Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of one of the blackest days in Formula 1 history, the death of Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest — argued by many to, in fact, be the greatest — drivers the sport has ever seen.
May 1, 1994, is a day in motorsports history that will never be forgotten. In the previous two days, Rubens Barrichello had crashed heavily in his Jordan, and Roland Ratzenberger had become the first driver in 12 years to be fatally injured during an official Formula 1 session.
The passing of Ratzenberger should have been a warning to race organizers that the Grand Prix should be canceled. As was the case with so many of the tracks a quarter of a decade ago, safety was minimal, despite the efforts of drivers like Jackie Stewart to improve things on this front, and safety considerations on the cars were equally lacking. Look at the venues once deemed suitable for Grand Prix racing and try to imagine them being used now. It’s not easy.
The race went ahead, and on lap 7, Senna ran off the track and into the concrete barrier at roughly 190 mph around the fearsome Tamburello corner.
Other than seeing recordings of the race, the excellent Senna feature documentary and reading a lot about the events surrounding the weekend, I have no personal connection to the events of the day. However, as a 3-year-old at the time, my earliest memory came later that evening when Murray Walker, known as the voice of motorsport in the U.K., came on during the news and made the tragic announcement.
I have no memory of how it made me feel, how I reacted or if it even meant anything to me at the time but looking back on his death now 25 years on, the effect of F1 as a sport has been profound and is still felt constantly. Safety of drivers, fans, marshals, everyone at the circuit in fact, is the first consideration, not an afterthought. Huge runoff areas, constantly evolving barrier protection and most the halo device, all have been born from not just the memory of Senna, but of all those who have perished in the sport before him, and in the case of Jules Bianchi, since.
In 1994, Senna was regarded by many as the greatest driver of all time. Now, being of the generation that I am, Michael Schumacher will likely always hold that title for me but going back and watching some of Senna’s races, Donington 1993 for the European Grand Prix always springs instantly to mind, it is clear to see why many drivers hold him up as the best of them all.
When Michael Schumacher equalled the win total of Senna at the 2000 Italian Grand Prix, he broke down in tears during the press conference — the moment also affecting second place man Mika Hakkinen. When Lewis Hamilton equalled Senna’s championship total and pole total, the Senna family gave Hamilton one of the Brazilian’s actual race helmets and the Briton was left in a moment of shock. After all, Senna was Hamilton's hero.
If those at the top say he was the best, it’s difficult to disagree.
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