Ayrton Senna arrived at Imola for the San Marino Grand Prix under pressure. The pre-season favourite had failed to score any points in the first two races, whereas Michael Schumacher won both events. The Imola weekend would turn out to be one of the most tragic in motor racing history.
Ratzenberger Killed in Formula 1 Qualifying
On the Friday Rubens Barrichello escaped from a huge accident in his Jordan with relatively minor injuries, but the next day the luck ran out. Roland Ratzenberger, competing in only his third Formula 1 weekend, suffered a catastrophic front wing failure at fastest section of the track. His Simtek slammed head-on into a concrete wall, giving the unfortunate Austrian no chance of survival. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
Ratzenberger was the first person to be killed in a Formula 1 car since Elio De Angelis at a Paul Ricard test in May, 1986. The last driver to die at a race meeting was Riccardo Paletti, at the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix.
Qualifying resumed but it was a sombre affair. Senna, who had gone to the scene of Ratzenberger’s crash, took pole. Next came Schumacher, Gerhard Berger (a countryman and friend of Ratzenberger’s), Damon Hill, JJ Lehto and Nicola Larini.
Senna Killed in San Marino Grand Prix Crash
The San Marino Grand Prix started badly. Lehto stalled his Benetton and was rammed from behind by Pedro Lamy’s Lotus, launching debris into a spectator area. The safety car was deployed while the mess was cleaned up. At the re-start Senna led from Schumacher. The cars started their second lap at racing speed and approached the flat-out Tamburello curve, a left-hander.
An onboard camera on Schumacher’s car showed Senna’s Williams suddenly change course and dart to the right. The car ploughed into a concrete retaining wall, rebounded and slowly came to halt. Senna sat motionless in the shattered remains and the race was stopped. Professor Sid Watkins, the Grand Prix doctor, arrived, but his close friend was beyond medical help. Senna was airlifted to hospital in Bologna and pronounced dead early that evening.
The race was re-started, and Schumacher won from Larini and Hakkinen. Even though he had extended his lead in the World Championship, there was nothing to celebrate. The greatest driver of his generation was dead. Found in the cockpit of Senna’s Williams was an Austrian flag, which he had planned to fly as a tribute to the unfortunate Ratzenberger at the end of the race.
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