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The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the 14° Gran Premio di San Marino, was the third round of the 1994 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on the 1 May 1994.[1] The entire race weekend would become infamous as one of the darkest in F1's history, as Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna both lost their lives in accidents caused by car failures.[1]

The weekend had started on a sour note, with the FIA under pressure from several teams to investigate whether certain teams were still using electronic aids.[1] Indeed, Benetton-Ford Cosworth were under the most suspicion given their excellent start to the season, although nothing could be proved by their rivals.[1]

Things did not improve when the first qualifying session got underway on Friday, with Rubens Barrichello suffering a major accident at Variante Bassa in his Jordan-Hart.[1] The Brazilian was left unconscious having hit the wall airborne at 140 mph (225 km/h), swallowing his tongue, although swift work from the medical teams ensured that Barrichello would walk into the paddock the following day with only minor injuries.[1]

Saturday, however, would prove disastrous, with Ratzenberger flying off the circuit at the Villeneuve Kink after a front wing failure on his Simtek-Ford Cosworth.[1] The Austrian hit the wall just shy of 190 mph (306 km/h), with medical crews effectively finding him dead at the scene.[1] Ratzenberger hence became the first driver to die at a race weekend since Riccardo Paletti was killed at the start of the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix.[1]

It was in a sombre mood that the rest of qualifying was completed, with Senna, visibly shaken by Ratzenberger's death, claiming pole position.[1] Michael Schumacher shared the second row with the Brazilian, while Gerhard Berger beat Damon Hill to third.[1]

The start of the race itself saw even more accident and injury, with JJ Lehto, making his debut for Benetton, stalling on the grid.[1] Pedro Lamy duly went straight into the back of the Finn's stranded car, with the Lotus-Ford Cosworth shattering apart as it flew over the top of the Benetton, sending debris flying over the catch fencing.[1] Four spectators were hit but there were, fortunately, no major injuries.[1]

The safety car appeared to allow that accident to be cleared up, with Senna leading Schumacher, Berger and Hill.[1] Four laps later and the race resumed, with Senna easing away clear of Schumacher, while Berger fended off an early attack from Hill.[1]

Two laps later, however, and the racing world would be brought to a complete standstill, with Senna sliding off the circuit at Tamburello and hitting the barriers.[1] Unfortunately the seemingly innocuous accident, thought to have been caused by a steering failure, resulted in a suspension arm punching through the cockpit and smashing into Senna's helmet.[1]

The race was instantly red flagged, with Sid Watkins and the medical crews arriving to find a shattered Williams-Renault and a near-death Senna.[1] Quick work from the medics saw the Brazilian extracted from the car and whisked away to hospital, although Senna was beyond saving and died later that day.[1] It would be the last driver fatality in F1 until Jules Bianchi lost his life as a result of his accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (although other accidents would prove fatal for marshals in the interim).[1]

The race restarted from the grid after a long delay, with the rest of the field not told of Senna's state.[1] This time Berger made the best start and leapt ahead of Schumacher to claim the lead, although with the race set to be decided on an aggregate result the only had to keep the Austrian's Ferrari in sight.[1]

Schumacher duly moved into the lead a few laps later, before Berger retired with a wheel issue.[1] Nicola Larini then briefly led when the German pitted, although he ultimately slipped back behind the #5 Benetton when he made his stop.[1]

The second round of stops saw another accident cause injuries, with Michele Alboreto losing a wheel as he pulled out of his pit box.[1] The wheel duly slammed into the Ferrari pitbox, wiping out several mechanics, although fortunately there were no major injuries.[1]

On track, meanwhile, there would be little change, with Schumacher claiming a dominant victory ahead of Larini, the Italian claiming his first podium finish.[1] Mika Häkkinen completed the podium for McLaren-Peugeot, while Karl Wendlinger, Ukyo Katayama and Hill claimed the remaining points.[1]

After Senna's death the FIA launched a major plan to slow the F1 field, introducing new aerodynamic rules for the Spanish and Canadian Grand Prix.[1]

Background[]

the atmosphere at Williams here at Imola is very very professional and very very determined indeed. They are not happy with the performance of their car in the first two grand prix. They felt that certainly the outcome of the first corner shunt, they thought that Senna could win in Japan, they are determined to make sure he does win here at this weekend". John Watson.

