Utente:PaolinoPen/Morte di Ayrton Senna

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Eventi

Il 3 volte campione del mondo di Formula 1 Ayrton Senna morì il 1 Maggio 1994. La sua monoposto si scontrò contro il muro di cemento delle protezioni perimetrali del tracciato mentre era in testa al gran premio di San Marino presso l'autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Italia.

Il giorno precedente, un altro pilota, Roland Ratzenberger morì in un altro incidente con la sua auto durante le qualifiche del gran premio. Questi due incidenti furono i due peggiori e drammatici incidenti che avvennero quel week end. I due incidenti mortali furono i primi due ad avvenire dopo 12 anni. Segnarono un punto di svolta per la sicurezza nel mondo della Folmula 1. La Corte Suprema di Cassazione ha stabilito che un la causa dell'incidente è stato un problema meccanico.

Eventi precedenti

Nel 1994 Ayrton Senna aveva lasciato la sua storica scuderia, la McLaren con la quale gareggiava del 1988, per approdare alla Williams. Nella scuderia inglese aveva sostituito il pilota Alain Prost diventando il compagno di squadra di Damon Hill.

La Williams FW16 era la macchina favorita per la vittoria del campionato mondiale così come era successo negli ultimi due mondiali con Nigel Mansell e Alain Prost. Malgrado la macchina non avesse più i controlli elettronici che erano stati eliminati per regolamento proprio nel 1994, restava la favorita alla vittoria finale.

A proposito del debutto con la nuova squadra, durante uno dei tradizionali test all'Estoril, prima dell'inizio del campionato, Senna rilasciò questa dichiarazione sulla Williams FW16:

"Ho davvero delle sensazioni molto negative dalla macchina e guidandola al limite. Per questo motivo non ho fatto un singolo giro in pista in cui mi sia sentito a mio agio nemmeno minimamente. Non mi sento a posto nella macchina. Tutto è fuori posto. Abbiamo cambiato il fondo piatto e le ruote ma nonostante questo ho continuato a chiedere più spazio. Ripensando a quando abbiamo corso a Estoril lo scorso settembre, era ancora più difficile. Parte di questo è dovuto alla mancanza dell'elettronica. Inoltre la macchina ha delle caratteristiche di cui non sono ancora pienamente fiducioso. Ti rende teso e questo ti stressa."

I problemi sono continuati all'inizio del mondiale. Senna ha avuto il suo peggior inizio nella stagione non arrivando al traguardo o non guadagnando punti, malgrado avesse ottenuto la pole position in entrabe le gare (GP del Brasile e GP del Pacifico).

La Benetton di Michael Schumacher era la leader del campionato all'inizio della terza gara del mondiale, Senna era già distanziato di 20 punti.

1994 Gran Premio di San Marino

Rubens Barrichello (pictured at the 1995 French Grand Prix) suffered a high speed crash at the Variante Bassa chicane

Il venerdì prima della gara, il connazionale e amico Rubens Barrichello che garegguava per il team Jordan, passando sopra un cordolo nella chicane della Variante Bassa, ebbe un grave incidente andando a sbattere contro le protezioni a circa 230 km/h. Senna uscì dalla sua auto e andò al centro medico. Quando alcuni minuti dopo l'incidente, Barrichello riprese conoscenza, trovò Ayrton lì vicino a lui. Dopo aver visto che Rubens aveva ripreso conoscenza, Senna tornò alla sua monoposto per continuare le qualifiche.

Alla fine della sessione, Senna lasciò la sua monoposto per andare nel motorhome della Williams per presenziare alla conferenza stampa ma disse ai giornalisti che erano lì di aspettare perché aveva del problemi sulla vettura che doveva controllare con il suo ingegnere, David Brown.

Finita l'intervista Senna si fermò per altre 2 ore con Brown.

Una volta arrivato in hotel a Castel San Pietro, Senna chiamò al telefono la sua ragazza Adriane Galisteu e scoppiò in lacrime parlando dell'incidente accaduto a Barrichello.

il sabato mattina, Senna fece segnare il suo moglior tempo con 1m 22.03 secondi e confrontandosi con il compagno di squadra Damon Hill entrambi concordavano sul fatto che le macchine fossero migliorate. Visto che era stato dimesso dall'ospedale, Barrichello disse a Senna che sarebbe volato in Inghilterra e che avrebbe visto il gran premio da lì in televisione.

