ayrton’s dream to race for Ferrari. I think it would have happened if he were alive; we believe he would have ended up at Ferrari.”

The tragic incident on May 1, 1984, took away a great champion, an idol of Brazil; it took away a brother from Leonardo, a son from Neyde, and interrupted that sequence of events that would have seen Ayrton wearing the Red suit in the following years and most likely obtaining Italian citizenship today, as suggested by Leonardo himself in response to our question:

“I believe so; he spoke Italian very well, he was aiming for Ferrari, and I think he would have Italian citizenship today, like my mother, my sister, and me.”

There are champions who span the ages; Ayrton, who loved Italy so much, even surpassed the limits of space, bringing all the countries of the world together under the passion for his on-track exploits: “he was liked even by the Japanese,” Leonardo tells us with a smile.

In the coming days, through Leonardo’s words, we will tell you about the great challenge between Senna and Prost, the poor relationship with Piquet, but also about the young Ayrton and the man outside the cockpit. Stay with us.

Leonardo Senna’s reflections on Ayrton’s dreams evoke the excitement of exploring diverse casino games, offering something for every enthusiast.