Ahead of the race, Jordan made further changes to their line-up when it was announced that Andrea de Cesaris would now return to the team in Imola after Aguri Suzuki subbed for the banned Eddie Irvine in Aida. [2]

Jean Alesi is still unable to return to his race seat after his testing injuries at Mugello and Nicola Larini would once again replace the injured Ferrari driver.[2]

However whilst Alesi was still recovering, one driver at least had recovered from his injuries.[2] JJ Lehto would return to his race seat with Benetton after serious neck injuries during pre-season testing had kept him out of the first two races.[2] Jos Verstappen would now return to his testing duties to which was said to have made him "less enthusiastic."[2]

Having conducted major testing ahead of the race in Aida, Williams would arrive at Imola with a heavily revised FW16 to which they hoped would now put them back ahead of Benetton.[2] The car needing not only to exceed the performance of the Benetton, but also enable them to combat "in particular" the skills of Michael Schumacher.[2]

The Ferrari's would arrive at one of their home territories to which as ever their Tifosi fans would have an enforced presence.[2] The Tifosi were now seemingly growing impatient to see a Ferrari victory to which they had "waited too long to see a Ferrari victory, let alone on home ground."[2]

Pacific Performances[]

Michael Schumacher had tripled his Championship lead as a result of the Pacific Grand Prix, leaving Aïda with a maximum twenty points to his name. Rubens Barrichello was his closest challenger, the Brazilian having moved into second after his maiden podium finish. Damon Hill and Gerhard Berger were next, level on six points, while Jean Alesi slipped down to fifth.

In the Constructors Championship it was Benetton-Ford Cosworth who unsurprisingly led the way, with double the points of second placed Ferrari. Indeed, the British squad's tally of twenty meant that Ferrari had to win a race just to get back on terms with Benetton, while Jordan-Hart sat in a surprise third ahead of 1993 pace setters Williams-Renault. Completing the top five were Footwork-Ford Cosworth, with eight constructors on the board after two rounds.

Entry list[]

The full entry list for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix is outlined below:

No. Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis Engine Model Tyre
0 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW16 Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
2 Brazil Ayrton Senna United Kingdom Rothmans Williams Renault Williams FW16 Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
3 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 022 Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10 G
4 United Kingdom Mark Blundell United Kingdom Tyrrell Racing Organisation Tyrrell 022 Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10 G
5 Germany Michael Schumacher United Kingdom Mild Seven Benetton Ford Benetton B194 Ford Cosworth ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 G
6 Finland JJ Lehto United Kingdom Mild Seven Benetton Ford Benetton B194 Ford Cosworth ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 G
7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren Peugeot McLaren MP4/9 Peugeot A6 3.5 V10 G
8 United Kingdom Martin Brundle United Kingdom Marlboro McLaren Peugeot McLaren MP4/9 Peugeot A6 3.5 V10 G
9 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi United Kingdom Footwork Ford Footwork FA15 Ford Cosworth HBE7/8 3.5 V8 G
10 Italy Gianni Morbidelli United Kingdom Footwork Ford Footwork FA15 Ford Cosworth HBE7/8 3.5 V8 G
11 Portugal Pedro Lamy United Kingdom Team Lotus Lotus 107C Mugen-Honda MF351HC 3.5 V10 G
12 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert United Kingdom Team Lotus Lotus 107C Mugen-Honda MF351HC 3.5 V10 G
14 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Sasol Jordan Jordan 194 Hart 1035 3.5 V10 G
15 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Ireland Sasol Jordan Jordan 194 Hart 1035 3.5 V10 G
19 Monaco Olivier Beretta France Tourtel Larrousse F1 Larrousse LH94 Ford Cosworth HBF7/8 3.5 V8 G
20 France Érik Comas France Tourtel Larrousse F1 Larrousse LH94 Ford Cosworth HBF7/8 3.5 V8 G
23 Italy Pierluigi Martini Italy Minardi Scuderia Italia Minardi M193B Ford Cosworth HBC7/8 3.5 V8 G
24 Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Minardi Scuderia Italia Minardi M193B Ford Cosworth HBC7/8 3.5 V8 G
25 France Éric Bernard France Ligier Gitanes Blondes Ligier JS39B Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
26 France Olivier Panis France Ligier Gitanes Blondes Ligier JS39B Renault RS6 3.5 V10 G
27 Italy Nicola Larini Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 412T1 Ferrari 043 3.5 V12 G
28 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 412T1 Ferrari 043 3.5 V12 G
29 Austria Karl Wendlinger Switzerland Broker Sauber Mercedes Sauber C13 Mercedes 2175B 3.5 V10 G
30 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Broker Sauber Mercedes Sauber C13 Mercedes 2175B 3.5 V10 G
31 Australia David Brabham United Kingdom MTV Simtek Ford Simtek S941 Ford Cosworth HBD6 3.5 V8 G
32 Austria Roland Ratzenberger United Kingdom MTV Simtek Ford Simtek S941 Ford Cosworth HBD6 3.5 V8 G
33 France Paul Belmondo United Kingdom Pacific Grand Prix Pacific PR01 Ilmor 2175A 3.5 V10 G
34 France Bertrand Gachot United Kingdom Pacific Grand Prix Pacific PR01 Ilmor 2175A 3.5 V10 G
Source:[3]

Practice Overview[]

Qualifying[]

Friday practice[]

John Watson would note "slightly disappointing for Benetton and for Ford that they didn't get the kind of performance from this revised Zetec VR engine, Michael Schumacher is checking the car all around the circuit".