Roland Ratzenberger ucciso dopo la collisione con un muro di cemento nella curva Villeneuve.

Nel pomeriggio, la seconda sessione di qualifiche inizio e dopo 18 minuti la Simtek guidata da Roland Ratzenberger colpì il muro di cemento all'uscita della curva Villeneuve alla velocità di 314 km/h, a causa della rottura di una delle sospensioni.

Dopo l'impatto contro il muro la macchina finì la sua corsa nel mezzo della pista. Senna vide il replay dell'incidente e corse nella corsia dei box dove salì a bordo di una macchina dei soccorsi.

Una volta arrivato sul posto dell'incidente, mentre Ratzenberger veniva portato via con l'ambulanza, Senna ispezionò i danni subiti dalla Simtek. Si diresse poi al centro medico dove apprese dall'amico e neurochirurgo Sid Watkins che Ratzenberger era morto. Quando i due lasciarono insieme il centro, Watkins all'inconsolabile pluricampione del mondo che non avrebbe dovuto correre più e suggerì al campione brasiliano di ritirarsi dalla corsa e andare a pesca con lui. Senna rispose che non avrebbe mai potuto smettere di correre e tornò al box Williams dove parlò con Patrick Head e Frank Williams, dicendogli della morte dei Roland e di volersi ritirare dalle rimanenti sessioni di qualifiche.

Successivamente Senna si ritirò nel suo motor home dove scoppio in lacrime e cadde a terrà. Tutto questo spavento molto il team WIllimas che decise di chiedere il supporto di Betise Assumpção per organizzare un incontro al fine di valutare lo stato emotivo del campione brasiliano. Senna decise di non partecipare alla conferenza stampa del post qualifiche. Per questo motivo la FIA valuto la possibililtà di prendere delle azioni disciplinari contro di lui ma alla fine decise di non farlo. Il giorno seguente tuttavia, Race Stewards chiamò Senna fuori del suo motorhome per discutere di come mai aveva preso una macchina dei commissari per raggiungere il luogo dell'incidente di Ratzenberger. I commissari decisero di non prendere provvedimenti.

La domenica mattina, fu il più veloce nella sessione di warm up. Successivamente incontro il rivale alla McLaren Alain Prost . Parlarono per circa mezz'ora, con Senna che faceva pressioni su Prost per avere una mano al fine di ottenere miglioramenti per quanto riguarda la sicurezza. Rimasero d'accordo di vedersi di nuovo prima del gran premio di Monaco.

Successivamente Senna fece un filmato per la televisione francese TF1. Durante il filmato Ayrton fece un saluto special a Prost che all'epoca aveva appena iniziato a lavorare come commentatore per quel canale: "Un saluto speciale al nostro caro amico Alain. Manchi a tutti noi, Alain." . Prost disse di essere stupito e toccato da quel commento.

Durante il meeting dei piloti, Senna si fermo a parlare a lungo con Gerhard Berger. Since he was unwilling to speak out due to the earlier row with race officials that had left him still fraught with emotions, Senna asked Berger to raise his concerns about the pace car's presence during formation lap, which had no role other than to promote the then latest Porsche 911. At the San Marino Grand Prix, this pace car was thus made to leave the grid in advance of the Formula One cars, instead of together.

Senna durante il meeting con gli altri piloti per ridiscutere l'organizzazione dell'associazione dei ufficiale dei piloti nel tentativo di spingere per ottenere un aumento della sicurezza. Come pilora con maggiore esperienza, Senna si propose di essere il capo di questa organizzazione a partire dal successivo gran premio, quello di Monaco. Anche Niki Lauda suggerì che Senna fosse a capo del gruppo per la sua forte personalità, soprattutto paragonata a quella degli altri piloti.

L'incidente in gara

Mappa dell'autodromo di Imola risalente al 1994, nel cerchio la curva delTamburello.

