PHOTOS: Ayrton Senna’s first F1 win

Ayrton Senna claimed his first victory in Formula 1 on this day in 1985, mastering difficult conditions in a wet Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril.

At the wheel of a Lotus 97T, he won from Ferrari’s Michele Alboreto, with Patrick Tambay third for Renault.

Senna was a rising star at the time, announcing himself at the Monaco Grand Prix a year prior when he was second to the chequered flag behind Alain Prost.

The 1985 Portuguese GP was another breakthrough as the Brazilian claimed his first F1 pole before a crushing performance saw him win by over a minute.

After the race he suggested it should have been stopped given the dangerous conditions – worse, he argued, than they’d been at Monaco in 1984.

At one point, Senna left the road, by his own admission recovering through luck rather than skill.

Senna later softened and considered it one of the key accomplishments of his career.

“One of the best moments of my career was my first victory in Formula 1, in Portugal, in the rain,” he said.

“It was also the first pole position of my career and, together with my first championship, was one of the best, if not the best moment of my career so far.

“It was a race full of memories, full of excitement.”