Williams were still struggling with the handling of their car, Damon Hill ending up in the gravel at Rivazza.

Friday Qualifying[]

It was a jovial start to Friday qualifying, Allard Kalff noting "it looked cold this morning, but the weather is warm, clear, dry and about 27°" ahead of the start of the first qualifying session. The first car out of the pits was the Sauber of Karl Wendlinger. The Sauber's hoping to maximise their track time after reliability problems had reduced their running during the practice sessions.

Wendlinger going on to set the initial benchmark with a 1:25.854. However his time was subsequently bettered by teammate Frentzen who set a new benchmark with a 1:24.033. Wendlinger then dropped to third when Morbidelli's Footwork also went faster. Most of the smaller teams were maximising their track time in the early moments of qualifying. Behind Wendlinger, Martini, Bernard, Fittipaldi, Panis, Blundell, Gachot, Ratzenberger, Belmondo and Herbert had all set times.

The first of the front runners to enter the track was the McLaren of Martin Brundle. Brundle's opening lap put him fourth fastest, John Watson noting "not bad for an opener" to which Kalff further noted "equalling his time he did this morning". Brundle was subsequently joined on track by the Ferrari of Larini and Schumacher's Benetton. Larini set an impressive lap time to take the provisional pole time away from Frentzen.

However Larini's pole time would not last long, Schumacher quickly took the provisonal pole time with a 1:22.564, further underlining the performance of his car. John Watson noting "I just wish we could see into the Williams pit, I'm quite sure Damon Hill, Ayrton Senna, Frank Williams and Patrick Head are glued to their monitor. Because this is the man that has haunted them all year". The second Benetton of Lehto had also impressed on his first flying lap to take the second fastest time of the session.

Watson would note "that time of Schumacher, exactly one second slower than Senna achieved this morning. Schumacher you can see how hard he is trying, right over the kerbs at Acque Minerale. And now his principal protagonist, Ayrton Senna". Senna had opted to enter the track in response to his chief rival's opening time. Senna could be seen to be immediately on the pace, Allard Kalff noting his "fighting spirit" whilst John Watson further added "well I've got a feeling that this is one of those laps that Senna over many years has managed to just drag out of a car. And this is in my view Senna at his most committed and most serious". Senna immediately took the provisional pole time away from Schumacher with a 1:22.430.

Almost immediately after Senna had set his pole time, his compatriot and friend, Rubens Barrichello, who was on an out-lap for Jordan, lost control of his car at the Variante Bassa. Barrichello had been launched into the air, and whilst still being airborne had slammed into the barriers in a full side-impact. Barichello's car rebounded off the barriers, flipping upside down.

It was immediately evident that Barrichello had suffered a severe accident, the red flag being brought out whilst Doctor Sid Watkins and the medical care quickly arrived at the scene of the accident. Barrichello had been knocked unconscious where he was left struggling to breathe due to blood flow from a cut on his face. Dr Watkins quickly got an airway into him, the medical team extracting him from the car and taking him to the medical centre.

There was relief in the paddock, there had been fears that Barrichello had suffered severe injury, however as was reported by Allard Kalff, "he has a concussion, got damage to his face, which is what you would expect him to have but he is talking to the doctor". Upon seeing the accident, Senna immediately returned to the pits at the red flag and had rushed to the medical centre to see his friend. Senna was the first person Barrichello saw upon regaining consciousness.

Eddie Irvine, whom despite being currently banned from racing had attended the event to support his team.[2] As the anxious Jordan personnel watched from the garage, Irvine tried to reassure his team by explaining to them what he thought had caused the accident.[2] Irvine notably commenting, "His head never hit anything. His arm was knocked out, but I think he was knocked out by the initial... wack."[2]

Reassured at Barrichello's condition, Senna returned to his garage to resume qualifying. On the way back to his car, he was the first person to bare news of his condition, confirming to reporters "he's alright. He's shocked of course, but he is alright".[2] As the green flag was resumed, Senna led the standings ahead of Schumacher, Lehto, Larini, Frentzen, Morbidelli, Wendlinger, Brundle, Katayama, Martini, Bernard, Fittipaldi, Panis, Blundell, Lamy, Gachot, Ratzenberger, Belmondo and Beretta.

The second Williams of Hill, whom had yet to set a lap, became the first car out on track upon the resumption of the green flag. The Williams continued to look nervous, John Watson observing "again you can see the back end of the car just stepping out at the exit of the corners." As Hill approached the final corner of his outlap, he lost the back end and spun the car around. A concerned Allard Kalff would note, "what worries me is that spin looks very similar to the one he had this morning." John Watson replied by stating "there was at least two occasions on that out lap where the car was very, very nervous. That was the back end without any real warning at all wanting to break away. And as we saw Damon Hill come up to complete his first flying lap, we saw very clearly indeed, the problem Damon Hill has this afternoon, infact he had it this morning as well".

