1994 San Marino Grand Prix

Lore & Background

Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger and Brazilian three-time world champion Ayrton Senna lost their lives in separate accidents during the event. In addition to the two fatalities, other incidents saw injuries to driver Rubens Barrichello plus several mechanics and spectators. The deaths were the first fatalities in the Formula One World Championship since the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, and the first with two driver deaths since the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix. Senna was given a state funeral in his home town of São Paulo, Brazil, where around 500,000 people (some estimates put the number at 2 million) lined the streets to watch the coffin pass. Italian prosecutors charged six people with manslaughter in connection with Senna's death: Frank Williams, Adrian Newey, Patrick Head, Federico Bendinelli, Giorgio Poggi, and Roland Bruynseraede, all of whom were later acquitted. The case took more than 11 years to conclude due to an appeal and a retrial following the original verdict of not guilty.

In Their Own Story

The air at Imola hung heavy with a silence that felt unnatural for a Formula 1 weekend. As the grid lined up under a grey sky, the usual roar of engines seemed muted by grief. When Senna's Williams left the track at Tamburello, the world stopped. In the pit lane and on the sidelines, drivers watched in horror as the legend they all admired was lost forever, marking the end of an era before the first lap had truly begun.

Reader's Guide

These tragedies proved to be a major turning point in both the 1994 season, and in the development of Formula One itself, particularly with regard to safety. This led to a reforming of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association after a 12-year hiatus, and the changing of many track layouts and car designs. Since the race, numerous regulation changes have been made to slow Formula One cars down and new circuits incorporate large run-off areas to slow cars before they collide with a wall. As a result of increased standards in safety subsequent to this race, there were no fatalities for a period of 20 years from the deaths of Ratzenberger and Senna, a period which ended with the crash of Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix which led to his death the following year.

Did You Know?

• Ratzenberger's death marked the first Formula One race weekend fatality since the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix when Riccardo Paletti was killed.
• Senna had qualified on pole position based on his lap time in Friday qualifying, having not set a time in the Saturday qualifying session following Ratzenberger's death.
• On 1 May 1994, during the customary drivers' briefing, the remaining drivers agreed to the reformation of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, with Senna, Gerhard Berger and Michael Schumacher as its first directors.