In this episode we go back to May 1, 1994. That day, Formula 1 superstar Ayrton Senna was poised to return to winning form having lost both the Brazilian and Pacific Grand Prix earlier in the season. But it was going to be an uphill battle as he was racing in a car he had little confidence that it could be competitive, and two accidents seriously injuring some of his close friends and acquaintances within the last 24 hours had combined to cast a dark, foreboding shadow over Senna. Would today be the day he overcame these distractions or would it be his last day alive?

Main Points

• Before 1994, technological innovations in F1 race cars such as traction control, semi-automatic gearboxes, anti-lock brakes and most importantly, active suspension combined to produce the highest track speeds to date.
• Last minute modifications to the length of the steering column in Senna’s car had lethal consequences.
• The racing death of Ratzenberger and the near death of Barrichello at Imola, just days before his race, seriously affected Senna’s level of confidence. 

Takeaways

• To make the needed adjustments to satisfy the rule changes, all car constructors had to go back to the drawing board, the results were often unstable cars with dangerous driving characteristics.
• Drivers, including Senna, knew the dangers the Imola race track posed but nevertheless chose to drive it,  Senna even said he “had to continue to race,” when offered the chance to quit.

Dive Deeper

• IMDB’s program Seconds from Disaster - Death of Ayrton Senna  
•  Senna  -  a 2010 documentary film offers insights to Senna’s racing career and personal life.

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Credits

Grave Matters by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100215

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