Death of Ayrton Senna - Funeral

Funeral

Senna's death was considered by many of his Brazilian fans to be a national tragedy, and the Brazilian government declared three days of national mourning. Contrary to airline policy, Senna's coffin was allowed to be flown back to his home country not as cargo but in the passenger cabin of Varig's McDonnell Douglas MD-11 commercial jetliner (registration PP-VOQ (cn 48435/478)), accompanied by his younger brother, Leonardo, and close friends. Senna's coffin was covered with a large Brazilian flag.

The funeral was broadcast live on Brazilian television and an estimated three million people lined the streets of his hometown of São Paulo in what was widely accepted to be the largest recorded gathering of mourners in modern times. Many prominent motor racing figures attended Senna's state funeral, notably Alain Prost, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill, Rubens Barrichello (Ayrton's new protégé) and Emerson Fittipaldi who were among the pallbearers. However, Senna's family did not allow FOM president Bernie Ecclestone to attend, and FIA President Max Mosley instead attended the funeral of Roland Ratzenberger which took place on 7 May 1994, in Salzburg, Austria. Mosley said in a press conference ten years later, "I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his." Senna was buried at the Morumbi Cemetery in São Paulo. His grave bears the epitaph "Nada pode me separar do amor de Deus", which means "Nothing can separate me from the love of God" (a reference to Romans 8:38–39).

A testament to the adulation he inspired among fans worldwide was the scene at the Tokyo headquarters of Honda where the McLaren cars were typically displayed after each race. Upon his death, so many floral tributes were received that they overwhelmed the large exhibit lobby. This was in spite of the fact Senna no longer drove for McLaren and furthermore that McLaren, in the preceding seasons, did not use Honda power. Senna had a special relationship with company founder Soichiro Honda and was revered in Japan, where he achieved a near mythic status. For the next race at Monaco, the FIA decided to leave the first two grid positions empty and painted them with the colours of the Brazilian and the Austrian flags, to honour Senna and Ratzenberger.