Former Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna was honored this Tuesday at the Imola circuit with a minute of silence at 2:17 pm local time (1:17 pm in Lisbon), the time he lost his life 30 years ago.
The Brazilian, three-time world champion (1988, 1990 and 1991), with 41 victories, 65 pole positions and 80 podiums in Formula 1, died on May 1, 1994, at the age of 34, after colliding with the wall at the Tamburello curve during the San Marino Grand Prix.
Paying homage to Senna, who is still considered by many to be the best Formula 1 driver of all time, was attended by several personalities from the premier sport of motorsport and representatives of the Brazilian, Italian and Austrian governments.
On the same weekend as Ayrton Senna’s death, the Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger also died, the day before, during qualifications, after also colliding with a wall, on the section of the track known as the Villeneuve curve.
In today’s ceremony, in addition to Senna, the Austrian was also remembered, with the placing of flowers at the sites of the fatal accidents involving the two drivers, after a minute of silence had been observed.
For the first time in 30 years, Senna’s Williams F16 returned to the track at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari racetrack, in the place it occupied on the day it took its last lap, with a model that is the only original copy of the single-seater destroyed in the accident.
“Ayrton Senna, that afternoon 30 years ago, was convinced he was going to win. He had the Austrian flag inside his car, he wanted to dedicate the victory to Roland Ratzenberger, a teammate who died the day before. It’s a demonstration of how sport can and should unite “, said the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, António Tajani, today.
In the accident, at a speed estimated at 220 kilometers per hour, Senna suffered serious head injuries and was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Bologna, where his death was confirmed, probably shortly after the impact and caused by the fact that his helmet having been punctured by damage to the car’s front suspension.
The car’s right front wheel, which came off, also hit the Brazilian star’s head.
The Brazilian’s remains are in the Morumbi cemetery, in São Paulo.
