Kriti Mehrotra
It was May 1, 1994, when the entire world was left shaken to the very core as legendary Formula One racer Ayrton Senna da Silva passed away following a harrowing accident on the circuit. The 3-time World Champion (1988, 1990, and 1991) left behind a loving family, a girlfriend, and a legacy that has since essentially turned him into a cultural icon, as explored in Netflix’s ‘Senna.’ However, if we’re being honest, his relationship with his parents is what intrigues us the most because they are the reasons he remained grounded even when he was the best of the best.
Ayrton Senna’s Parents Were Big on Hard Work and Family Values
Born on March 21, 1960, in São Paulo, Brazil, into the affluent home of Neyde Joanna Senna da Silva and Milton Guirado da Silva as the middle child of their three, Ayrton has always known love. Thus, he, as well as his elder sister Viviane and younger brother Leonardo, developed unwavering empathy at an early age, eventually turning them into people others look up to. The truth is their father was a successful entrepreneur, with businesses including farms with livestock, land investments, and a metallurgical firm, yet he ensured his kids weren’t spoilt.
Having learned from their ancestors, Neyde (or Neide) and Milton instilled values like compassion, hard work, and togetherness into their children as soon as they were old enough to understand. After all, while the former is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants turned self-made Brazillian entrepreneurs, the former was the proud son of a zealous yet kind Spaniard from Tíjola, Andalusia. Hence, they always had their kids engage in different kinds of activities and learn about their family’s businesses because they understood that an empty mind is a devil’s workshop.
Ayrton Senna’s Parents Supported Him Despite Not Wanting Him to be a Professional Racer
It’s imperative to note that when Neyde and Milton recognized their first-born son’s passion for cars as well as racing, they didn’t waste a second before encouraging him to follow through. Ayrton was actually merely 7 when he first learned to drive a Jeep around his family’s isolated farm with the help of his father, right along with how to change gears without ever using a clutch. Then, at the age of 13, he was able to begin competing in go-kart competitions after the family patriarch built his young boy his very first vehicle using a small one-horsepower (hp) lawnmower engine.
So, although Neyde and Milton backed Ayrton throughout his karting days, things changed as he grew older because his father hoped he would pursue further studies and join the family business. That’s part of why the driver even returned from the UK following a year in lower-level formulae tournaments (1981-1982), only to not be able to leave his dream or the doors it opened behind. Little did anybody know at the time, the Brazilian would not only fulfill his ambitions and make it to Formula One within two years (1984) but also later become a 3-time World Champion.
As for his parents’ reaction to the same, while they were worried about his safety and well-being every step of the way, they were also unfailingly proud of all that he was achieving in Brazil’s name. In other words, they didn’t mind that Ayrton chose to carve his own path in the end, yet they did step away from the limelight to an extent so as to protect their family’s privacy as well as sanity. Both Neyde and Milton attended his races whenever they could, but because of the long seasons and travel, they mostly watched him on television with his siblings at home, no matter the time.
With Milton Having Passed Away, Neyde Prefers to Lead a Quiet Life Today
While Ayrton’s family was utterly heartbroken over his sudden death at age 34 on May 1, 1994, from a crash during a race, they knew the best way to honor him would be to keep his legacy alive. Therefore, a mere six months later, they established the Ayrton Senna Institution (aka Instituto Ayrton Senna), a charitable organization intended to help create all kinds of opportunities for young Brazilians. He had discussed the idea for this with his sister a mere two months before his fatal accident, so it was formed under her Presidency and has since helped thousands of kids across the nation.
Coming to Neyde and Milton, in particular, the latter sadly passed away of natural causes in his São Paulo, Brazil, home at the age of 94 on October 27, 2021, leaving behind his wife and two kids. Since then, Neyde has preferred to remain well away from the public eye, so we can only speculate that she is currently focusing on her home, her children, as well as her grandchildren. She and Leonardo have since managed to get Italian citizenship, too, meaning they now likely split their time between Brazil and Italy. However, we should mention that she understandably still misses the son she lost over three decades ago, whom she has once publicly described as the perfect combination of polite, restless, and sweet.
Read More: Viviane and Leonardo: Where Are Ayrton Senna’s Siblings Now?
