Thirty years have passed since Senna’s death at the Imola circuit. But his memory lives on. His fans from all over the world left flowers at the turn of the track. A minute’s silence in memory of the great Ayrton Senna at the Imola circuit. Heads down, people from all over the world with flowers in their hands at the place where the three-time F1 world champion, the most talented and iconic driver of all time, lost his life at the wheel of the Williams Renault car. But that dark weekend of late April-early May 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix did not start well. THE Ruber Barrichelloalso a Brazilian F1 driver, was seriously injured, the next day the Austrian Roland Razenberg, in his first year in Formula, was killed instantly on the track after a severe collision at 314.9 kilometers per hour.

“He broadcast more than sports”

When on that May Day 1994 Senna started from first place next to Michael Schumacher, two opposing world champions, nothing foreshadowed what was to come. But he seemed to be weighed down with thoughts, his mind was elsewhere. Sena’s partner confided after the accident that after his fatal accident Roland Razenberg he had seen Cena crying and asking for the match to be postponed with an apparently bad feeling. But Ayrton Senna didn’t “die”. It was remembered, as every year, by their thousands of fans. Like the Daniele Minuccio from Venice. “Ayrton Senna was not only an F1 champion, he was also a great man. He was a man who was able to convey to fans around the world the most important values ​​of life, such as solidarity, love, dedication to his profession and competitiveness and thus set an example for many. He managed to make millions of people around the world love him, because he was a man who conveyed much more than the idea of ​​sports.”

Their fans walked the track and left flowers on the corner wall where his car crashed at a speed of 233 kilometers per hour. Ayrton only managed to brake in the last two seconds, but it was too late. Within two minutes his medical team had him out of the car, a tracheotomy was performed on the spot, he was taken to hospital but he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Many scenarios, no certainty

“Let the death of two great athletes, Senna and Rajenberg, be the seed for something positive, so that the values ​​of sport can always be transmitted and appreciated by young people who need positive examples,” said the Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani. “And these two children who died thirty years ago are two positive examples.” To date, various scenarios have been heard about the causes of the accident, but there is no certainty. The prevailing version is that the right front and part of the wishbone and suspension struck Sienna on the right side of his helmet causing his head to move backwards crushing his brain. A piece of the front suspension pierced the helmet and caused a forehead injury. Senna suffered a fatal skull fracture, brain injuries and sudden cardiac arrest.

Michael Schumacher, the other legend of F1, dealt very intensively with the deaths of his two teammates, Senna and Rajenberg, as he confided in 2006 in a magazine Süddeutsche Zeitung. And he was even toying with the idea of ​​quitting the sport. “That’s another reason why I didn’t go to Ayrton’s funeral then, but for a test” he confessed. “I had to know if I could still drive, if I would still enjoy it. Besides, I didn’t want to cry in public, everyone would expect to see me cry.” Even today the tears do not seem to have dried up for Sena, as was evident from yesterday’s memorial service. Ayrton Senna continues to “live” 30 years later.

Reuters TV, DPA, AF, SZ