History often remembers the tragic 1994 San Marino Grand Prix for the loss of Ayrton Senna. However, Senna wasn’t the only driver who died that weekend. On this day—April 30th—Roland Ratzenberger lost his life in a high-speed crash during the second qualifying session of what was just his third Formula 1 race weekend. Although his time in the sport was short, Ratzenberger’s legacy endures. Thirty-one years on, we remember not only the tragedy, but the determined, passionate racer behind the helmet.
The tragedy at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Friday 29th April – Rubens Barrichello’s accident
On Friday, April 29th, Rubens Barrichello suffered a violent crash at the Variante Bassa chicane, going airborne at around 140 mph before slamming into the barriers. The impact knocked him unconscious. Without the swift intervention of Formula One’s Safety and Medical Delegate, Professor Sid Watkins, Barrichello might not have survived.
By then, Watkins had already witnessed the best and worst of Formula One. In his 16 years in the role, he had been credited with saving Martin Donnelly’s life in 1990 at Jerez and Erik Comas’ in 1992 at Spa—with help from Ayrton Senna.
However, Watkins had also endured profound loss. In his first year as Formula One’s medical delegate, Ronnie Peterson died after a crash at Monza. Over the next eight years, the sport mourned the deaths of Patrick Depailler, Gilles Villeneuve, Riccardo Paletti, and Elio de Angelis.
It was a brutally dangerous era, but Watkins refused to let those tragedies be in vain. In the wake of Peterson’s and de Angelis’ deaths, Formula 1 implemented key safety reforms—among them, improved trackside medical response and the requirement for medical helicopters at both Grands Prix and test sessions.
Those measures proved vital in Barrichello’s survival. With the Brazilian safely in the care of medics, the weekend continued as planned. In the opening practice sessions, Williams drivers Ayrton Senna and Damon Hill, along with Benetton’s Michael Schumacher, set the pace.
Saturday 30th April – Raztenberger’s death
Saturday qualifying took place on April 30th, and the day began like any other on a Grand Prix weekend.
In the first qualifying session, Ayrton Senna led the timesheets ahead of Michael Schumacher, Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger, and Schumacher’s Benetton teammate, JJ Lehto.
At the other end of the field, the battle for the final grid spots was intense. Pacific’s Paul Belmondo and Bertrand Gachot, Simtek’s Roland Ratzenberger and David Brabham, Lotus’ Pedro Lamy, and Larrousse’s Olivier Beretta and Erik Comas were all fighting to avoid elimination. With Rubens Barrichello sidelined after his crash, only one driver would fail to qualify.
During the second qualifying session, Ratzenberger went out on track to secure his place on the grid. On the previous lap, he had damaged part of his front wing after running aggressively over the high kerbs at the Acque Minerali chicane.
As he approached the flat-out Villeneuve corner—leading into the Tosa hairpin—the weakened front wing failed. It lodged under the car, causing a catastrophic loss of front-end downforce and braking ability. Traveling at 195 mph, Ratzenberger went nearly head-on into the concrete wall.
The impact registered an estimated 500 g-force—far beyond survivable limits. For context, the highest recorded g-force a driver has survived remains Kenny Bräck’s 214 g crash in 2003. Ratzenberger suffered a basilar skull fracture and was pronounced dead a few hours later. He was just 33 years old.
Ratzenberger’s death—the first during a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend since Elio de Angelis in 1986—shocked the paddock. All but five drivers—Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger, Martin Brundle, Michele Alboreto, and Andrea de Cesaris—had never experienced the loss of a fellow competitor during a race weekend.
Although Ratzenberger was new to Formula 1, his death deeply affected his colleagues, especially Senna. Many in the paddock respected Ratzenberger for his determination and the long, hard road he took to reach the sport’s highest level.
Out of that respect, Paul Belmondo—who inherited Ratzenberger’s P26 grid slot for Sunday’s race—chose to withdraw his entry.
Ratzenger’s path to Formula 1
Born and raised in Salzburg, Austria, Roland Ratzenberger began his racing career in Formula Ford, where he won multiple championships throughout the early and mid-1980s. He then graduated to Formula Three, claiming several victories and establishing himself as a consistent podium finisher. In 1987, he stepped up to touring cars, earning three podiums in his rookie season in the World Touring Car Championship.
