Ist May is the anniversary of the death of one of Formula One’s greatest drivers – Ayrton Senna. He was three times World Champion. and died while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. At that same race meeting Roland Ratzenburger, an Austrian driver, died during qualifying on April 30th. They were the two most recent deaths at the wheel in Formula One racing.
“In most other sports, however virile, the consequence of a small error of judgement, the penalty for a transgression of the proscribed limits, is in reality trivial, however serious the loss of point or a rebuke from a referee may appear in the heat of the moment. But in motor racing the limits are existential rather than artificial, and death is the final arbiter.” - Michael Cooper-Evans ‘Risk Life, Risk Limb’
When Martin Donnelly was seriously injured at Jerez in 1990 Senna said that it was fear that put limits on a driver's speed. 'Without fear one could go faster - but not for long," he said.
The distinctive helmet of Ayrton Senna da Silva.
