"As if you could Jesus live nailed to the cross": The date on which Ayrton Senna died

on 1 May 1994 rises one of the most charismatic Formula 1 drivers of all time in the cockpit of his Williams-Renault. Focused as always wants to Ayrton Senna also on this sunny day, the Grand Prix of Italy at Imola, only one thing: victory

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on 1 May 1994 rises one of the most charismatic Formula 1 pilots. of all time in the cockpit of his Williams-Renault. Focused as always wants to Ayrton Senna also on this sunny day, the Grand Prix of Italy at Imola, only one:. Victory

However, Pedro Lamy marred the start and slams into the car of JJ Lehto. The following is a Safety Car period until the fifth round.

Senna remains after the restart the lead. Before his pursuers he shoots in the extremely fast Tamburello curve. However, no steering movement can be seen and the car of the Brazilian rushes over the side strips and …

… is only slowed down by the boundary wall. In the collision, the front right wheel breaks off, …

… where a strut of the suspension dissolves and pierced by Senna’s helmet.

The immediate medical care, the helicopter flight to the Maggiore Hospital of Bologna, all in vain, …

… Senna did not stand a chance. The official time of death is fixed at 18.40 clock.

The Formula 1 had lost her greatest son. a, the death of Senna was particularly true, was Michael Schumacher (2nd from left) .

He was a fan of Senna, estimated the Brazilians. He in turn knew that arose in him Schumacher a serious competitor.

The race on 1 May 1994 in Imola, Schumacher won. For him to this day a victory with bitter aftertaste. “I was for a time no longer sure if I can be a racing driver and wants to continue, whether I can continue as before,” he said two weeks after the horrific crash. Senna, Formula 1 World Champion of 1988, 1990 and 1991, not only in Brazil was a folk hero. The fatal accident persecuted millions of people worldwide live on TV, which swelled the shock wave immeasurable. Brazilian President Itamar Franco ordered after Senna’s death a three-day state mourning. But how could it ever come to the accident? When departing Senna raced 321 km / h over the 5.04 km long circuit. As the telemetry data revealed he crashed at 214 km / h in the wall. A broken steering column had caused the accident well. Supposedly Senna had demanded their reconstruction itself

The then chief designer Adrian Newey admits today an error in the construction of the accident car.. “I had charged me by the aerodynamics of the car, the where the car window at ground clearances, worked, was too small. “

” Our car was not very good in Imola. We had trouble to define a reasonably acceptable ground clearance, “said Newey, Sebastian Vettel for the now Red Bull team . works

“Ayrton complained of understeer and oversteer – the usual symptoms of such a problem.” On the day before the accident he had Senna said, “that we know the solution to our problems and that he would soon have a better car.”

After the death of Senna, the Italian judiciary was investigating Newey for manslaughter . In the following trial, the Briton was acquitted of this charge. The reason for the accident a bad design by Newey on the steering column of Williams is mentioned again and again. “What exactly happened, I do not know, though it has been chewed over and over again in court,” Newey are now on record. But who was this actually is and what Ayrton Senna made his charisma? “One day the good Lord wanted to create the perfect racing driver He put his all into the cradle. Talent, courage, supernatural reflexes, selfishness, ambition, ruthlessness, …

… high intelligence, instinct , foresight, intuition, perseverance, endurance, bite, hardness, deceit, malice, technical intuition, sensitivity, asceticism and charisma, “wrote one journalist colleague once. “And then he called him Senna.”

Unforgotten are the duels at McLaren, which he delivered with his teammate Alain Prost. The duel of the “synonym for cruelty under teammates, “was in 1989 ensued between Prost and Senna.

Never before was rivalry of such deep enmity been marked as that of the French and Brazilian. Over the years, the fighting cocks of McLaren fights delivered to the knife.

When was Prost Senna Grand Prix of San Marino outdated, smelled Frenchman a violation of substantive equality. Also, after the constellations of driver and vehicle had changed, the arguments were the two further discharged on the slopes.

For the spectators, this rivalry was a never-ending fun. For Prost and Senna it was a game with life. During this time Senna had grown beyond the boundaries of the sport to a national idol.

As the clear leader of the pack in the industry had its opponents greatest respect for him. As soon as he showed up with his yellow helmet in the rear view mirror, …

… made a lot of drivers almost voluntarily place …

… not in a collision with the to be implicated as tough applicable McLaren star.

But Senna had also a human and spiritual side. Since time immemorial, he sat down with foundations …

… for the fight against poverty in his homeland – the people loved his national hero for …

… he brought but every other Sunday a little fun in the daily lives of Brazilians.

It is not surprising that the death of Senna’s particularly worried in his home for mourning. Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone rückblickendl said. “It was as if someone had Jesus nailed to the cross live”

After the body of the fallen hero from Italy had been transferred to Sao Paulo, …

… lined at the state funeral Senna’s over a million people, the streets of the South American metropolis, …

… to prove the Formula 1 ace their last respects.

Today Ayrton Senna stands in a row with a Formula 1 size as Juan Manuel Fangio (right).

Many racers have tried since 1994 to take over the helm of Senna.

Unfortunately, he was most too large

In this respect remains for the exceptional racer …

… even 20 years after his death, especially one.: …

… admiration. And which finds its expression not least on the cars of Formula 1

Even the nephew of the heroes, Bruno Senna, did not make it in the footsteps of his uncle and …

. .. had to sit during his time in the premier class in the name of the great Senna. Helped it has nothing.

His idol he always drove just behind. Like so many others.

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"As if you could Jesus live nailed to the cross": The date on which Ayrton Senna died