- F1 driver Ayrton Senna died after a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy on May 1, 1994.
- Senna’s crash was one of two fatal accidents that occurred that weekend on the track.
- After Senna’s death, better safety measures were established.
Netflix’s new limited series “Senna” dramatizes the life of late Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, chronicling his achievements as a three-time world champion and his fatal crash in 1994.
The six-episode scripted series, starring Gabriel Leone as the titular character, shows the Brazilian driver’s humble beginnings in karting, his move to Europe to compete in Formula Ford, and the highs and lows of his 10 years in Formula 1.
But Senna’s death, the result of a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1, 1994, looms over the series. The final episode of “Senna” recounts that ill-fated weekend in Imola, Italy.
Here’s what happened leading up to Senna’s crash and how his death at 34 years old changed the course of F1.
Senna voiced concerns about his car’s performance prior to race day
Senna made his F1 debut with Toleman in 1984 and moved to Lotus the following year. After his switch to McLaren in 1988, Senna saw the most success in his career, winning the world championship in 1988, 1990, and 1991.
For the 1994 season, Senna jumped to Williams, a team that performed well the prior year. He hoped to score wins with the team, but the F1 cars underwent massive changes after electronic aids were banned. These electronic features were an advantage that helped the drivers on the circuits. Without them, there was no traction control, special brakes, or electronic suspension.
In archival interview footage featured in the 2010 documentary “Senna: No Fear, No Limits, No Equal,” Senna said that the car felt “immediately less stable without the electronic suspension” and harder to drive, leading to spinning out and going off-track.
By the time of the San Marino GP, the third race of the 1994 season, the handling of the car was still poor and Senna was uncomfortable driving it.
In footage taken during the practice session on Friday, April 29, 1994, Senna was seen telling the Williams team about issues with the car’s balance.
On the weekend of the San Marino GP, 2 drivers died in 2 days: Roland Ratzenberger and Senna
On Friday, Jordan driver Rubens Barrichello crashed and suffered non-fatal injuries. Then, during the qualifying session on Saturday, Simtek driver Roland Ratzenberger experienced an even more severe crash and died from injuries that took place on the circuit.
Ratzenberger’s death shook up Senna. Still, he decided to participate in the race on Sunday.
“Ayrton got very, very upset and cried a bit,” F1 doctor Sid Watkins said in the 2010 documentary. “And that’s when I said to him, ‘You know, Ayrton, you’ve been three times world champion. You’re the fastest man in the world.’ And he liked fishing, so I said, ‘Why don’t you quit? And I’ll quit and we’ll just go fishing?'”
In Watkins’ book “Life at the Limit,” the doctor said that Senna’s final words to him during that conversation were: “Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on.”
While on lap seven of 58, Senna’s FW16 crashed at the Tamburello corner. The reason for the incident remains unknown, but Senna’s car crashed at an angle where the suspension shaft hit his helmet.
Senna was airlifted to Bologna’s Maggiore Hospital and an official announcement about his death was made by the hospital.
However, Watkins believed that Senna died on the Imola circuit, due to the impact of the crash.
“We got him out of the cockpit, got his helmet off, and got an airway into him,” Watkins recalled in the documentary. “And I saw from his neurological signs that it was going to be a fatal head injury. And then he sighed, and his body relaxed, and that was the moment — I’m not religious — that I thought his spirit had departed.”
Better F1 safety protocols were enacted following Senna’s death
Senna’s body was transported back to São Paulo. Three days of national mourning took place and thousands of people lined the streets of Brazil to honor the F1 driver.
Senna’s funeral was attended by his parents, Milton da Silva and Neyde Senna; his sister, Viviane Senna; his ex-girlfriend and Brazilian TV host, Xuxa; his then-girlfriend and model, Adriane Galisteu; and his F1 rival, Alain Prost, who was a pallbearer.
Before his crash, Senna had spoken to Prost about reviving the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) out of concern for the drivers’ safety. After Senna’s death, the GPDA was reestablished. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) also appointed Watson to improve safety standards and cars received new features designed with driver safety in mind.
There were no fatalities at F1 races for 21 years, until French driver Jules Bianchi’s death in 2015.
Senna is considered to be one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, and his legacy extends beyond motorsport.
The Ayrton Senna Institute was founded by his family in 1994. It strives to change the lives of children through education. According to a postscript at the end of “Senna,” the organization has helped more than 36 million youths in Brazil.
This year, in honor of the 30th anniversary of Senna’s death, seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who became an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022, drove Senna’s 1990 championship-winning McLaren MP4/5B prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 3. Hamilton called the moment “the greatest honor of my career.”
All episodes of “Senna” are streaming on Netflix.
