The 1994 F1 season was an unforgettable one for motorsport fans around the world. Not one, but two F1 drivers have died this year, something that has never happened and will happen again.
The season, specifically the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, marked F1’s eighth anniversary after Elio de Angelis died while testing a Brabham at Circuit Paul Ricard in 1986.
But it all started when Roland Ratzenberger died during qualifying, Ayrton Senna it broke . advertising Tom Rubython, in his The Life of Senna: The Biography of Ayrton Senna, describes the moment when Senna broke up with Sid Watkins when he learned of Ratzenberger’s death. According to Watkins, a British neurosurgeon, who died, “Airton fell and cried on my shoulder.”
The 1994 San Marino race was Ratzenberger’s second race while driving for the Simtek Racing team. During qualifying, the dead Austrian crashed into the barrier at a speed of 314.9 kilometers per hour and immediately lost consciousness.
Television cameras showed the driver’s head sliding against the side of the cab. In fact, Ratzenberger was clinically ill when Watkins, the FIA’s medical director, arrived. Watkins and his team arrived 25 seconds later to check on Ratzenberger and check on him, but by then it was too late.
Senna, in the first race at the time, ran to meet Ratzenberger, but it was too late. By then, the dead Austrian had already been taken to hospital by ambulance. In the end, it was Roland Ratzenberger’s tragic end.
Ayrton Senna did not get off to a good start in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The start of the San Marino Grand Prix was a nightmare for Ayrton Senna. It all started with Rubens Barrichello’s crash during practice and ended with Senna’s death.
Meanwhile, Ratzenberger was the victim when his Simtek crashed into a wall at high speed. Describing the crash, Damon Hill said in his book: “There was so much destruction as we went that I really thought about their situation.” We were lucky with Barrichello. It was clear that poor Roland was not going to be fired this time. Today we remember Roland Ratzenberger, who died in an accident while qualifying for the 1994 San Marino GP.
In particular, Senna was also shocked to see Barrichello’s accident. A former Brazilian driver was injured after his car was seen skidding off the track and crashing into a wall at high speed. After witnessing the accident, Senna was so worried that he cried.
Also, Ayrton Senna cried with his girlfriend Adriane after Barrichello’s crash, and that didn’t change after he saw Roland Ratzenberger die. In the end, Ayrton Senna did not survive the crash while racing at the Tamburello corner.