“That’s the Responsibility I Have to Live With:” Adrian Newey on Ayrton Senna’s Fatal Crash

Ayrton Senna’s crash that cost him his life 30 years ago still remains a mystery. It led to a manslaughter charge that key Williams team officials had to face. Among those was Adrian Newey. Being the man responsible for the car’s aerodynamics, his role was crucial in designing the car. The courts, including the ones that heard the subsequent appeals, acquitted him. However, he continues to live with a deep sense of remorse.

Back in the day, the Tamburello curve did not have a kink to slow the drivers down. Enjoying the freedom, the drivers took the curve flat out.

Moreover, what made it even more dangerous was the absence of tire barriers. Many, to this day, believe that Senna would have survived the shunt if there had been a wall of tires to absorb the blow before the concrete wall.

Newey, however, looks back at the fateful crash with uncertainty. Contrary to the belief of some experts, he does not buy the steering column failure theory.

He instead believes Senna had a puncture caused by the debris from JJ Lehto’s car, which crashed earlier. That could have caused his car to spin out of control and ultimately crash into the concrete wall. Speaking on the High-Performance podcast, he said,

“What I do know is the car was aerodynamically unstable, which is definitely down to me. I messed up on the aerodynamics of the car. The diffuser was stalling at a very low ride height. And Ayrton, after losing the first three races, was absolutely determined to carry the car and win that race. That’s the responsibility I have to live with.”

“Lock your thoughts, hang them on the fence, and pay tribute”

Sebastian Vettel led a beautiful tribute to racing icons Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger as they are celebrated, 30 years on ❤️#F1 #Formula1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/H4GAEMey2S

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 17, 2024

Newey recalled another incident involving Sebastian Vettel that made him nervous. While the call to race under risky conditions was Vettel’s and his teammate Mark Webber’s, Newey felt responsible for putting his drivers’ lives at risk.

When Newey was anxious on the pit wall for Vettel

Another circuit that is loved by fans and drivers alike, but has caused casualties in the past is Spa Francorchamps. Newey faced a terrible conundrum.

He couldn’t recall whether it was the 2010 edition or the 2012. Pirelli had admitted back then after qualifying that tires were “compromised“. The only way to get rid of the problem was to reduce the camber.

The result of doing that would have been putting both their cars on the back of the starting grid. Ultimately, the team decided to reduce the tire pressure and hope that they would survive for an initial few laps. Taking the other route and starting from the back would have gifted title contender Fernando Alonso an easy win.

While the move ultimately paid off, Newey admitted to being “super tense” on the pit wall. He asked himself if he was putting both his drivers under “undue risk” of potentially having a terrible crash.

Newey admitted that both drivers fully knew about the risk they were under. However, they decided to take the risk for a shot at winning the championship.