Formula 1's Darkest Day

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Today (1^st May 2014) marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of arguably the greatest racing driver the world has ever seen, Ayrton Senna.

That such genius could be snuffed out by a freak accident is still something I struggle to grasp. For those of us that love the sport, and are old enough to remember Imola, 1^st May 1994, will be a day for ever etched into our memories. That it occurred 24 hours after the death of Roland Ratzenberger in practice for the same Grand Prix only added to the tragedy.

I was lucky enough to see Senna race, both early in his career, in Formula 3 and when he was at his peak in Formula 1. If I live to be 100 I will never see better.

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Ayrton Senna: Nigel Mansell leads tributes to 'thoroughbred racer'

Nigel Mansell said Ayrton Senna would be remembered as a "true thoroughbred racer" as he led tributes on the 20th anniversary of the Brazilian's death.

Senna, who won three Formula 1 titles, died aged 34 on 1 May 1994 when he crashed his Williams during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

Read more...

Edited May 19, 2014 by Waspie_Dwarf
added tags.

[+Liquid Gardens]

I had noticed there's a documentary on him that is highly reviewed on Netflix but hadn't heard of him before your post, Formula racing isn't that huge in the US. I didn't even realize there was such a thing as Formula 3, not that I technically know what Formula 1 is either; I think they're races with what we call in the US, 'Indy-cars' (i.e., not Nascar)) but probably much more to it than that. I'll have to check it out, didn't realize he was so great and had such an impact.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

At that time Formula 1 did not have quite the same top speed as an Indy Car on an oval, but the acceleration, deceleration and cornering speeds were far higher.

Senna had car control that was unbelievable. It's a shame he isn't well known in the US.

[+Liquid Gardens]

At that time Formula 1 did not have quite the same top speed as an Indy Car on an oval, but the acceleration, deceleration and cornering speeds were far higher.

Senna had car control that was unbelievable. It's a shame he isn't well known in the US.

Ah, I had thought about that after I posted, that I'm thinking of Indy Cars just by their general look. We do have Grand Prixes here where they race over a course through streets with more turns, and it makes sense that despite what they look like they are different than the similar looking cars that race in an oval at the Indy 500. Definitely don't take my word for it that he's not well known in the US, we're drowning in sports vying for our attention over here, and obviously NASCAR is the dominant auto racing organization here currently (not that I follow it much). Thanks for posting, I'm definitely interested in seeing the documentary now.

[StarMountainKid]

A great loss, but that was back when F1 racing was still a dangerous sport. I remember reading one F1 driver in the '60s saying he hated his car, as every time he sat in it he didn't know he'd live to finish a race.

Bruce McLaren said, “To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.”

[Waspie_Dwarf]

A great loss, but that was back when F1 racing was still a dangerous sport.

I would disagree.

Formula 1 will always be a dangerous sport, but the deaths of Senna and Ratzenberger came as such a shock because they came in a period of relative safety. There had not been a fatality in a race since Riccardo Paletti in June 1982 and no F1 fatalities at all since Elio De Angelis died in a private test session in 1986.

The '60s and '70's were the real dangerous periods of F1 (between 1968 & 1978 11 drivers were killed during F1 races). It was work by the '69,'71 and '73 World Champion, Jackie Stewart and others that made F1 a much safer sport. The introduction of carbon fibre made the cars much safer and that occurred in the '80s.

To claim that Senna's death was a result of the sport being in it's dangerous period shows a lack of understanding of the cars of the period and the manner of Senna's death.

Senna's accident was a freak, he should have survived it. If he had the same accident 1000 times he would have walked away, unhurt, 999 times. He was hit in the head by his own wheel. The broken suspension penetrated his helmet visor and caused him massive brain damage.

No matter how safe you make F! cars, when they are capable of travelling at 200 mph they will be capable of causing death. You can never prevent freak accidents.

[StarMountainKid]

I stand corrected. I was into F1 in the '60s and '70s, got away from the sport in the '80s and '90s, then became interested again in the middle 2000's, so my knowledge of the Senna era is limited.

I've wondered, in equal cars, how would Senna and Jim Clark match up over a series of races? My opinion is it would be difficult to choose a victor. They raced in different eras it's always said, but I think that doesn't matter for a truly great driver.

In a hypothetical series like this, Senna may have crashed Clark out to win. However, if Clark had crashed by himself, Senna may have stopped his car to help Clark, thus not finishing a race himself. A complex personality.