Allard Kalff would comment "who knows what's going to happen next". The statement was immediately followed by a large spin by Brundle's McLaren. Brundle ran wide onto the kerbing at the exit of Rivazza before losing the back end and spinning into the opposing wall. John Watson would comment "that is a very rare thing to see Martin Brundle make an error." Brundle would be forced to exit the car and return to the pits on foot.

The Ferrari of Berger opted to wait a long time before exiting the pits for his first flying lap. However upon entering the track and setting a time, Berger immediately took the provisional pole time with a 1:22.113. The Ferrari's were looking competitive, John Watson noting "there would be no surprise to see a Ferrari on the front row of the grid. I'm not sure if Berger can hold down provisional pole for this session, or for Saturday's session but undoubtedly that is going to be worth a few more thousand people for second day practice and qualifying."

Thereafter the new order read, Berger ahead of Senna, Schumacher, Lehto, Larini, Häkkinen, Blundell, Frentzen, Morbidelli, Katayama, Wendlinger, Brundle, Martini, Bernard, Herbert, Alboreto, Fittipaldi, Panis, Lamy, Hill, De Cesaris, Gachot, Ratzenberger and Belmondo. Only the injured Barrichello, the two Larrousse cars of Comas and Beretta as well as Brabham's Simtek had yet to set a time.

The Friday session had been tumultuous for a number of teams, John Watson commenting "I think the reason we are seeing so many people looking twitchy and nervy is because they are trying to strike the balance between good top speed and the minimum amount of downforce they need for the parts of the circuit like Tamburello which of course is flat out, 190 mph on the exit of the corner, and the quickest cars just reaching 200 mph through the Villeneuve curve".

Schumacher in the Benetton could be seen as one of these drivers fighting the car. Allard Kalff noting, "his car can't be the easiest to drive". However that being said, Schumacher immediately went on to reclaim pole position with a 1:22.015. Thereafter on his follow-up flying lap, Schumacher lost control of the back end of his Benetton at the Tosa hairpin and spun the car around. He quickly righted his car and continued without damage to his car. John Watson would comment "we've seen the front runners have more moments here at Imola than we have at any other point during the year."

Senna meanwhile had dropped down to third, both Schumacher and Berger having posted faster times. Senna returned to the track in response to Schumacher's pole position time, however he could be seen behaving cautiously on track. Senna choosing to perform an extra exploratory lap after his out-lap to which John Watson explained "looking at Senna on that lap he was not running wide out of corners, he was not doing what you expect when you are fully, fully committed to your pole lap. In a sense, just building himself up, getting a feel for this particular set of tyres. Now this will be the lap where I think he will regain that provisional pole position."

It was clear that Senna was behaving cautiously on track, Allard Kalff further explaining, that until that point "Senna is the only top driver to not have improved on his morning time so far." Senna's following lap was looking much quicker, the Williams easily taking pole position from Schumacher with a 1:21.837. However John Watson believed Senna was still behaving cautiously on track, noting "he's certainly being very very purposeful, but I would say consciously and deliberately staying off the amount of kerb we have seen from others". After taking the pole time, Senna immediately spun the Williams at Tosa corner in a near identical incident to that of Schumacher's earlier spin. John Watson commenting "Williams are probably running more down force than I suspect Benetton are, but probably quite a lot less than Senna would be accustomed to in the first two grand prix's of the year. The margin is just so, so fine."

Soon after, the remaining Jordan of De Cesaris had an incident when he ran wide at the Piratella curve He subsequently damaged the right rear of his car, the tyre rim could be seen falling off the wheel hub of the car. De Cesaris thereafter was forced to pull over at the side of the circuit. John Watson stating "this is arguably the worst day for Jordan Grand Prix since 1991."

The second Williams of Hill had attempted his first proper flying lap, after having botched his first attempt earlier on in the session. Like Senna, Hill was struggling, however the best he could do for his first proper run was to put the car in seventh position. Senna had also entered the track for a third time, he appeared more confident in this run, further improving his pole time down to a 1:21.548. Senna attempted one final flying lap, however wasn't able to better his time. Hill continued to struggle, backing right off at the beginning of his last flying lap attempt.

At the end of the session, Senna led Schumacher, Berger, Lehto, Larini, Frentzen, Hill, Häkkinen, Morbidelli, Blundell, Wendlinger, Katayama, Martini, Alboreto, Brundle, Fittipaldi, Bernard, Panis, Herbet, De Cesaris, Comas, Lamy, Beretta, Brabham, Ratzenberger and Gachot. Barrichello, who would no longer participate in the weekend was in the drop zone alongside Belmondo's Pacific.