All'inizio della gara, Pedro Lamy e JJ Lehto furono coinvolti in un serio incidente che sparse per il circuito detriti anche tra il pubblico. Gli ufficiali di pista chiamarono la safety car, guida da Max Angelelli, per rallentare il gruppo delle auto e rimuovere i detriti. Il gruppo dei piloti rimase dietro la safety car per cinque giri. Visto che la safety car era un'Opel Vectra di tipo familiare, quindi non particolarmente veloce, Senna aveva più volte fatto cenno al pilota di andare più veloce; successivamente la macchina venne messa sotto accusa e considerata inadeguata per quel ruolo ( a causa del fatto che i freni si erano surriscaldati, aveva dovuto diminuire la velocità potendo così essere essa stessa causa di un incidente per le altre vetture) avendo un impatto negativo sulla pressione dei pneumatici per le macchine da formila 1. Prima del sesto giro, David Brown disse a Senna attraverso la radio di bordo della macchina che la safety car sarebbe uscita, Senna rispose di aver ricevuto il messaggio.

Al giro numero 7, il secondo giro a velocità di gara, la macchina di Senna passò sulla linea del traguardo e giunse alla curva del Tamburello a 310 km/h, andò dritto fuori di pista e si schiantò sul muro di cemento privo di protezioni. La telemetria mostrò che uscì di pista a 310 km/h e Senna fu in grado di rallentare frenando e scalando due volte fino a raggiungere i 218 km/h in poco meno di 2 secondi prima di colpire il muro. La macchina colpì il muro con un angolo abbastanza piccolo, perdendo la ruota frontale destra, il musetto e girando su se stessa fino a fermasi a bordo della pista

Dopo che la macchina di Senna si fermò, lui rimase immobile nell'abitacolo. Dopo 10 secondi, come si vede dalle riprese aeree, si vede la sua testa muoversi verso sinistra per poi ritornare nella sua posizione originaria. Dopodiché non si mosse più. Quello che sembrava che fosse successo è che la ruota anteriore destra saltò in aria entrando nell'abitacolo e finendo per colpire la parte anteriore destra del suo casco. La violenza dell'impatto con la ruota spinse il casco verso il poggiatesta causando gravi e fatali fratture al cranio.

Un pezzo della sospensione attaccata alla ruota entrò parzialmente nel suo famoso casco Bell M3, causando traumi alla testa. In aggiunta, sembrava che un pezzo del montante fosse penetrato nella visiera del casco, poco sopra il suo occhio destro. Senna usava una taglia media (58 cm) del casco M3, con una nuova visiera rispetto alle precedenti. Una delle 3 ferite è stata quella che ha causato la morte.

Già subito dopo l'impatto, era evidente che Senna aveva subito dei gravi danni, perché il suo casco non sembrava più muoversi e la testa era appoggiata sul lato destro. Il piccolo movimento che si percepì dalle immagini creò delle false speranze. Alcuni momenti dopo l'incidente, il fotografo e amico di Senna, Angelo Orsi, scattò delle foto di Senna dentro la macchina dopo che gli era stato tolto il casco e durante i primi trattamenti, prima che gli uomini dei soccorsi coprirono la vista. Nonostante i numerosi contatti ricevuti per le foto, i familiari di Senna furono gli unici a vedere gli scatti e non vennero mai pubblicate.

Il personale dell'antincendio furono i primi ad arrivare sul luogo dell'incidente e furono in grado di prestare i primi soccorsi prima dell'arrivo del personale medico. Senna fu tirato fuori dall'abitacolo alcuni minuti dopo l'incidente. La televisione tramite delle riprese dall'elicottero, mandò in onda i soccorsi dati al pilota. Dall'ossrvazione della zona di intervento dei paramedici, si poteva vedere un considerevole quantitativo di sangue a terra, vicino a dove era stato messo il corpo del pilota. Erano quindi evidenti i segni di un gravissimo danno subito dal pilota. Una tracheotomia di urgenza fu effettuata sul posto per garantire una sicura via di accesso dell'aria. La gara venne fermata un minuto e nove secondi dopo l'incidente. Il team manager della Williams Ian Harrison salì nella sala di controllo della gara, trovando una scena in cui molti ufficiali di gara avevano già capito ceh l'incidente di Senna era estremamente grave. Anche Bernie Ecclestone raggiunse lo stesso luogo per ristabilire la calma.

Il professore Sid Watkins, un neurochirurgo di fama mondiale, delegato per la sicurezza e delegato per il supporto medico e capo del team medico in pista effettuò una trecheotomia a Senna in pista.

