Motor racing-Thirty years on, fans pay tribute to Senna at Imola
Formula One F1 – 30th Anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – May 1, 2024 A young fan poses by a monument to Ayrton Senna on the 30th Anniversary of his death REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
By Alex Fraser
IMOLA, Italy (Reuters) – Motor racing fans and politicians gathered at Italy’s Imola circuit on Wednesday to pay tribute to triple world champion Ayrton Senna who was killed in a high-speed crash 30 years ago during the San Marino Grand Prix.
Formula One F1 – 30th Anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – May 1, 2024 Fans of Brazil’s Ayrton Senna walk on the track on the 30th Anniversary of his death REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
Fans carrying the Brazilian flag walked along the track before a minute’s silence was held at 2:17 p.m. (1217 GMT) at the Tamburello corner to mark the time of the crash which cost the charismatic Brazilian his life aged just 34.
Formula One F1 – 30th Anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – May 1, 2024 A man looks at tributes to Ayrton Senna on the 30th Anniversary of his death REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
“Senna was a very important person for all Brazilians, a very humble person, very dedicated with great values who taught us great lessons” said Renata Ewbank, a Senna fan from Brazil.
“And we still miss him deeply today,” she added.
The fans also remembered Austrian Roland Ratzenberger, who had been killed the day before Senna died after an accident in qualifying. The deadly weekend in 1994 triggered a major safety review, changing the sport for ever.
Bruno Senna, nephew of the champion and a former F1 driver, was among the crowd, along with Ratzenberger’s parents.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, as well as his Brazilian and Austrian counterparts Mauro Vieira and Alexander Schallenberg also attended the ceremony at the circuit.
Floral tributes were laid at Tamburello after the minute’s silence, with fans and security personnel breaking into applause. Scarves, flowers and candles were also placed on a statue of Senna at Imola.
Senna, driving for Williams, had started the race on pole, with Michael Schumacher alongside in a Benetton.
The safety car was swiftly deployed after Portugal’s Pedro Lamy ploughed into JJ Lehto’s stalled Benetton on the grid. Shortly after the re-start, Senna’s car speared into a concrete wall at Tamburello.
The Brazilian was flown to hospital while the race was re-started and won by Schumacher. At 6:40 p.m. local time, nearly two and a half hours later, it was announced that Senna had died.
Formula One F1 – 30th Anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – May 1, 2024 Fans of Brazil’s Ayrton Senna pose on the track on the 30th Anniversary of his death REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
(Reporting by Alex Fraser and Jennifer Lorenzini in Imola; Writing by Keith Weir; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Formula One F1 – 30th Anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – May 1, 2024 Brazil’s foreign minister Mauro Vieira, Austria’s foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani, Ayrton Senna’s nephew Bruno Senna and Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali look on as the Mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri speaks during the ceremony on the 30th Anniversary of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna’s deaths REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini