Ayrton Senna

About Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna (1960–1994) was a Brazilian racing driver widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of Formula 1. MIT's Pantheon project ranks him at #738 in historical importance, acknowledging his profound global cultural impact, largely due to his unparalleled success and charismatic, often controversial, presence in motorsport. He secured three Formula 1 World Drivers' Championships and was celebrated for his raw speed, particularly in qualifying, and his near-mythical status in his home country.

Despite this high historical ranking, Senna experiences significant overattention in the digital sphere relative to his importance. He garnered approximately 3.0 million annualized Wikipedia pageviews in 2025, placing him in a cohort that receives roughly 9 times the online attention his historical rank might suggest. To illustrate this attention disparity, figures ranked significantly higher in the HPI, such as Horace (#442), received only 267K views, meaning Senna commanded over eleven times the annual traffic despite a lower measure of overall historical influence.

This considerable attention, however, is showing signs of waning. Senna's 2025 views show a -23.0% year-over-year decline, and his quarterly momentum between Q1 and Q3 was also negative at -12%, indicating that while his digital footprint is currently large, the trend suggests a gradual fading from the immediate focus of the modern internet.