Watkins successivamente raccontò:

Sembrava sereno. He looked serene.Alzai le palpebre ed era chiaro dalle sue pupille che aveva una grossa lesione cerebrale. Lo sollevammo dalla cabina di pilotaggio e lo stendemmo a terra. Come abbiamo fatto, sospirò e, anche se non sono religioso, sentii che il suo spirito si allontanava in quel momento.

Watkins liberò le vie respiratorie, arginò il flusso sanguigno, immobilizzò l'area cervicale. Watkins chiamò con la radio per l'intervento di un elicottero medico e chiese all'anestesista di terapia intensiva, Giovanni Gordini, di accompagnare Senna all'ospedale Maggiore. Circa 10 minuti dopo l'incidente di Senna, un'incomprensione fece si che la Larrousse guidata da Érik Comas lasciò la pit lane. Questo incidente venne definito in diretta da uno dei commentatori di Eurosport John Watson come una "delle cose più ridicole che abbia mai visto in vita mia". Fortunatamente lo sventolio delle bantiere dei giudici di pista evitò che la macchina di Comas andasse a scontrarsi con l'elicottero che era atterrato in mezzo alla pista.

La macchina di Senna successivamente venne caricata sopra un carroattrezzi e portata ai box.

Tuttavia, una persona non identificata, sostiene che la scatola nera della scatola venne rimossa dalla macchina. Alle 3 del pomeriggio l'elicottero atterrò davanti all'ospedale Maggiore di Bologna. I medici portarono Senna di corsa in terapia intensiva; dai primi esami vennero subito confermati le diagnosi fatte in pista. Alle 3:10 del pomeriggio il cuore di Senna smise di battere, i medici lo rianimarono e lo attaccarono ad una macchina per l'aiuto nella circolazione sanguigna. Il fratello di Senna, Leonardo, riusci ad organizzare l'arrivo di un prete che avvenne alle 6:15. Il cuore di Senna smise di battere al 6:37 e si decise di non rianimarlo. Il dottore Maria Teresa Fiandri, capo del pronto soccorso che stava vedendo in diretta la gara da casa, si precipito subito in ospedale. In una intervista a distanza di 20 anni, disse In her interview after 20 years, she confirmed that the blood loss suffered by Senna was due to a damaged superficial temporal artery and that, apart from his head injuries, Senna appeared serene and the rest of the body was intact. Dr Fiandri became responsible for providing medical updates to the media and public that had amassed at the hospital and, at 6:40 pm, she announced that Senna was dead.

It was later revealed that, as medical staff examined Senna, a furled Austrian flag was found in his car—a flag that he had intended to raise in honour of Ratzenberger after the race.

Sometime after the race, Ian Harrison was called by an Italian lawyer informing Harrison of Senna's death and that it was being treated as a "road traffic accident". Early in the morning of 2 May, Harrison was called by another lawyer, who took him to a mortuary. Harrison declined to see Senna's body upon being asked.

Funeral

Monument to Ayrton Senna, Melinda Garcia's work, installed at the entrance of the tunnel under Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo, Brazil

Senna's death was considered by many of his Brazilian fans to be a national tragedy, and the Brazilian government declared three days of national mourning. Contrary to airline policy, Senna's coffin was allowed to be flown back to his home country not as cargo but in the passenger cabin of Varig's McDonnell Douglas MD-11 commercial jetliner (registration PP-VOQ (cn 48435/478)), accompanied by his younger brother, Leonardo, and close friends. Senna's coffin was covered with a large Brazilian flag.

The funeral, taking place on 5 May 1994, was broadcast live on Brazilian television and an estimated three million people lined the streets of his hometown of São Paulo. Many prominent motor racing figures attended Senna's state funeral, notably Alain Prost, Gerhard Berger, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill, Thierry Boutsen, Rubens Barrichello (Ayrton's new protégé) and Emerson Fittipaldi who were among the pallbearers. However, Senna's family did not allow FOM president Bernie Ecclestone to attend, and FIA president Max Mosley instead attended the funeral of Roland Ratzenberger which took place on 7 May 1994, in Salzburg, Austria. Mosley said in a press conference ten years later, "I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his." Senna was buried at the Morumbi Cemetery in São Paulo. His grave bears the epitaph "Nada pode me separar do amor de Deus", which means "Nothing can separate me from the love of God".