Saturday Qualifying[]

It was a positive start to the Saturday qualifying session at Imola. The camera's caught Jean Alesi, walking around the paddock in plain clothes, waving and smiling to the adoring Tifosi. John Watson noting "Jean Alesi, another injured driver, recovering from his neck injury. He is not wearing the neck brace, I'm sure his doctors will not be entirely happy about it. But he wants to show the people at Imola, to indicate that he is well on his way to recovery".

Schumacher was one of the earliest drivers to attack the track in the Saturday afternoon session. His first lap time saw him improve on his previous best, before making a further improvement on his second flying lap. Schumacher had dramatically improved his time, however he still remained a tenth off Senna's personal best from the Friday session.

There was a lot of activity from the drivers that were sitting at the back of the grid, John Watson commenting "well certainly at the back of the grid, we are seeing reasonable improvements." The Simtek cars had been the first on track, Brabham had improved to twenty third position, whilst Ratzenberger was struggling to improve on his personal best.

Ferrari continued to look competitive, Berger was looking on course to equal Senna's time, however a lock-up at Rivazza lost him time, and he failed to improve on his personal best. Shortly after, Herbert could be seen losing control of his car and spinning at the Variante Bassa.

Hill in the Williams became the first front runner to make a significant improvement, after his first flying lap he had moved up from seventh to fourth on the grid. Hill's second lap saw him shave a few further tenths off his best time, however he still remained six tenths off teammate Senna's best time.

Qualifying Report[]

Senna was said to have been satisfied with the changes made to the FW16 that had enhanced the performance of the handling.[2] Senna had immediately set the best provisional pole time on his Friday afternoon run before his compatriot, Barrichello had his accident.[2] Barrichello had been knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured nose, bandaged arm and cut lip, however he would return to the circuit, albeit not in racing condition on Saturday.[2]

Having visited Barrichello in the medical centre, a relieved Senna was able to return to his car satisfied that Barrichello's injuries were not severe and even conveyed the positive news to the world media.[2]

As qualifying continued, the Variante Bassa, where Barrichello had crashed managed to cause the spins of drivers such as Häkkinen and Hill.[2] On Saturday, Schumacher whom needed to close the gap to Senna's pole time had seen him over three laps come within three tenths of Senna's time.[2]

However then, the tragic accident of Roland Ratzenberger occured to which brought an end to the qualifying proceedings.[2] Senna exclaiming shock at the magnitude of the accident, having viewed the accident from the in-garage circuit monitor.[2] Berger was similarly affected to which he commented, "It was the first time I find myself shaking after an accident. I was sitting in the car, I watched it on the monitor and when they start to put him out of the car, I could see it going to be very, very bad. And of course, in our job, you are sometimes a bit prepared to see situations like this. But as it was another Austrian driver, as it was a personal conduct to a person, it was even worse. And I know you should not make a difference between a driver what you know and what you don't know but it effects you in a different way."[2]

Qualifying Results[]

The full qualifying results for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Time Gap
Q1 Q2
1 2 Brazil Ayrton Senna United Kingdom Williams-Renault 1:21.548
2 5 Germany Michael Schumacher United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 1:22.015 1:21.885 +0.337s
3 28 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Ferrari 1:22.113 1:22.226 +0.565s
4 0 United KingdomDamon Hill United Kingdom Williams-Renault 1:23.199 1:22.168 +0.620s
5 6 Finland JJ Lehto United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 1:22.717 1:24.209 +1.169s
6 27 Italy Nicola Larini Italy Ferrari 1:22.841 1:23.006 +1.293s
7 30 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 1:23.119 +1.571s
8 7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 1:23.611 1:23.140 +1.592s
9 3 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:24.000 1:23.322 +1.774s
10 29 Austria Karl Wendlinger Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 1:23.788 1:23.347 +1.799s
11 10 Italy Gianni Morbidelli United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 1:23.663 1:24.682 +2.115s
12 4 United Kingdom Mark Blundell United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 1:23.703 1:23.831 +2.155s
13 8 United Kingdom Martin Brundle United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 1:24.443 1:23.858 +2.310s
14 23 Italy Pierluigi Martini Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:24.078 1:24.423 +2.530s
15 24 Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 1:24.276 1:24.780 +2.728s
16 9 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 1:24.655 1:24.472 +2.924s
17 25 France Éric Bernard France Ligier-Renault 1:24.678 1:40.411 +3.130s
18 20 France Érik Comas France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 1:26.295 1:24.852 +3.304s
19 26 France Olivier Panis France Ligier-Renault 1:24.996 1:25.160 +3.448s
20 12 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 1:25.114 1:25.141 +3.566s
21 15 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Ireland Jordan-Hart 1:25.234 1:25.872 +3.686s
22 11 Portugal Pedro Lamy United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 1:26.453 1:25.295 +3.747s
23 19 Monaco Olivier Beretta France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 1:27.179 1:25.991 +4.443s
24 31 Australia David Brabham United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth 1:27.607 1:26.817 +5.269s
25 34 France Bertrand Gachot United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor 1:27.732 1:27.143 +5.595s
26* 32 Austria Roland Ratzenberger United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth 1:27.657 1:27.584 +6.036s
DNQ 33 France Paul Belmondo United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor 1:28.361 1:27.881 +6.333s
DNQ 14 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Jordan-Hart 14:57.323 +13:35.775
Source:[4][5][6]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
  • Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
  • * Ratzenberger was unable to start the race due to his fatal accident during qualifying.[6]

