On May 1, 1994, the F1 community stood at a standstill as Ayrton Senna lost his life following a tragic crash in Imola. 30 years later, the Brazilian is remembered, not just for his three World Championships, but for being one of the most influential athletes the world has ever seen.
Almost every driver in F1 today idolizes Senna even though they didn’t get a chance to meet the Brazilian driver. Daniel Ricciardo remembers watching him race on the streets of Melbourne as a child and was drawn towards him from the very beginning.
He labels Senna as the “first icon” in F1. “Hard for me to understand how the nice guy could also be the killer,” Ricciardo once said about Senna.
Senna would have likely added to his three World Championships, had his tragic crash in Imola 30 years ago never occurred. However, his greatness was not limited to the F1 track. Adrian Newey, in his book, ‘How to Build a Car’, wrote that Senna was destined for greater things- perhaps even becoming the President of Brazil.
f1 drivers reflecting on senna and his legacy pic.twitter.com/3vT6KKmg4G
— cer (@cerxsviolxt44) April 30, 2024
The Brazilian public loved Senna as well. His values and love for F1 that modern drivers share resonate through the paddock every single year when F1 visits Sao Paolo for the Brazilian GP. Another driver who grew up idolizing Senna is seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton never met Senna but always aspired to be like him. The Mercedes driver loves Brazil and the country loves him back and much of it has to do with his admiration for the Sao-Paolo-born driver.
After winning the race in Senna’s old stomping ground in 2021, Hamilton even brought out the Brazilian national flag on his cooldown lap, a gesture that earned him honorary citizenship from the country’s president in 2022.
F1 Community’s love for Ayrton Senna, 30 years on
As the world remembers Ayrton Senna 30 years after his fateful Imola GP incident, the F1 community comes together to pay their tributes to the late Brazilian legend. Williams, which was Senna’s last team in F1, was one of the first to post in his memory on X.
Remembering the great Ayrton Senna.
Always in our hearts
#SennaSempre pic.twitter.com/HiG1ZL3hpm— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) May 1, 2024
Similarly, other F1 teams like Mercedes also joined in to pay their respects to one of F1’s greatest ever.
Sempre Senna
30 years on from a moment the motorsport community will never forget, we honour a legend of our sport. pic.twitter.com/6mlCs0PRL0
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 1, 2024
Vincenzo Landino, on the other hand, reflected on the entire 1994 San Marino GP weekend. It started with Rubens Barrichello’s scary crash on Friday, which kickstarted a series of events that went on to live in infamy.
Barrichello didn’t suffer any fatal injuries. But his counterparts, Roland Ratzenberger and Senna, lost their lives on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The darkest F1 weekend began Friday 29 April 1994.
Rubens Barrichello hit a kerb at 225 km/h, knocking him out.
When Barrichello regained consciousness he found Ayrton Senna looking over him. After learning Barrichello had survived, Senna returned to his car and continued… pic.twitter.com/0HVMLCfcwG
— Vincenzo Landino (@vincenzolandino) April 29, 2024
Former F1 driver Mark Blundell also recalled the times he spent with Senna. On X, the Brit wrote, “It was a privilege to of known him, worked alongside him, raced against him, and stood on the podium with him. Such a huge loss.”
30 yrs has passed since we lost the driving legend Senna, it was a privilege to of known him, worked along side him, raced against him and stood on the podium with him.such a huge loss. I will never forget sitting in the drivers briefing before that Grand Prix. #Senna #f1 pic.twitter.com/jRBSbspFSd
— Mark Blundell (@markblundellf1) May 1, 2024
Ayrton Senna continues to inspire athletes and young drivers even today. Those who didn’t get a chance to meet him, or watch him race live, have the opportunity to reflect on the stories shared by the ones who did. It makes the former McLaren driver an integral part of the F1 paddock even today despite him not being physically present.