A testament to the adulation he inspired among fans worldwide was the scene at the Tokyo headquarters of Honda where the McLaren cars were typically displayed after each race. Upon his death, so many floral tributes were received that they overwhelmed the large exhibit lobby. This was in spite of the fact Senna no longer drove for McLaren and furthermore that McLaren, in the preceding seasons, did not use Honda power. Senna had a special relationship with company founder Soichiro Honda [citation needed] and was revered in Japan, where he achieved a near mythic status. For the next race at Monaco, the FIA decided to leave the first two grid positions empty and painted them with the colours of the Brazilian and the Austrian flags, to honour Senna and Ratzenberger.

Aftermath

Reactions

ESPN, who broadcast the San Marino Grand Prix in the United States, broke the news to its audience during the NASCAR Winston Cup Series event later that afternoon from Talladega Superspeedway. During a safety car period on Lap 111, with Dale Earnhardt leading, lead commentator Bob Jenkins announced Senna had died and extended the network's condolences. To honor Senna, the ESPN booth of Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, and Benny Parsons went silent for the ensuing restart, ending after another multiple-car incident resulted in another safety car within two laps of the restart. Earnhardt offered his own tribute to Senna in victory lane after the race.

In Brazil, the country's television networks spent the rest of the day interrupting their normal programming schedules to announce Senna's death and replay his last interview, given to the media on the day before the accident. Many motor racing fans gathered outside of Maggiore Hospital to pay their respects to Senna, causing major traffic jams. Fans also gathered in the Williams F1 factory in Didcot where around 200 people attended with flowers laid on the front gates of the factory.

The Italian and Brazilian press were critical of the FIA for the rule changes that were enacted for 1994. Benetton driver Schumacher called for improvements in safety. BBC Sport commentator Murray Walker called Senna's death the "blackest day for Grand Prix racing that I can remember".

Two and a half months later, following Brazil's victory over Italy in the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States, the Brazilian squad had dedicated their World Cup victory to Ayrton Senna.

Safety improvements

The layout of the circuit was changed after the two fatal accidents at the 1994 event.

On 3 May, the FIA called a meeting at the request of the Italian Automobile Club to review the events of the weekend. Later on, the governing body announced new safety measures for the next round in Monaco which included the entry and exit of the pitlane to be controlled by a curve to force cars to run at a reduced speed, no team mechanic would be allowed onto the pit lane surface except for when the drivers made a pit stop, and a draw would be arranged to determine the order in which cars make pit stops and be limited to emergencies with cars not taking on new tyres or allowed to refuel. On 8 May, it was reported that Federico Bendinelli, an official who worked at Imola, said Senna had inspected the Tamburello corner and declared it was "O.K." Williams ran tests on one of their rigs attempting to replicate Senna's accident from the data retrieved. They attempted to simulate a mechanical failure which had not proven conclusive.

At the next race in Monaco, retired world champion Niki Lauda announced the reformation of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA). The representatives elected were Lauda and active drivers Michael Schumacher, Gerhard Berger and Christian Fittipaldi. Following the tragic accidents during the season, the GPDA demanded the FIA improve the safety of Formula One. The FIA responded quickly and introduced changes to the regulations as follows:

For the Spanish Grand Prix:

• the size of diffusers would be reduced;
• the front wing end plates would be raised;
• the size of the front wing would be reduced.

All together this would reduce the amount of downforce by about 15%.

For the Canadian Grand Prix:

• the lateral protection of the drivers' heads would be improved by increasing the height of the sides of the cockpit;
• the minimum weight of a Formula 1 car would be increased by 25 kg (changed to 15 kg by Canadian GP);
• the front wishbones would be strengthened to reduce the possibility of a front wheel coming loose and striking the driver;
• the cockpit would be lengthened to prevent drivers striking their head on the front of the cockpit;
• the use of pump petrol would be imposed;
• the airboxes from the engines would be removed to reduce the airflow to the engines and thus decrease the power available.

Other changes included improved crash barriers, redesigned tracks and tyre barriers, higher crash safety standards, higher sills on the driver cockpit and a limit on 3-litre engines. The FIA immediately investigated the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, and the track's signature Tamburello turn was changed into a left-right chicane as a result.

