By Guto Araujo

If you ask any Brazilian in his 30s, ‘who is the greatest Brazilian hero?’ the answer will automatically be Ayrton Senna, with the follow-up nickname ‘do Brasil’ (from Brazil). It does make you wonder about this unusual idol. Is it a lack of heroes? Why would a Formula 1 driver become the nation’s hero?

After Senna’s death in May 1994, the local media blamed the lack of heroes in Brazilian history for the population’s tears. Many people who never watched a car race before went into mourning, and
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