Grid[]

Pos. Pos.
Driver Driver
______________
Row 1 1 ______________
Ayrton Senna 2
______________ Michael Schumacher
Row 2 3 ______________
Gerhard Berger 4
______________ Damon Hill
Row 3 5 ______________
JJ Lehto 6
______________ Nicola Larini
Row 4 7 ______________
Heinz-Harald Frentzen 8
______________ Mika Häkkinen
Row 5 9 ______________
Ukyo Katayama 10
______________ Karl Wendlinger
Row 6 11 ______________
Gianni Morbidelli 12
______________ Mark Blundell
Row 7 13 ______________
Martin Brundle 14
______________ Pierluigi Martini
Row 8 15 ______________
Michele Alboreto 16
______________ Christian Fittipaldi
Row 9 17 ______________
Éric Bernard 18
______________ Érik Comas
Row 10 19 ______________
Olivier Panis 20
______________ Johnny Herbert
Row 11 21 ______________
Andrea de Cesaris 22
______________ Pedro Lamy
Row 12 23 ______________
Olivier Beretta 24
______________ David Brabham
Row 13 25 ______________
Bertrand Gachot 26
______________

Race[]

Report[]

In the beginning of the morning, both Senna and Berger whom were equally affected by Ratzenberger's death had met in the Ferrari garage on the morning of the race to discuss driver safety for the future.[2] Shortly afterwards, the drivers' briefing revealed that the drivers had the intention to reform the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) in the wake of Ratzenberger's death.[2] Both Senna and Berger as well as Michael Schumacher were said to be the "prime movers" in the decision.[2] Leaving the drivers' briefing, Senna and Schumacher could be heard discussing the implementation of a pit-lane speed limit for Monaco.[2]

As the race began, "Ratzenberger's accident was still uppermost in everyone's minds."[2] The Simtek team and Ratzenberger's teammate, David Brabham, had made the "brave" decision to continue in the race.[2]

Senna had unusually got into his pole sitting car in full race gear, only to unbuckle and take off his helmet whilst sitting in the car.[2] Senna sat in contemplation, preparing for the start, whilst his Williams mechanics made the final adjustments to his car.[2]

At the start of the race, Senna maintained the lead from pole position whilst behind him, Lehto on the third row stalled his Benetton on the grid to which Lamy's Lotus slammed into the rear of his car.[2] Lamy had been "unsighted" when he collided with the stationary Lehto.[2]

Lehto whom had only just recovered from his neck injuries that had kept him out of the first two races would then receive a light arm injury in the accident.[2] Lamy, whilst emerging unscathed had demolished both his Lotus and Lehto's Benetton.[2] A flying wheel from the Lotus had flown into the grandstand to which eight spectators and a policeman were injured.[2]

With the wreckage on the pit straight, the safety car was immediately brought out to clear the wreckage away.[2] It took five laps for the marshalls to clear the incident to which when the racing resumed, Senna led the race with Schumacher directly behind.[2]

On the sixth lap, Senna whom was still pushing to extend his gap to Schumacher then mysteriously failed to turn into the high speed left handed Tamburello corner and crashed.[2] The race was immediately stopped in order for the medical team to attend to Senna.[2] The race would restart nearly fourty five minutes later to which the entire field was said to be "under an overwhelming sense of dread."[2]

However all the drivers' returned to their cars to take the restart. However it was noted that for the teams and drivers', "the true gravity of Senna's situation is unknown."[2] At the start, Berger got the best start and took the lead from Schumacher.[2] Hill, Häkkinen, Larini, Wendlinger and Katayama.[2]

The Tifosi were visibly overjoyed in witnessing Berger putting the Ferrari into first place on home turf.[2] However, only ten laps later, the excitement of the Tifosi would disappear as Schumacher whom continued to tail Berger then pressured the Ferrari to run wide off the circuit at Acque Mineralie.[2]

Berger thereafter lost the lead to Schumacher before shortly thereafter pulling into the pits to retire from the race.[2] The only official reason given was that "there was a problem with the left rear of the car."[2]

