WATCH: Highlights of Ayrton Senna's first F1 victory in the spectacular 1985 Portuguese GP

Oct 18, 2020 11:57am UTC

The Portuguese Grand Prix returns to the Formula 1 calendar this year for the first time since 1996. The race has witnessed many fine drives over the years, but perhaps none as impressive as the 1985 event, when Ayrton Senna took his very first Formula 1 victory.

The Brazilian was in just his second season of F1, and his first with the Lotus team. He had gone close to taking his maiden F1 win in his first year of course, with that amazing drive in the wet in Monaco when he finished second to Alain Prost.

And fittingly for such a superb wet weather driver, Senna's first win came in torrential conditions at Estoril in just his second race for Lotus.

With drivers like Prost, Nigel Mansell and Keke Rosberg sliding all over the treacherous surface as the rain thundered down, Senna drove like a veteran, calmly steering his car around the track to take the chequered flag, for his first of 41 wins.

Hit play in the video above to see the highlights from an extraordinary race.

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