Imola: Fans and Formula One drivers past and present marked the 20th anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna on Thursday at the Italian circuit where the triple champion crashed 20 years ago.
Hundreds paid their respects with a minute’s silence at the Tamburello corner at 2.17pm, the moment the Brazilian’s Williams ploughed into the wall while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger had died the previous day when he crashed during qualifying and the two remain the last driver fatalities during a grand prix weekend.
The circuit near Bologna was opened to the public with tribute events scheduled in Imola, including a memorial football match and the naming of a square, over the next four days.
A mass, attended by Ratzenberger’s parents, was held on Wednesday night.
“It’s so emotional for us because it’s a long time and still the love from the people is very alive,” Senna’s niece Paula, representing the family, told Reuters Television.
“It seems like Ayrton is living inside people’s hearts, so it’s beautiful.”
Current Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, as well as Senna’s former McLaren teammate Gerhard Berger, were among those present at the track and social media was flooded with messages.
“I think Senna set the standard for all drivers and he was definitely the best of his generation,” said double world champion Alonso.
Senna’s favourite Sao Paulo football team Corinthians donned replicas of his distinctive yellow, green and black helmet before the start of a Cup match against Nacional in Manaus on Wednesday.
“Our hearts sank when they told us the news,” said Marco, a 31-year-old Italian Formula One fan, who was at Imola as a young boy on the day of the crash.
Marco wore the same type of helmet that Senna had on that day and was taking his car around the circuit.
Daniela, 39, from Belo Horizonte in Brazil, said: “What moves me about Senna was his humility, his enormous charisma. He is in our hearts like family.”
Another Brazilian fan, 57-year-old Renato, said: “His will to win was what I liked about Ayrton.
“He proved that a Brazilian could be internationally known and that was a great encouragement for us.”
Marco, 34, who wore a chequered flag around his shoulders, said simply: “He was the best driver ever.”
A Catholic priest led a memorial service on Wednesday at the Tamburello corner where the triple world champion’s Williams careered off into a concrete barrier on lap seven at 190mph (307km/h).
He was airlifted to Bologna hospital, but was pronounced dead at 18:40 local time on that ill-fated Sunday.
Thursday’s ceremony comes after a week of commemorative events held to mark the tragic accident, which ushered in a raft of changes to improve F1 safety.
The Senna anniversary is made all the more poignant as another great F1 driver, seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, continues his fight for life after the German’s skiing accident on December 29.
Ironically, it was Schumacher who went on to win the Imola race 20 years ago.
Incredible legend
Senna’s death, 24 hours after Ratzenberger was killed and two days after his fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello was injured, was F1’s blackest weekend.
And all this week emotional tributes have been paid to the 1988, 1990 and 1991 champion.
“He was an incredible legend,” said 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton.
“You like to think that one day you may be recognised as someone that was able to drive similarly to him,” added the Mercedes driver.
“On my schoolbooks I didn’t have pictures of girls, obviously I was too young but I had Ayrton there and the same in my room,” said 2005/06 champion Alonso.
Senna’s sister Viviane, told AFP this week that her brother’s legacy is alive and well through the Ayrton Senna Institute which she chairs.
She recalls a conversation she had with him weeks before his death when he told her how he wanted to contribute to a better future for Brazil by helping to open up opportunities for children.
She said: “Ayrton really wanted Brazil to work, for everyone to have a chance and from this dream the Institute was born.
“Currently, we are working with more than two million children and training some 75,000 teachers per year across around 1,000 cities around the country.”
Senna’s death prompted extensive changes, including the reform of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. Engine capacities were reduced and tethers to help prevent wheels flying off following accidents were introduced.
The HANS device to protect drivers’ heads and necks were made compulsory, and run-offs were extended and improved.
As evidence that the improvements put in place worked the last F1 fatality in a grand prix was Senna.
