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Damon performing at the Goodwood Festival 2026 😭😭😭 look at this old man go

Checo in Spa

Checo

Guess opinions are quite divided cuz the different infos we know?

I know the order was originally arranged by the amounts of championships, but as far as I know, Braga wasn't behind this. The whole funeral was mostly organized by the government. And the protocol officers, they weren't necessarily know all the pallbearers(some of them are foreign guests) and their personal relationship with Senna. They thought by rank and titles would be a good idea since usually it would be appropriate in diplomatic contexts.

It's part of why I said politics were highly involved, and quite terrible that it can't be his own family to hold this. It was a state funeral, everything was in a hurry and everyone was in shock. I think it's more possible a bad coincidence rather than a deliberate arrangement?

Betise rearranged the order, and it's also her said in an interview that she thinks "Braga was the only one Ayrton told everything to".

(Tho I know she was considered a traitor by many back then cuz she married Head later. And she seems not that close to the family after Senna's death tho she could work for Senna in the first place cuz of Mr. Milton's recommendation.)

And I know Braga was a friend of Emmo at first, he helped Ayrton in Europe when he wasn't famous yet, and he's kinda father-like to him, not just because of age but also his experiences on business and lots of things. And Braga always kept a room just for Ayrton in his house in Portugal. That's why I think Ayrton respected Braga a lot and what Betise said on this matter is true.

My opinion just based on what I've known, but maybe you know more abt their relationship, and pls feel free to share them! I'm very interested.

Abt her book, I'm not even sure if it was just Braga himself who encouraged her to do so, or maybe Braga's wife played an important role in this? I know she's a good friend of AG and at that time writing might be a way for the girl to pull herself together. But ofc from another side maybe she was doing this for money.

The book itself, I don't think it's nicely written tbh but she published that at a very special moment. And I'm wondering what's your thoughts on the timing she chose.

(*add here, I should also be clear that both Betise and Galisteu lies a lot...conflicting narratives in different interviews from different times, it's very hard to know which words are true at times)

And thx for mentioning abt the charities, for sure it's an important part of the reason that his family demands a positive image. Like I said it's difficult to tell children who likes him otherwise, they might be too young to understand all the controversies.

Oh speaking of this, there's also one thing I'm curious abt cuz I don't know how charity works in Brazil but in my country, charities are often involved with some tax free policies so sometimes it's a just a different mode of business as well.

Abt deification, I think it's complicated but also simple, Gilles might be another good example.

Above all you need to be generally, deeply loved by people, then it's the sacrifice, his death, especially in Ayrton's case the way he died, he lived to drive, and he died driving in front of millions.

And the myth (Ayrton was already a myth when he was alive), and image/marketing which helps the myth growing. (even some luck cuz marketing isn't always a help...)

But essentially it's abt nostalgia, or to say "saudade" in Portuguese, based on the fact that people still love him, and we also miss the old ourselves/hope we were still in the good old days, watching how Senna flying on the track, tho there's thousands versions of him in everyone's heart and he's getting more and more perfect in people's memory. He was a real human being, but he is also an abstract concept/icon now, just like John Lennon.

And I'm with you on Ayrton was troubled by idolatry, but I don't really think that was for he was deifed, or there's some interviews that I didn't know abt? Cuz from the interviews I have watched, what he was often talking abt it's the kind of trouble that you would have when you are famous. He often said that he was hurt by exciting fans cuz they would like to touch him, crowded him inside, and he can't be on the streets with his girlfriend just like normal people, paparazzi/fans everywhere etc.

And when he was alive he was working with Globo and other presses which tend to deify him. And he was talking abt God on the media. I won't say many times, but it was on important occasions like when he was winning, and it's things like "God is behind me", "I saw Him", and his out of body experience. Why nobody else sees or have Him with him or up in the sky saw my shell driving in the race?

One of the basic precepts of Christianity that I know (as a pagan who just have some scholar interests), is that God loves all men equally. It's therefore no way to say Him favours anyone, especially oneself in a sporting contest. That would be like "I talked to God and God agreed with me". But in fact it's just Ayrton himself believes it that way, that he has the God given right to win.

A man’s faith should guide him in his daily life, but there's no place in sport for God-botherers. I think that's exactly why athletes would not emphasis his religious side sm now, tho back then the situation was a bit different. I think, people choose to compete in sports for any number of reasons, most of which are entirely selfish, especially in F1, they are all egoist. If you want to win, it can't be other way.

So, I definitely won't say that Ayrton was entirely responsible for his deification, but he has to be responsible partly. And I truly understand that helped him getting more stronger than other drivers on the mental side, and that's very important for improving his performance in the race as well.

I think sometimes he's not even deliberately doing so to be a myth, but just naturally. And I have to say that I mean absolutely no judging or blaming, cuz I might have done the same if I were him in that kind of environment.

