MIAMI – While the spotlight is preparing to focus on the Miami Grand Prix where Ayrton Senna will be honored this week, it was time for contemplation on the other side of the Atlantic. Hundreds of people gathered in Imola to remember one of the greatest drivers in history.
30 years ago today, his Williams car hit the concrete wall of the Tamburello corner at more than 300 km/h during the 7e lap while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Terrifying images that remain forever engraved in the memory of car racing fans. Under the force of the impact, his car was pulverized. Hit on the head by the right tire, Senna was unconscious in the cockpit while help rushed.
Transported to hospital, the three-time world champion (1988, 1990 and 1991) died six hours after the accident.
A minute of silence
At 2:17 p.m. local time, hundreds of fans, politicians from Brazil, Italy and Austria as well as Formula 1 big boss Stefano Domenicali gathered for a minute’s silence and depose flowers in the Tamburello bend.
In Brazil, fans also gathered at the Morumbi cemetery in Sao Paulo, where the pilot is buried. Photos, wreaths of flowers and Brazilian flags were placed where the icon of a generation who died at the age of 34 rests.
AFP
AFP
AFP
But also, the people gathered in San Marino honored the memory of Roland Ratzenberger who also lost his life during qualifying for the disastrous 1994 Grand Prix. Austrian rookie driver for MTV Simtek Ford, he died in the Villeneuve bend of the circuit 24 hours before Senna.
“They are part of sports history and history for what they represented,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
The 1994 edition of the Imola Grand Prix was marked by numerous serious incidents. In addition to the fatal crashes of Ratzenberger and Senna, Rubens Barrichello miraculously survived a violent accident during testing.
