• March 25 down the years

The highs and lows of Ayrton Senna

1984
Ayrton Senna made his F1 debut at his home race in Brazil but was forced to retire after eight laps due to a turbo failure. The race was also the F1 debut of Martin Brundle and Stefan Bellof, both of who were disqualified from the whole season because their Tyrrells were found to infringe technical regulations. Alain Prost went on to record his tenth career win but Patrick Tambay, who was heading for second place, ran out of fuel on the last lap.

1990
Brazil hosted the second round of the championship at the newly re-built Interlagos circuit; it was the first race at the venue since 1981. Alain Prost won in his Ferrari in a performance the Guardian said "humiliated his former team-mate Senna before the Brazilian's home crowd". Senna had started on pole but a collision with Satoru Nakajima early on all but ended his chances. On the rostrum Senna and Prost avoided eye contact, Gerard Berger "standing uncomfortably between them and uncertain to speak to either".

1938
Brazilian race driver Fritz d'Orey was born in Sao Paulo. He competed in the 1959 French and British Grand Prix, in a Maserati 250F. He also competed in the USA Grand Prix in the same year in a Tex Mec with a Maserati engine.

1925
American driver Don Freeland was born in Los Angeles, California; he raced in eight grand prix, between 1953 and 1960, all at Indianapolis. His best result was third in 1956, driving a Philips with a 4.5litre Offenhauser engine. He died in 2007 at the age of 82.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.