In February 1995, a 500-page report by a team of judicial investigators was handed over to Italian prosecutors which attributed Senna's crash to steering column failure caused by a pre-race adjustment.

Autopsy

During legal proceedings before the Italian courts on 3 March 1997, based on the expert testimony and evidence of the pathologist, Dr Cipolla, Senna's official time of death was recorded as 2:17 pm on 1 May 1994, coinciding with cerebral death under Italian law, upon Senna hitting the Tamburello wall. The FIA and Italian motorsport authorities still maintain that Senna was not killed instantly, but rather died in hospital, where he had been rushed by helicopter after an emergency tracheotomy and IV administration were performed on the track.

There is an ongoing debate as to why Senna was not declared dead at the track. Under Italian law, accidents resulting in a fatality must be investigated for any criminal culpability. The activities that cause the fatality, such as a sporting event, must be suspended forthwith and the scene of the accident secured.

The former Director of the Oporto (Portugal) Legal Medicine Institute, Professor José Eduardo Pinto da Costa, has stated the following:

From the ethical viewpoint, the procedure used for Ayrton's body was wrong. It involved dysthanasia, which means that a person has been kept alive improperly after biological death has taken place because of brain injuries so serious that the patient would never have been able to remain alive without mechanical means of support. There would have been no prospect of normal life and relationships. Whether or not Ayrton was removed from the car while his heart was beating or whether his supply of blood had halted or was still flowing, is irrelevant to the determination of when he died.

The autopsy showed that the crash caused multiple fractures at the base of the cranium, crushing the forehead and rupturing the temporal artery with haemorrhage in the respiratory passages. It is possible to resuscitate a dead person immediately after the heart stops through cardio-respiratory processes. The procedure is known as putting the patient on the machine. From the medical-legal viewpoint, in Ayrton's case, there is a subtle point: resuscitation measures were implemented.

From the ethical point of view, this might well be condemned because the measures were not intended to be of strictly medical benefit to the patient but rather because they suited the commercial interest of the organisation. Resuscitation did, in fact, take place, with the tracheotomy performed, while the activity of the heart was restored with the assistance of cardio-respiratory devices. The attitude in question was certainly controversial. Any physician would know there was no possibility whatsoever of successfully restoring life in the condition in which Senna had been found.

Professor José Pratas Vital, Director of the Egas Moniz Hospital in Lisbon, a neurosurgeon and Head of the Medical Staff at the Portuguese GP, offered a different opinion:

The people who conducted the autopsy stated that, on the evidence of his injuries, Senna was dead. They could not say that. He had injuries which led to his death, but at that point, the heart may still have been functioning. Medical personnel attending an injured person, and who perceive that the heart is still beating, have only two courses of action: One is to ensure that the patient's respiratory passages remain free, which means that he can breathe. They had to carry out an emergency tracheotomy. With oxygen and the heart beating, there is another concern, which is the loss of blood. These are the steps to be followed in any case involving serious injury, whether on the street or on a racetrack. The rescue team can think of nothing else at that moment except to assist the patient, particularly by immobilising the cervical area. Then the injured person must be taken immediately to the intensive care unit of the nearest hospital.

Rogério Morais Martins, creative director of Ayrton Senna Promotions (which became the Ayrton Senna Institute after Senna's death), stated that:

According to the first clinical bulletin read by Dr. Maria Teresa Fiandri at 4:30 pm Ayrton Senna had brain damage with haemorrhaged shock and deep coma. However, the medical staff did not note any chest or abdomen wound. The haemorrhage was caused by the rupture of the temporal artery. The neurosurgeon who examined Ayrton Senna at the hospital mentioned that the circumstances did not call for surgery because the wound was generalised in the cranium. At 6:05 pm Dr. Fiandri read another communiqué, her voice shaking, announcing that Senna was dead. At that stage he was still connected to the equipment that maintained his heartbeat.

The release by the Italian authorities of the results of Ayrton Senna's autopsy, revealing that the driver had died instantaneously during the race at Imola, ignited still more controversy. Now there were questions about the reactions of the race director and the medical authorities. Although spokespersons for the hospital had stated that Senna was still breathing on arrival in Bologna, the autopsy on Ratzenberger [who died the day before] indicated that his death had been instantaneous. Under Italian law, a death within the confines of the circuit would have required the cancellation of the entire race meeting. That, in turn, could have prevented Senna's death.