There would be yet one final "nasty twist" at Imola when the right rear tyre from Alboreto's Minardi dislocated whilst exiting the pits.[2] The tyre bounced down the pits and crashed into three Ferrari mechanics and a Lotus mechanic.[2] All four of them are injured by the loose wheel.[2]

Schumacher thereafter described as "oblivious too it all" thereafter went on to once again dominate the race to which he finished ahead on the podium of Larini's Ferrari and Häkkinen's McLaren.[2] Larini embracing a scarlet Ferrari flag on the parade lap.[2] Rounding out the final points positions were Wendlinger, Katayama and Hill.[2]

Results[]

The full results for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix are outlined below:

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 5 Germany Michael Schumacher United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 58 1:28:28.642 2 10
2 27 Italy Nicola Larini Italy Ferrari 58 +54.942s 6 6
3 7 Finland Mika Häkkinen United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 58 +1:10.679 8 4
4 29 Austria Karl Wendlinger Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 58 +1:13.658 10 3
5 3 Japan Ukyo Katayama United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 57 +1 Lap 9 2
6 0 United Kingdom Damon Hill United Kingdom Williams-Renault 57 +1 Lap 4 1
7 30 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 57 +1 Lap 7
8 8 United Kingdom Martin Brundle United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 57 +1 Lap 13
9 4 United Kingdom Mark Blundell United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 56 +2 Laps 12
10 12 United Kingdom Johnny Herbert United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 56 +2 Laps 20
11 26 France Olivier Panis France Ligier-Renault 56 +2 Laps 19
12 25 France Éric Bernard France Ligier-Renault 55 +3 Laps 17
13* 9 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 54 Spin 16
Ret 15 Italy Andrea de Cesaris Ireland Jordan-Hart 49 Spin 21
Ret 24 Italy Michele Alboreto Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 44 Wheel 15
Ret 10 Italy Gianni Morbidelli United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 40 Engine 11
Ret 23 Italy Pierluigi Martini Italy Minardi-Ford Cosworth 37 Spin 14
Ret 31 Australia David Brabham United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth 27 Spin 24
Ret 34 France Bertrand Gachot United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor 23 Engine 25
Ret 19 Monaco Olivier Beretta France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 17 Engine 23
Ret 28 Austria Gerhard Berger Italy Ferrari 16 Suspension 3
Ret 2 Brazil Ayrton Senna United Kingdom Williams-Renault 5 Fatal Accident 1
Ret 20 France Érik Comas France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 5 Vibration 18
Ret 6 Finland JJ Lehto United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 0 Collision 5
Ret 11 Portugal Pedro Lamy United Kingdom Lotus-Mugen-Honda 0 Collision 22
DNS 32 Austria Roland Ratzenberger United Kingdom Simtek-Ford Cosworth
DNQ 33 France Paul Belmondo United Kingdom Pacific-Ilmor
DNQ 14 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ireland Jordan-Hart
Source:[7]
  • T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
  • * Fittipaldi was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.[7]
  • Ratzenberger was unable to start the race due to his fatal accident during qualifying.[7]

Post-Race[]

"This is the blackest day in grand prix racing that I can remember."

Murray Walker's reaction to the race weekend

Having taken the victory at San Marino, Michael Schumacher became the first driver to speak about the horrific weekend experienced at Imola.[2] Schumacher in a sombre mood conveyed "What happened this weekend, never have I seen something like this. Not just one thing, but so many things. The only thing I can say about this is that I hope we learn from this. I think there is a lot to learn from and we have to use this. Things like this, they shouldn't happen without taking the experience from it."[2]

Larini in second place had achieved a small success in achieving his first podium and putting Ferrari back onto the podium in home territory.[2] Larini expressed little joy in his success to which he already was contemplating whether the race would be the last in his career.[2] Commenting after the race, Larini noted "I'm lucky in my result, it is the best result of my career. And could be the last one because next race, Alesi will take his car." [2]

The day after the race, the FIA announced that in the wake of Senna's death they were immediately gathering reports from the "technical, medical, safety and supervisory staff, as well as from the relevant teams and personnel."[2] The Williams team refused to comment on the accident and considered all potential causes of the accident to be speculation until the FIA had completed their investigation.[2]

Two days later at the FIA meeting in Paris, Max Mosley proposed the "best hypothesis" of the cause for Ratzenberger's fatal accident that an off-track excursion had weakened the front wing structure to which the wing snapped and became lodged under the front wheels whilst the Simtek driver was approaching Villeneuve.[2]

On the 5th May 1994, a state funeral is held in honour of Ayrton Senna to which over 1 million Brazilians payed tribute to Senna's life.[2] The Brazilian President thereafter announced that they would go into three days of official mourning with the loss of their legendary champion.[2]

Milestones[]

Standings[]

A third straight victory for Michael Schumacher ensured that the German ace had a commanding lead in the Championship after the opening three rounds, leaving San Marino with 30 points to his name. Damon Hill was officially his closest challenger, although the Brit was already 23 points behind, and only ahead of third placed Rubens Barrichello on count-back. Gerhard Berger was next, level on six points with stand-in teammate Nicola Larini, with twelve drivers on the board.

