Imola to commemorate thirty years since the tragic weekend in May 1994
The Emilia-Romagna region is preparing to organize several events this year to pay tribute to Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, who died thirty years ago after accidents on the Imola circuit.
The 2024 Formula 1 season marks the anniversary of one of the most tragic, if not the most tragic, weekends in its history. During the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the whole world was shocked when two drivers lost their lives, one during the qualifying session and the other during the race.
On April 30th, 1994, it was Roland Ratzenberger who crashed his Simtek into the barrier at Villeneuve corner. The next day, it was the legendary Ayrton Senna who saw his Williams smash into the wall at Tamburello. Since then, Formula 1 has returned several times to Imola, and it will be the case again this season.
To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of these terrible events that remain engraved in everyone’s memory, the Automobile Club of Italy announced that a series of events will take place throughout the year, including during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix which will take place on the weekend of May 17th-19th.
As a region, we wished for the return of Formula 1 to Imola, a central event in the rich calendar of sports events held in Emilia-Romagna. This year, the Grand Prix will have a special meaning. It will commemorate the memory of a loved one like Ayrton Senna and signify a fresh start for the region after last year’s floods, declared the President of the Emilia-Romagna region, Stefano Bonaccini, without revealing the form that the tributes will take.
In 2004, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the deaths of Senna and Ratzenberger, the former teammate of the Brazilian, Gerhard Berger, took the wheel of the Lotus 98T with which the three-time world champion had competed in the 1986 season.
In 2023, the Grand Prix had been cancelled due to significant floods in the region. The last Formula 1 race held in Imola was won by Max Verstappen in 2022.