The relevant Italian legislation stipulates that when a death takes place during a sporting event, it should be immediately halted and the area sealed off for examination. In the case of Ratzenberger, this would have meant the cancellation of both Saturday's qualifying session and the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday.

Medical experts are unable to state whether or not Ayrton Senna died instantaneously. Nevertheless, they were well aware that his chances of survival were slight. Had he remained alive, the brain damage would have left him severely handicapped. Accidents such as this are almost always fatal, with survivors suffering irreversible brain damage. This is a result of the effects on the brain of sudden deceleration, which causes structural damage to the brain tissues. Estimates of the forces involved in Ayrton's accident suggest a rate of deceleration equivalent to a 30-metre vertical drop, landing head-first. Evidence offered at the autopsy revealed that the impact of this 208 km/h crash caused multiple injuries at the base of the cranium, resulting in respiratory insufficiency.

There was crushing of the brain (which was forced against the wall of the cranium causing oedema and haemorrhage, increasing intra-cranial pressure and causing brain death), together with the rupture of the temporal artery, haemorrhage in the respiratory passages and the consequent heart failure.

There are two opposing theories on the issue of whether the drivers were still alive when they were put in the helicopters that carried them to hospital. Assuming both Ratzenberger and Senna had died instantaneously, the race organisers might have delayed any announcement in order to avoid being forced to cancel the meeting, thus protecting their financial interests.

Had the meeting been cancelled, Sagis – the organisation which administers the Imola circuit – stood to lose an estimated US$6.5 million.

Italian prosecution

The Williams team remained entangled for many years in Italian criminal court proceedings, which had been instituted by prosecutors following manslaughter charges being laid against key team officials. The original trial in 1997 concluded with acquittals after the judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case, but a retrial was ordered by Italy's highest court. Thus, on 13 April 2007, the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation delivered its own verdict (number 15050) stating that: "It has been determined that the accident was caused by a steering column failure. This failure was caused by badly designed and badly executed modifications. The responsibility for this falls on Patrick Head, culpable of omitted control". Head, however, was not arrested since the Italian statute of limitations for culpable homicide was 7 years and 6 months, and the verdict was pronounced 13 years after the accident.

The criminal charges focused on the car's steering column, which was found to have sheared off at a point where a modification had been made. The prosecution alleged that the column had failed causing the accident and the Williams team conceded to this failure, but only as caused by the crash impact. Senna had not liked the position of the steering wheel relative to his seating position and had asked for it to be changed. Patrick Head and Adrian Newey satisfied Senna's request by having the FW16's existing shaft cut and extended with a smaller-diameter piece of tubing that was welded together with reinforcing plates. The modification was carried out in this manner as there was insufficient time to instead manufacture a longer steering shaft in time for the race.

A 600-page technical report was submitted by Bologna University under Professor of Engineering Enrico Lorenzini and his team of specialists. The report concluded that fatigue cracks had developed through most of the steering column at the point where it had broken. Lorenzini stated: "It had been badly welded together about a third of the way down and couldn't stand the strain of the race. We discovered scratches on the crack in the steering rod. It seemed like the job had been done in a hurry but I can't say how long before the race. Someone had tried to smooth over the joint following the welding. I have never seen anything like it. I believe the rod was faulty and probably cracked even during the warm-up. Moments before the crash only a tiny piece was left connected and therefore the car didn't respond in the bend."

An analysis of the onboard camera video was submitted by Cineca, which tracked the movement of the steering wheel during the race. Having rotated in a fixed arc during the previous laps, during the final seconds a yellow button on the wheel moved several centimetres away from its normal trajectory, with the steering wheel tilting in its own plane, indicating a breaking steering column. Williams introduced its own video to prove the movement was normal in which David Coulthard manhandled an FW16B steering wheel, the effort required to deflect the wheel termed as "quite considerable". Michele Alboreto testified that the steering wheel movement was abnormal, stating that the video "proves that something was broken in Senna's Williams. No steering wheel moves a few centimetres."

