Ayrton Senna is considered the best driver of all time in Formula 1 for his virtuous and at the same time fierce driving style with which he won three titles. He was the protagonist of the greatest rivalry in the Grand Circus together with the Frenchman Alain Prost, with whom he shared a team at McLaren. As for pilots, Formula 1 has a before and after Ayrton Senna.
In addition to being a virtuous pilot, Senna was a charismatic driver who pushed the modest car of the Toleman team to the limit at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, in which he finished second, second only to Alain Prost. It was no coincidence that in 1985 he was signed by Lotus and then by McLaren in 1988.
Who was Ayrton Senna?
Ayrton Senna was born on March 21, 1960, in Sao Paulo, Brazil and He was champion in Formula 1 in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The 1989 championship is also usually linked. His legacy is still valid, as Most of the drivers that make up the current Formula 1 grid place Senna as their greatest idol and inspiration to reach the Great Circus.
Senna shared the track with legends of the caliber of Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Damon Hill y Michael Schumacher, in addition to the aforementioned Alain Prost. ‘Magic’ as it was also known, turned the track into its natural habitat. The curves of the circuits did not challenge him, but he challenged every inch of each curve, but he also challenged the authorities.
Senna had several disagreements with FIA President Jean-Marie Balestre of France who is awarded Senna’s disqualification in the 1989 season who snatched the title from him that was finally left in the hands of Prost. Other of the various differences centered on safety issues for the pilots.
The death of Ayrton Senna, the greatest of all time
However, Senna’s story on the slopes ended on May 1, 1994, at the San Marino Grand Prix, at the Imola circuit, which we currently know as the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, where every year tributes are paid in the statue that was built to him.
That day, Senna died aboard the Williams team car after colliding with a concrete wall at 310 kilometers per hour, at the exit of the Tamburello curve. After the crash, one of the pieces of the car came off and caused a fatal injury to his skull.
There are various theories about the piece that caused his death, However, the one that has transcended the most points to the address barthe same one that would have broken just at the moment when he tried to continue turning his car to the left as he had done in that curve in the previous six laps.
Theories indicate that the bar break prevented the car from being controlled and although telemetry shows that he tried to brake at all costs, the short distance between the track and the wall caused the strong impact. People say that if that piece had hit the hull 15 centimeters higher or 15 centimeters lower, Senna would have escaped under her own power.
The accident occurred on the seventh lap at 2:17 in the afternoon, when he was leading the race with a comfortable advantage over Michael Schumacher, his closest pursuer. Some track commissioners immediately approached and TV pictures showed Ayrton with his head slightly to the right. There was still some slight movement of the neck before two medics arrived on scene at 2:19.
Senna was removed from the car between five people and on the asphalt a tracheotomy was performed. At 2:32 a.m. the helicopter was transferred to a hospital in Bologna and It was not until 6:40 a.m. when Dr. Maria Teresa Fiandri, head of the resuscitation service at the Maggiore Hospital, confirmed the death of the pilot.
However, there are versions that assure that in reality Senna died on the track and that he did not communicate about the event so that the race could continue. Schumacher won that race and on the podium there were no celebrations.
Investigations after the accident in Imola
After the death of the pilot, the Italian authorities began an investigation into the accident and several directors of the Williams team were held responsible, including the director of the team, Frank Williams, by Adrian Neweyresponsible for the design of that car.
Those implicated in the accusations were acquitted in 1997, after 32 hearings and 10 months of trials. Newey considered moving away from motorsports or at least from Formula 1, despite his brilliant career.
“Was the accident caused by something we had designed? Did we want to be involved in a sport where a driver could die in a machine we had designed? Physically, I lost the little hair I had left”, shares in his biography book.
The moment when Senna’s spirit left
Sid Watkins, Formula 1’s chief physician He was the first to attend to it. He narrated that he found a fatal wound that left fatal neurological signs.
Watkins had a great friendship with Senna and one day before the race, after the death of Roland Ratzenberger on the same circuit, he asked Senna not to race. “You are the fastest man in the world and you have three titles. Why don’t you drop this, I’ll drop it too, and we’ll go fishing.” but Senna refused, despite the fact that she did not have a good feeling for that race.
The doctor narrated that after removing ‘Magic’ from the car and after removing his helmet, Ayrton sighed and his body completely relaxed.. Watkins interpreted that that was the moment when Senna’s spirit had departed.
