How Ayrton Senna's Death Made F1 Safer

Image credit: AFP, Pixabay

The death of Ayrton Senna in 1994 changed Formula One's attitude to safety. 

In the 1970s, 10 drivers died. Four were killed in the 1980s, the last was Elio de Angelis in 1986. 

Then came the black weekend at Imola at the start of May 1994 when Roland Ratzenberger died in qualifying. And Senna died in the race just a day after. Those deaths rocked the world. 

An Italian court had blamed a break in a hastily adapted steering column on Senna's car for the crash. 

After the car hit a concrete wall on the Tamburello corner at more than 200 km/h, the right front wheel and suspension were hurled into the cockpit. A piece of metal hit Senna's head and killed him. 

Later that year, the cockpit had been lengthened and reinforced and the suspension strengthened. 

In 1996, the protection around the driver's head was reinforced. In 1998, the wheels were attached to the car by tethers to stop them from flying off. 

A head and neck support system (HANS), which attaches the helmet to the shoulders and is designed to protect the spine, was introduced in 2003. 

The halo, a cockpit protection device to protect the driver's head, was introduced in 2018.