In the Constructors Championship it had been another strong afternoon for Benetton-Ford Cosworth, who left Imola with almost double the points of their closest challengers. Indeed, Ferrari had established themselves in second after Larini's podium, although with only sixteen points to Benetton's 30 the Italian squad still had room for improvement. Williams-Renault, meanwhile, were up to third, level with Jordan-Hart, although their entire season had been thrown into chaos as a result of Ayrton Senna's death.

World Championship for Drivers
Pos. Driver Pts. +/-
1 Germany Michael Schumacher 30
2 United Kingdom Damon Hill 7 ▲1
3 Brazil Rubens Barrichello 7 ▼1
4 Austria Gerhard Berger 6
5 Italy Nicola Larini 6 ▲15
6 Finland Mika Häkkinen 4 ▲14
7 France Jean Alesi 4 ▼2
8 Austria Karl Wendlinger 4 ▲2
9 Japan Ukyo Katayama 4 ▼2
10 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi 3 ▼4
11 Germany Heinz-Harald Frentzen 2 ▼3
12 France Érik Comas 1 ▼3
World Championship for Constructors
Pos. Team Pts. +/-
1 United Kingdom Benetton-Ford Cosworth 30
2 Italy Ferrari 16
3 United Kingdom Williams-Renault 7 ▲1
4 Ireland Jordan-Hart 7 ▼1
5 Switzerland Sauber-Mercedes 6 ▲1
6 United Kingdom McLaren-Peugeot 4 ▲7
7 United Kingdom Tyrrell-Yamaha 4
8 United Kingdom Footwork-Ford Cosworth 3 ▼3
9 France Larrousse-Ford Cosworth 1 ▼1

Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.

References[]

Images and Videos:

References:

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 'San Marino GP, 1994', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr551.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.49 2.50 2.51 2.52 2.53 2.54 2.55 2.56 2.57 2.58 2.59 2.60 2.61 2.62 (1994). Who else but Schumacher?. Great Britain: Duke Video.
  3. 'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
  4. 'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
  5. 'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
  6. 6.0 6.1 'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 '3. San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 '1994 San Marino GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1994&gp=San%20Marino%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
V T E San Marino San Marino Grand Prix
Circuits Imola (1981-2006)
Imola 1981
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V T E 1994 Formula One Season
Teams Williams • Tyrrell • Benetton • McLaren • Footwork • Lotus • Jordan • Larrousse • Minardi • Ligier • Ferrari • Sauber • Simtek • Pacific
Engines Ferrari • Ford • Hart • Ilmor • Mercedes • Mugen-Honda • Peugeot • Renault • Yamaha
Drivers Hill • 2 Senna • 2 Coulthard • 2 Mansell • 3 Katayama • 4 Blundell • 5 Schumacher • 5/6 Lehto • 6 Verstappen • 6 Herbert • 7 Häkkinen • 7 Alliot • 8 Brundle • 9 Fittipaldi • 10 Morbidelli • 11 Lamy • 11/12 Zanardi • 11 Adams • 11 Bernard • 11 Salo • 12 Herbert • 14 Barrichello • 15 Irvine • 15 Suzuki • 15 De Cesaris • 19 Beretta • 19 Alliot • 19 Dalmas • 19 Noda • 20 Comas • 20 Délétraz • 23 Martini • 24 Alboreto • 25 Bernard • 25 Herbert • 25 Lagorce • 26 Panis • 27 Alesi • 27 Larini • 28 Berger • 29 Wendlinger • 29 De Cesaris • 29 Lehto • 30 Frentzen • 31 Brabham • 32 Ratzenberger • 32 Montermini • 32 Gounon • 32 Schiattarella • 32 Inoue • 33 Belmondo • 34 Gachot
Other Drivers Magnussen • McNish
Cars Williams FW16 • Williams FW16B • Tyrrell 022 • Benetton B194 • McLaren MP4/9 • Footwork FA15 • Lotus 107C • Lotus 109 • Jordan 194 • Larrousse LH94 • Minardi M193B • Minardi M194 • Ligier JS39B • Ferrari 412T1 • Ferrari 412T1B • Sauber C13 • Simtek S941 • Pacific PR01
Tyres Goodyear
Races Brazil • Pacific • San Marino • Monaco • Spain • Canada • France • Britain • Germany • Hungary • Belgium • Italy • Portugal • Europe • Japan • Australia
See also 1993 Formula One Season • 1995 Formula One Season • Category
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