How the anthem came to be associated with the achievements of the greatest driver in Brazilian motorsport
30 years ago, the world lost Ayrton Senna. It was on the fateful May 1, 1994, at the San Marino GP, in Italy, that the three-time F1 champion and Brazilian hero had an accident at the Tamburello curve, in Ímola, ending a journey of victories and success.
With Senna, he would also silence, for some time, the “Victory Theme”, an anthem eternally associated with the pilot’s victories. Recorded in 1981 by the maestro Eduardo Souto Neto and with group arrangement New clothesthe song was a request from the artistic director of Rede Globo, Aloysio Legeyfor the conclusion of the 1983 Brazilian GP. After that, it would be generally used to indicate the victories of any driver, until 1985. Only in 1986, it would start to include only the victories of Brazilian riders.
Senna’s association with the “Theme of Victory” became an object of study. In the article Ayrton Senna: the discursive memory of the song Tema da Vitóriathe researcher Neuza Benedita da Silva Zattar, from the State University of Mato Grosso (Unemat), explains how the relationship, now inseparable, between the song and the pilot came about. In the text, she recalls:
“However, the driver’s relationship with the anthem Tema da Vitória took place in 1985, when Senna won his first victory in Formula 1 at the Belgian GP. This event was marked by the performance of the song which, crossed by the onomatopoeic noises of the machines from Williams or McLaren, was mixed with the fiery voice of Rede Globo’s sports commentator, Galvão Bueno, who incessantly repeated “Ayrton, Ayrton Senna from Brazil” to tell Brazilians from the four corners of the country who had won that day’s Grand Prix .”
In total, there were 73 executions in Brazilian motorsport (via Flying down), with Senna absolutely leading the number of individual victories based on the theme, with 31 of the times. Nelson Piquet It is Rubens Barrichello would be tied for second place, with 11 executions each, followed by Felipe Massawith 10.
Senna, the greatest Brazilian driver in the history of F1, would have the main association with the song. Her first victory, achieved by her, was on June 22, in Detroitus U.Swhile competing for Lotus. More than the theme itself, it would be its combination with the gesture of taking out the Brazilian flag that would become the champion driver’s trademark.
Throughout his career, Senna would go through Tolerman, Lotus, McLaren It is Williams and would win three world championships. In Formula 1, he won 41 victories – most of them based on the “Victory Theme”. His early death, in 1993, would make the topic silent from 1993 to 2000, when it would be used for Brazilian victories in other sports, but not in F1 (via FlatOut). The seven-year hiatus would end in 2000, at the German GP, with the victory of Rubens Barrichello, then recently hired by Ferrari.
Listen to the “Victory Theme” below:
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
