On Saturday, April 30, 1994, at 1:15 p.m., the second session of Qualifying 2 for the San Marino Grand Prix was underway. It had been 15 minutes since the start, and most drivers were on the track trying to improve their previous day’s times. One of them was Roland Ratzenberger, driving his modest Simtek car.
Ratzenberger was in a battle with Paul Belmondo for the 26th and final qualifying spot. Things were looking promising for Ratzenberger as he had already made significant progress compared to the previous day’s time of 1:27.657, with a new time of 1:27.371.
During his third lap, Ratzenberger hit a curb at Acque Minerale, possibly damaging his car. However, he didn’t return to the pits and continued on to start a new lap. As Ratzenberger approached Variante Villeneuve at a speed of 308 km/h, the left flap of his front wing came off. This caused the Simtek to lose control and crash into the exterior wall like a cannonball.
After the devastating impact, the car slid along the wall before coming to a stop just before Tosa. The entire left side of the car was torn off. Ratzenberger, whose head was moving with each jolt, showed no signs of movement.
The red flag was immediately waved, and emergency services arrived at the scene in less than thirty seconds. The first person on site was Sid Watkins, who quickly realized the severity of the situation. Ratzenberger was in cardiac arrest. The medical helicopter was immediately dispatched and landed as close as possible to the scene.
Television cameras were turned away from the scene, and fear could be seen on the faces of those in the stands. Ayrton Senna, devastated by the incident, requested a vehicle to go to Tosa and understand what had happened. However, he was abruptly turned away by officials.
Meanwhile, the medical team worked tirelessly, performing a cardiac massage on Ratzenberger on the tarmac. Doctor Watkins and his colleagues soon realized that there was nothing they could do. The impact had been so violent that Ratzenberger had died instantly.
According to Italian law, any fatal accident must be interrupted for a thorough investigation by the authorities. However, canceling the San Marino GP was out of the question.
The body of Roland Ratzenberger was airlifted to the Bologna hospital, where his death was officially confirmed at 2:15 p.m. The Austrian driver was 34 years old.
This tragic event caused a ripple effect in the close-knit world of Formula 1. Ratzenberger became the first driver to lose his life in an F1 car since Elio de Angelis in 1986, and in a Grand Prix race since Riccardo Paletti in 1982. Many of the young racers were facing their first encounter with a fatal accident.
Some individuals believed that it had become nearly impossible to meet one’s demise in the sport, as the single-seater cars appeared to be incredibly safe. However, the reality remained that on this Saturday evening, a man was missing. Ratzenberger, a handsome and athletic man who was often referred to as a “heartthrob” by the opposite sex, was one of those drivers who typically had a swift rise in the discipline despite starting from a lower position.
Nevertheless, he was a seasoned competitor who could have completed the entire 1994 season with Simtek. He had been in discussions with Japanese sponsors at Imola, who were prepared to finance the remainder of his campaign. His few friends from the racing community, such as Johnny Herbert, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, JJ Lehto (who had traveled to the circuit with him), and of course Gerhard Berger, his mentor and close friend, were devastated by the news.
What exactly transpired? Ratzenberger’s car lost a piece of its front wing, causing his Simtek vehicle to collide with the wall at a speed of 300 km/h. Even someone as strong as Ratzenberger could not survive such a high-speed impact. But how did this component come off?
On the previous lap, Ratzenberger had gone over a kerb, and earlier that morning, he had a minor contact with his teammate David Brabham. Did the mechanics at Simtek overlook the inspection of this part? Or did Ratzenberger himself fail to address this detail?
Some critics may point fingers at the alleged lack of professionalism at Simtek: a young team with limited resources that may not be capable of providing adequate safety equipment to their drivers. Nick Wirth, the team’s representative, chooses to respond to these accusations with a dismissive silence.
Official qualifying resumed after Ratzenberger’s accident. Senna, who was deeply saddened by the news of the Austrian driver’s death, bowed his head in tears before his friend Sid Watkins… (Report from StatsF1 Archive)