Ted Toleman, who has died aged 86, provided Ayrton Senna with his introduction to grand prix racing. The team bearing Toleman’s name entered Formula One in 1981 and got off to a faltering start, but three years later they came close to giving the great Brazilian, a future triple world champion, a spectacular first victory in only his fifth race at the top level.
Rain fell heavily during the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix. Senna, then aged 24, started from the 13th slot on the 20-car grid and used all his precocious skill in the treacherous conditions to overtake one rival after another on the tight two-mile street circuit until he found himself in second place behind Alain Prost’s McLaren.
