Had he not been killed in that tragic accident at Imola almost 20 years ago, Ayrton Senna would be 54 today; a fact celebrated by Google in many regions with a special doodle designed to honor Formula 1’s greatest champion.

Ayrton Senna worked his way up the motorsport ladder step by step, starting from Karting, then Formula Ford, the Formula 3 and eventually Formula 1. He won the F1 world championship three times, and was the star of some of the greatest moments in the history of the sport, from legendary overtaking maneuvers, to deliberately crashing into his rivals, to stopping in the middle of the race to help a fellow driver.

Senna was born into a wealthy family, but he was a devout Christian and spent a lot of time and money helping the underprivileged, especially in his home country.