• Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna died on May 1, 1994 after an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy.

• Senna’s accident was one of two fatal accidents that occurred on the track this weekend.

• After Senna’s death, better safety measures were introduced.

The new Netflix limited series “Senna” dramatizes the life of the late Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, chronicling his achievements as a three-time world champion and his fatal accident in 1994.

The six-part scripted series starring Gabriel Leone follows the Brazilian driver’s humble beginnings in karting, his move to Europe to compete in Formula Ford and the ups and downs of his ten years in Formula 1.

But Senna’s death, the result of an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1, 1994, threatens the series. The final episode of “Senna” tells of that unfortunate weekend in Imola, Italy.

Here’s what happened before Senna’s accident and how his death at the age of 34 changed the course of Formula 1.

Senna expressed concerns about his car’s performance before race day

Senna made his F1 debut with Toleman in 1984 and moved to Lotus the following year. After moving to McLaren in 1988, Senna experienced the greatest success of his career, winning the world championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991.

For the 1994 season, Senna moved to Williams, a team that had performed well the previous year. He hoped to achieve victories with the team, but after the ban on electronic aids, F1 cars underwent massive changes. These electronic features were an advantage that helped drivers on the race tracks. Without them, there was no traction control, no special brakes and no electronic suspension.

In archived interview footage featured in the 2010 documentary “Senna: No Fear, No Limits, No Equal,” Senna said that the car “immediately felt less stable” and harder to drive without the electronic suspension, which caused it to spin and fail. Rail.

At the time of the San Marino GP, the third race of the 1994 season, the car’s handling was still poor and Senna felt uncomfortable while driving.

In footage taken during practice on Friday April 29, 1994, Senna was seen telling the Williams team about problems with the car’s balance.

At the weekend of the San Marino GP, two drivers died within two days: Roland Ratzenberger and Senna

On Friday, Jordan driver Rubens Barrichello had an accident and suffered non-fatal injuries. Then, during qualifying on Saturday, Simtek driver Roland Ratzenberger suffered an even more serious accident and died as a result of injuries sustained on the racetrack.

Ratzenberger’s death shocked Senna. Nevertheless, he decided to take part in the race on Sunday.

“Ayrton was very, very excited and cried a bit,” F1 doctor Sid Watkins said in the 2010 documentary. “And that’s when I said to him: ‘You know, Ayrton, you’ve been a three-time world champion. You’re the fastest man in the world.’ And he liked fishing, so I said, “Why don’t you quit? And I’ll stop and we’ll just go fishing?”

In Watkins’ book “Life at the Limit,” the doctor said that Senna’s last words to him during that conversation were: “Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I can’t give up, I have to keep going.”

On the seventh of 58 laps, Senna’s FW16 crashed in the Tamburello corner. The reason for the incident remains unknown, but Senna’s car collided at an angle, with the suspension shaft hitting his helmet.

Senna was flown to Maggiore Hospital in Bologna and the hospital officially announced his death.

However, Watkins believed that Senna died as a result of the accident at the Imola circuit.

“We got him out of the cockpit, took his helmet off and got him into the airway,” Watkins recalled in the documentary. “And I saw from his neurological signs that it was going to be a fatal head injury. And then he sighed and his body relaxed, and that was the moment – I’m not religious – when I thought his spirit had disappeared.”

After Senna’s death, better F1 safety protocols were enacted

Senna’s body was transported back to São Paulo. Three days of national mourning took place and thousands of people lined the streets of Brazil to honor the Formula 1 driver.

Senna’s funeral was attended by his parents Milton da Silva and Neyde Senna; his sister Viviane Senna; his ex-girlfriend and Brazilian television host Xuxa; his then-girlfriend and model Adriane Galisteu; and his F1 rival Alain Prost, who was a pallbearer.

Before his accident, Senna had spoken to Prost about reviving the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) out of concern for the safety of drivers. After Senna’s death, the GPDA was re-established. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) also commissioned Watson to improve safety standards and the cars received new features designed to keep the driver safe.

There were no fatalities in F1 racing for 21 years, until the death of French driver Jules Bianchi in 2015.

Senna is considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and his legacy extends beyond motorsport.

The Ayrton Senna Institute was founded by his family in 1994. The aim is to change the lives of children through education. According to an addendum at the end of “Senna,” the organization has helped more than 36 million youth in Brazil.

This year, in honor of the 30th anniversary of Senna’s death, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who became an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022, drove Senna’s McLaren MP4/5B, which won the championship in 1990, before the Brazilian Grand Prix in November 3 . Hamilton called this moment “the greatest honor of my career.”

All episodes of “Senna” will continue to stream Netflix.

Read the original article on Business Insider