Also, I know he often admitted that he has flaws, as you said that's true, even in the famous 88 championship interview with Leme he was saying that everyday he was trying to be a better man.

But he likes to do that or not, it's a very subjective thing and I'm just guessing, I can't speak for the anon before but myself that he might not like it sm. He admitted it cuz he's being honest, but generally, people don't really like to admit/show our weakness and shortages to everyone frankly.

Again just I feel it this way. I can't read Ayrton's mind or speak in his name.

First of all, the matter concerning Betise Assumpção is rather complex. Even though she currently presents herself as a close figure within Ayrton’s circle, the truth is that in earlier interviews she stated that her relationship with him was strictly professional and distant.

I would prefer not to address the matter of Patrick Head here. Nevertheless, it clearly represents a conflict of interest. It is important to recall that Head was not acquitted; he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, though he did not serve prison time due to the statute of limitations. The Senna family severed ties with Betise following her marriage to Head.

More recently, Betise herself admitted in a podcast that the list of pallbearers was a calculated decision by Antônio Carlos de Almeida Braga, intended to project an image of grandeur and reconciliation. In other words, it was a public relations act designed to position Senna’s legacy on a global scale. Braga, as Senna’s mentor and manager, acted as a kind of ‘patron’ safeguarding the brand, much as he had done with other stars such as Guga, Pelé, and Fittipaldi.

Betise also confessed to having lied by invoking the Senna family’s name in order to manipulate the protocol and ensure that Hill—who was not a close friend of Senna and had only known him for a few months—was placed where she and Braga wanted him. This choice excluded Senna’s own brother, Leonardo, who was not a world champion, as well as other close friends. Gerhard Berger himself protested the decision, requesting a change of position. His objection reflects the tension between the cold rigidity of state protocol and the human desire for mourning to be carried out by those who truly loved the deceased.

It was not Adriane Galisteu’s idea to capitalize on her grief. Rather, it was Braga—introduced as her ‘friend and savior’—who conceived the book and covered the costs of publication and promotion. His primary objective was to control the narrative surrounding Senna’s final months, preventing the tabloid press from constructing its own sensationalist version and ensuring that the image of the relationship was framed under a romantic and carefully managed light.

The book was released in November 1994, only six months after Senna’s death, and became a publishing phenomenon with 310,000 copies sold in Brazil and international editions. This launch was not improvised; it was a media campaign that leveraged national mourning to create an alternate narrative. Braga turned Galisteu into a public figure, but did so under a ‘veil of romanticism and purity’ that contrasted with the real tensions between her and the Senna family. The book portrayed her as the ‘last official girlfriend,’ granting her a status the family did not recognize and sparking a conflict that continues to this day.

Another aspect highlighted in the HBO documentary 'Meu Ayrton' is Betise’s active attempt to diminish the role and image of Ayrton’s father, Milton da Silva. She claimed that his relationship with his son was cold and tense, that he did not speak English, and that Ayrton was ashamed of him—seeing Braga instead as his ‘ideal father figure.’ This is demonstrably false when considering the archival material in which Senna praised his family, acknowledged his father’s importance, and would run to embrace him after victories. It is true that their relationship was not perfect and had its tensions, as Ayrton sought independence and control over his life and career, which may have caused friction. However, acknowledging those tensions is very different from portraying Milton as an obstacle or a figure Ayrton rejected.

This narrative contributes to the image of a ‘toxic’ or ‘controlling’ family, while Braga and Betise present themselves as the only ones who truly understood and supported Senna in his fullness. It was, ultimately, a public relations strategy aimed at controlling the Ayrton’s legacy and memory. That is why I believe much of the negative discourse surrounding the Senna family is an orchestrated narrative. In essence, it has become an all-out battle over Senna’s memory.

For now, however, let us turn to the subject of charities and philanthropic organizations you asked about: The Ayrton Senna Institute, like many other Third Sector organizations in Brazil and around the world, operates under a system of tax incentives—primarily for donors. The aim is to encourage private investment in social causes, aligning public interest with private benefit. This means that the greatest tax exemption advantages go to the corporate donors working with the Institute, not to the Institute itself. Moreover, by law, it is strictly prohibited to distribute profits or surpluses among the members or founders of a charitable organization, and this rule applies equally to the Ayrton Senna Institute.

Now, let us address the subject of deification during one’s lifetime and marketing. To begin with, working with TV Globo was not really a matter of choice, as it is the largest multimedia company in Brazil. If you wanted to be known in the country and secure support from potential sponsors, it was practically the only option available.