The following year, Ratzenberger joined the British Touring Car Championship and finished fourth in his class driving a BMW. Solid performances in British Formula 3000 later paved the way for a move to Japan, where he continued to compete in the Japanese equivalent of Formula 3000.
Sportscars and F3000
However, Ratzenberger’s greatest strength lay behind the wheel of a sportscar.
He became a recognised name at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, even though his first three appearances ended in retirement. In 1992, he broke through—finishing second in his class alongside Eddie Irvine and Eje Elgh. That same year, he also claimed his maiden victory in Japanese Formula 3000, impressively outperforming Irvine, who would later go on to become a Grand Prix winner with Ferrari. Matching and even beating a driver of Irvine’s calibre underscored Ratzenberger’s talent and versatility.
In 1993, Ratzenberger achieved the highlight of his racing career—winning his class at Le Mans alongside Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka. It was a triumph that cemented his reputation as a skilled and accomplished endurance racer.
Formula 1
Despite his successes in sportscars and Japanese single-seaters, Ratzenberger never gave up on his dream of reaching Formula 1. He came close in 1991, nearly securing a seat with Jordan—a drive that ultimately went to Bertrand Gachot. But in 1994, his long-awaited opportunity finally arrived. Simtek, a new Formula 1 team founded by Nick Wirth with support from Max Mosley, offered him a five-race deal. Driven by sheer determination, Ratzenberger seized the chance.
Although he failed to qualify for the season opener in Brazil, he delivered a strong performance at the Pacific Grand Prix in Aida—his adopted racing home—where he finished 11th. It was a solid result in a car with limited potential, and his commitment and perseverance quickly earned him the respect of those in the paddock.
Imola was set to be his third Grand Prix start. Instead, it became the day Formula 1 lost one of its most determined and respected racers—a man who had fought for years to reach the top level of motorsport and had only just begun to show what he was capable of.
The impact of Ratzenberger’s death
Ratzenberger’s death at Imola was a wake-up call for Formula 1—a warning tragically reinforced by Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash the following day. After Ratzenberger’s accident, Senna went to the medical centre to find out more. There, Professor Sid Watkins told him the devastating news: Roland had died. Watkins gently asked Senna if he wanted to stop racing altogether. Senna declined, but the impact of Ratzenberger’s death was immediate and profound.
When he returned to his motorhome, Senna broke down in tears. He refused to visit the crash site and did not attend any press conferences that evening. After his own death the next day, it was revealed that Senna had placed a small Austrian flag inside his cockpit. If he had won, he planned to wave it in Roland’s honour.
Ratzenberger’s teammate David Brabham was also affected by Ratzenberger’s accudent. The Australian had been on track when his teammate’s accident had happened and when he saw on the racing line, he immediately recognised it—it was purple, the same colour as their Simtek cars. As he passed the crash site, a chilling realisation set in—Roland Ratzenberger was gone.
Brabham said: “I was out on track and saw some parts on the road, some bodywork, and it was the same colour as my car. I knew then that it was Roland. As I’ve gone around the corner, seen him and seen the car… it’s a very vivid moment in my memory, and one that I can still see as clear as day. For me, I was looking at someone who wasn’t there anymore.”
Ratzenberger’s legacy and the reformation of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.
However, despite their grief, Ratzenberer’s collegues refused to let his death be in vain.During the customary drivers’ briefing on May 1, the surviving drivers agreed to reform the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), with Senna, Berger, and Schumacher set to serve as its directors. The group immediately pushed for improved safety across the sport.
Despite Senna’s death, in time, the efforts of the reformed GPDA led to the introduction of the HANS device—created to prevent the kind of injuries that killed Ratzenberger. In 2003, nearly a decade after Imola, its use became mandatory.
Roland Ratzenberger may have only raced in Formula 1 briefly, but his legacy has endured. He was more than a tragedy—he was a fighter, a racer, and a man who earned his place on the grid through grit and passion. Thirty-one years on, the sport remembers not just how he died, but how he lived.
