How first overseas trip ended in tragic death of F1 superfan

A young Brazilian Formula 1 superfan who sadly passed away while in Japan, less than a month after watching the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix has been revealed to have only been travelling overseas for a first time.

30-year-old Amanda Borges da Silva was an influencer, delighting her fans with pictures from her first experience of an abroad F1 race in early April, when she caught Max Verstappen's spectacular victory around the Suzuka International Circuit.

However, having opted to stay in Japan travelling following last month's race, the 30-year-old was sadly found dead in her hotel room on Thursday May 1, following a terrible fire.

Said to be an F1 superfan, Amanda had not left her native Brazil until this trip, where she started off in Seoul before making her way to Japan on a solo international trip.

Flavia Muniz, Amanda's friend for about 10 years, told Brazilian publication Globo that Amanda had got the idea of travelling alone from a friend.

"She was talking to a friend of ours, who had already travelled abroad, about how afraid she was of travelling alone," Muniz said. "I don't think it was planned."

A man has been arrested over the incident, on suspicion of leaving the premises without extinguishing the fire, which according to reports had been burning for quite some time.

Amanda was in a hotel near to Narita Airport at the time, and had been expected to board a flight back to Brazil just hours before her body was discovered, according to Globo.

Amanda Borges da Silva's fans pay tribute

Amanda was a popular influencer on Instagram, with her page boasting over 13,000 followers, and she had described to her fans how much she 'loved' Japan, in a post that showed her at the F1 race in Suzuka.

She was reportedly impressed by the rural landscape and the safety in Japan, and on the day before she died, she had said to her mother on the phone, "I feel safe in Japan," according to Japanese publication Sankei Shimbun.

Now, the aforementioned Instagram post - along with several others on Amanda's profile - are filled with tributes to the 30-year-old from her fans, with well-wishers also passing on their condolences to her family.

Another of Amanda's friends, James Fernandes, confirmed to Brazilian media that her first international trip had seen her 'out of Brazil since March.'

In an interview with Brazilian TV channel Anhanguera, her mother then went on to say that Amanda had planned to return to her home town of Goias at the end of May: "She was going to get together with the whole family, she liked to have barbecues," Valdeina Borges said.

"She said that she couldn't come on Mother's Day, but that she would come on the 20th, but it didn't work out."

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