I also notice that you placed particular emphasis on the issue of religion. The truth is that the way religion is approached in other countries is not the same as in Latin America. Here, it is very common for athletes to speak openly about their faith. Football players such as Kaká or boxer Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez are well known for their gestures of faith on the field or in the ring. In Brazil, it is common to see players kneel to thank God after scoring a goal. Senna was no exception; his way of expressing faith was consistent with the religious culture of his country.

I would also like to point out that Christianity and Catholicism, while sharing a common origin, are not the same. Now, even if your interpretation—that when Senna spoke of God he meant he felt favored by God—is valid, it remains subjective. From my perspective, it could just as well have been a reminder to himself that he was not perfect, that he was entirely fallible and vulnerable to something greater: the unpredictability of life. When Senna said ‘God is with me,’ he was not claiming to be God’s favorite; rather, he was entrusting himself to something larger in a context of extreme danger. It was a way of placing his life in the hands of providence, not of asserting a divine right to victory. The press, especially the international press, oversimplified his statements. For a Formula 1 driver in the 1980s and 1990s, when death was a constant shadow, faith was an anchor—not a shield of arrogance.

Now, regarding the issue of deification. I must say I do not share your view that it is merely nostalgia. For the average Latin American, it is common to be dismissed or overshadowed in favor of Europeans. This is NOT only about skin color, but also about culture, features, language, and countless other aspects that define who we are. Senna mattered because he stood firm in a predominantly European sport and refused to abandon his cultural identity (and yes, religiosity was part of that). He accepted the burden of carrying the expectations of a fractured nation, and that was not marketing—it was reality. Today, he is remembered because he remains one of the few role models Latin America has. He consistently highlighted values central to our culture: faith, dedication, discipline, and perseverance.

But deification does not stem solely from that. Take the case of Diego Armando Maradona, for example—a deeply flawed man, yet a prodigy in his craft. He was immortalized in collective memory for giving Argentina victory over England after the devastation of the Falklands War. Maradona himself linked that triumph to the war, describing it as a kind of revenge against the English.

Deification is not just marketing or nostalgia; it is deeply rooted in a society’s need to believe in something, to have a hero who embodies its values and hopes. This need is especially pressing in Latin America, where a history of political, economic, and military failures and humiliations has left people yearning for figures who remind them that they, too, can.

So, my point is, I believe that although many people have tried to position themselves as guardians of Senna’s memory and to construct their own narrative—whether portraying Ayrton Senna as flawless and pristine or otherwise—the truth is that no one created the myth. It is far greater and more powerful than any marketing campaign.

Those who idolized Senna during his lifetime did not do so because they thought he was perfect or because a press agency sold him as a saint. They did so because, in a country that had been ruled by a dictatorship, that was struggling with rampant inflation, and that was viewed internationally as a developing nation, Senna became a beacon of hope. For many, he was the driver who refused to bow to the system, who asserted his identity, his faith, his passion, and who won without renouncing who he truly was. That was not marketing. That resonated with thousands of people around the world.

Myth-making is not based on a polished image. That is why even the attempts of image managers to control his legacy are, at their core, irrelevant. And yeah, if there are so many different versions of the same person, I guess I choose to believe in what he said himself. in the words he left in interviews, when he talked about feeling vulnerable, when he admitted to being a deeply flawed man. To me, that speaks of someone who was profoundly self‑critical.

Another day, another doggy you can’t pet. Meet the dhole (Cuon alpinus). Found widely across parts of Asia from India to China to Indonesia, this social canid typically lives in groups of up to 12 individuals. Sometimes it even socializes with other groups of dholes to form “super packs” of more than 30 members! Teamwork enables these hunters to take down prey ten times their size. And unlike many other species of canid, dholes allow their pups to feed first on kills. Their diet includes pigs, deer, and buffalo.

【Carlos Sainz/Maria de Villota】The star still shines its light on other lives.

On July 3, 2012, María suffered a crash during a test session for the Marussia F1 team in the UK. She sustained severe head injuries, lost one eye, and with it, her dream of racing.

Ten years later, on the exact same day, Carlos Sainz, a driver she once mentored, claimed his first Formula 1 victory at Silverstone.

So, I actually finished the Spanish translation of the Chinese documentary about the rivalry between Senna and Prost.

It's a 2-hour documentary with a lot of interesting content about them.

It took quite a while, and I'm only now getting around to uploading it here. I've had trouble with a proper English translation because, well, I'm not fluent.

In addition to the Spanish file, I've uploaded an English version, but it's purely from Google Translate, so it will probably have some errors. If anyone would like to help me or just review the SRT file of the English version, I would be happy to accept suggestions.

Also, if you are interested in creating subtitles for other languages!

Okay, here's the Drive.

As always, content warning: the documentary includes uncensored footage of crashes and driver deaths. Proceed with caution.

happy new year -------------_--------------------

Maria Teresa de Filippis: racecar driver and fashion icon