On 16 December 1997, Frank Williams and five others were acquitted of the charges, ending the threat of a boycott of Formula One in Italy. In a 381-page ruling, Judge Antonio Constanzo concluded that steering column failure was the probable cause of Senna's accident; however, there was no proof of negligence on the part of Head or Newey, or that they had designed the modifications in the first place. On 22 November 1999, an appeals court upheld the acquittals, rejecting a request from prosecutors to give one-year suspended sentences to Head and Newey.

In April 2002, Senna's FW16 chassis number 02 was returned to the Williams team. The team reported that the car was in an advanced state of deterioration and was subsequently destroyed. Senna's helmet was returned to Bell, and was incinerated. The car's engine was returned to Renault, and its fate is unknown.

In January 2003, the Italian Supreme Court reopened the case, ruling that "material errors" had been made, referring it to the Bologna court of appeal. On 27 May 2005, the court gave a full acquittal to Adrian Newey, while the case against Head was "timed out" under a statute of limitations. On 13 April 2007, the Italian Supreme Court rejected a request for the acquittal of Patrick Head, ruling Head responsible for "badly designed and badly executed modifications", and that the event was "foreseeable and preventable".

In May 2011, Williams FW16 designer Adrian Newey expressed his views on the accident: "The honest truth is that no one will ever know exactly what happened. There's no doubt the steering column failed and the big question was whether it failed in the accident or did it cause the accident? It had fatigue cracks and would have failed at some point. There is no question that its design was very poor. However, all the evidence suggests the car did not go off the track as a result of steering column failure... If you look at the camera shots, especially from Michael Schumacher's following car, the car didn't understeer off the track. It oversteered which is not consistent with a steering column failure. The rear of the car stepped out and all the data suggests that happened. Ayrton then corrected that by going to 50% throttle which would be consistent with trying to reduce the rear stepping out and then, half-a-second later, he went hard on the brakes. The question then is why did the rear step out? The car bottomed much harder on that second lap which again appears to be unusual because the tyre pressure should have come up by then – which leaves you expecting that the right rear tyre probably picked up a puncture from debris on the track. If I was pushed into picking out a single most likely cause that would be it." Riccardo Patrese suffered a right rear tyre failure at Tamburello during practice for the 1992 Grand Prix, yet his car (an active suspension FW14B) was seen to be spinning before even leaving the track.

Alternative hypotheses

• Emotional stress – Former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet said Senna was under pressure and suffering emotional stress in his last days. In 1994, Senna was dating the model Adriane Galisteu for almost a year. In the weekend of the Grand Prix, she was in Portugal and his old girlfriend Xuxa pursued him in Imola trying to break his relationship with Adriane and convince him to return to her. A cassette tape given to Senna by his brother Leonardo days before the accident, allegedly contained an Adriane conversation with her ex-boyfriend. This, together with Rubens Barrichello's accident and the death of Roland Ratzenberger could have stressed Senna, as seen in his last appearance in the grid, minutes before the accident. The retired Alain Prost said in the documentary Senna there was something wrong with Senna when they met both two weeks before and at the Grand Prix.
• Driver error – Patrick Head, technical director of Williams, indicated that Senna had made a driving error. What made him believe this is what Michael Schumacher told him right after the race that Senna's car looked 'nervous' the previous lap. Japanese broadcasts of the 1994 season show both Schumacher and Hill gesturing a bottoming out action with their hands while waiting for the restart of the 1994 Imola GP. Damon Hill said he is convinced that Senna made a mistake.

• Tyre puncture – Adrian Newey, who designed Senna's car, said he believes a tyre puncture may have caused Senna to crash. What made him believe that is evidence that there was debris on the track following the JJ Lehto crash. Riccardo Patrese suffered a right rear tire failure at Tamburello during practice for the 1992 Grand Prix, yet his car (an active suspension FW14B) was seen to be spinning before even leaving the track.

See also

• List of fatal Formula One accidents

References

[[Categoria:Morti di personalità]] [[Categoria:Formula 1 1994]] [[Categoria:Ayrton Senna]] [[Categoria:Morti sportive in italia]] [[Categoria:Personaggi sportivi brasiliani]] [[Categoria:Personaggi sportivi brasiliani morti]] [[Categoria:1994 in Italia]] [[Categoria:Pagine con traduzioni non revisionate]]