When the Formula 1 world stood still: The tragedy of Imola

“It was as if Jesus had been crucified live,” said Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. The Salzburg Ratzenberger died on April 30, 1994 during qualifying. A day later, Senna, as the race leader, crashed his Williams into a wall. The 34-year-old suffered head injuries so severe that he died hours later.

Senna was Formula 1 world champion in 1988, 1990 and 1991 and was considered one of the best drivers in history during his lifetime. “As if a deity had died,” his long-time physiotherapist, Josef Leberer from Salzburg, once put it. The Senna myth can of course also be explained by the fact that no one can say what he would have achieved in terms of sport.

Ayrton Senna was a Formula 1 legend. © ANSA / ANSA

Before the horror weekend, no Formula 1982 driver had died in a race since the death of Riccardo Paletti in Montreal in 1. The fateful days of Imola can only be compared with June 19, 1960, when two drivers, the British Alan Stacey and Chris Bristow, had a fatal accident at the Belgian Grand Prix on the old Spa circuit. A tragedy in several acts Like a classic tragedy, the accident unfolded in several acts. On Friday, Senna's declared successor Rubens Barrichello escaped with minor injuries in a rollover crash. On Saturday, Ratzenberger had an accident at over 300 km/h after the front wing of his Simtek Ford broke. Death due to a fractured skull base due to a head-on impact into the concrete barrier - the 33-year-old died at the scene of the accident.

Senna was shocked. At the scene of the accident he cried on the shoulder of Formula 1 chief doctor Sid Watkins. According to his own memories, the neurosurgeon wanted to persuade the 34-year-old to resign immediately. “What else do you want to prove?” he asked Senna. “Stop it and let’s go fishing.”

Senna's girlfriend at the time, Adriane Galisteu, said he had a "very bad feeling" about the race. After his 65th pole position, he preferred not to drive at all. The 41-time Grand Prix winner did it anyway. And right at the start of the European season on Sunday there was another crash. The Portuguese Pedro Lamy drove the Lotus with full force into the stopped Benetton of the Finn JJ Lehto, flying vehicle parts injured several spectators.

After the restart, the Senna tragedy happened. The driver, who only switched from McLaren to Williams before the season, lost control of his car on the sixth lap and hit a concrete wall at an acute angle in the Tamburello curve in front of a TV audience of millions. The Brazilian sat lifeless in the wreckage with his head tilted slightly to the side and the race management canceled the Grand Prix. Senna was rescued and taken to the Maggiore Clinic in Bologna. After hours of hoping, Senna's death was announced in the evening. National mourning and security issues There was three days of national mourning in Brazil, and Formula 1 plunged into a crisis of meaning. Under the insistence of the then head of the motorsport world association, Max Mosley, the racing series underwent a safety treatment that was essential to its survival after years in which accidents had ended relatively lightly. The grief in Brazil – and around the world – was immense. © APA/afp / ANTONIO SCORZA

On May 13, 1994, the drivers' union GPDA was revived in Monaco, which Senna had already suggested in Imola. At the instigation of its then boss Max Mosley, the FIA tightened the crash tests, the race tracks were given larger run-off zones, and the concrete walls disappeared. The cockpits were given higher side walls, and later the direct protection of the head and neck was significantly improved thanks to the HANS system.

“Without the events at Imola, it would have taken us 20 or 30 years longer to get to where we are today in terms of road safety,” Mosley later said. In Formula 1, no driver should be involved in a fatal accident for the next 20 years. Then on October 5, 2014, Jules Bianchi had an accident on wet roads at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. The Frenchman died nine months later as a result of his serious injuries.

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When the Formula 1 world stood still: The tragedy of Imola

Today, May 1st, is probably the blackest weekend in Formula 1. At the San Marino Grand Prix 25 years ago, the Austrian Roland Ratzenberger and the Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna died in accidents within 25 hours of each other. The Imola disaster changed motorsport forever.

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