When F1 Crashes turned deadly: Senna, Villeneuve and more

792 days ago

Ayrton Senna, one of the greatests drivers of all time, died in a crash in 1994, when his car ran into a concrete barrier during the San Marino GP. That moment was brutal and was forever marked in the history of sport. Along with Senna, there were a few other tragic crashes in the sport. Here’s taking a look.

1 – Jules Bianchi – October 2014

The most recent on the list, Jules Bianchi was a french driver from Marussia. Unfortunately, he crashed into a tractor that was collecting Adrian Sutil’s car. Bianchi was in a coma for nine months, but passed away on July 17, 2015.

2 – Ayrton Senna – May 1994

One of the most tragic deaths in sports history: Ayrton Senna, the legendary driver from Brazil. In May 1st, Senna crashed into a concrete barrier during the San Marino GP. The impact caused a piece of the car’s suspension to go through the visor of his helmet and cause a head trauma, which led to the death of the Brazilian idol.

3 – Roland Ratzenberger – May 1994

On the same weekend as Ayrton Senna’s death, the Austrian Roland Ratzenberger also had a tragic ending. A day before, April 30, during a qualifying practice, the driver, who was racing for the Simtek team, crashed at high speed into the wall of the Villeneuve corner, leading to his death.

4 – Gilles Villeneuve – May 1982

The Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve died after one of the most tragic accidents in F1 history. During qualifying, at the Belgium GP at Zolder, his Ferrari, at high speed, overturned several times and was completely destroyed. He died as a result of a very serious cervical injury

5 – Ronnie Peterson – September 1978

Ronnie Peterson, who was driving a Lotus-Ford at the time, had an accident at the Monza circuit, in Italy. At the start of the race, a widespread crash occurred due to a race direction error. Peterson had multiple fractures in his legs, but died due to a surgical error that caused a fat embolism in his bloodstream.