Ayrton Senna Williams FW16 Disaster Report

Senna Quotes: [For Google Translate]
0:01
Racing… Competing is in my blood, is part of me, its part of my life. I’ve been doing it all my life and it stands up before anything else.
3:10
[I] Suppose the best thing to say is that.. if I can be as happy as I have been in these past few weeks... at the end of the year … i feel that ah… we have done pretty well in the [F1] 1994 Season.
4:48
To spin that way is not very pleasant but I… on the other hand, perhaps He [God] gave us a little bit of a … warning about something in the car. Because it happened the same thing to my team mate, exactly the same place, so.. I think… we know... perhaps … that there is a possible, potential problem... somewhere [in the car].
A lengthy video about Ayrton Senna's main problems along the year of 1994.
Starting with images from pre-season tests at Estoril, where we could understand the cockpit ergonomic discomfort, a car inherited from Alain Prost, much smaller than Ayrton.
But the main point is Ayrton crashed due to a very twitchy car with stability problems on aerodynamic and mechanical [suspension] sides, having to run very low at the back due to longitudinal weight transfer problems.
Senna even related the problem to the Renault Motrsport boss:
• The Death of Ayrton Se...
The point is the car was running very low and was bottoming very hard at the Tamburello curve asphalt emends which might have caused some severe instability or even broken parts.
To worsen the problem, the FW16 had problems to heat the tires as as you can check at the [9:32] Q1 qualify session and Warm-up, the sparks from rasping the floor at Tamburello were brighter in the first laps, with colder tires and started to disappear as the session went on and tires and car temperatures went higher.
Unfortunately on Sunday, there was a crash at the start and from the moment the Yellow flag was waved to start the grid alignment lap [12:56] until Lap 5, the cars were following a painful slow Safety Car [Opel Vectra with 175 hp], and the 6 laps [6x5,040 km] were completed in 15 min [0,4 h]. Which give us an average speed of 75,6 Km/h, too slow for F1 standards.
So the FW16 tires were very cold and w/ low pressure, meaning the car hide was also low, as we can see in the sparks of Lap 6 [19:56], the first competition lap.
So, IMO, the steering column broke after the crash, sitting on his lap, and Senna lost control due to the instability of his car worsened by low pressure on his tires, as defended by Martin Brundle.
21:10
Frank Williams to Goodyear technician: Do as Ayrton says. If he has an accident, you... are in deep trouble.
[*] Special thanks to Conor, from The Variety Network for some many images.

[@Percivallis]

At 191mph the telemetry shows Senna jumping full on the brakes at Tamburello, the car slows to 140mph then impacts the wall, the only reason a driver jumps on the brakes in this way is because he knows the car has suffered a failure that he cannot control. I have no doubt that Ayrtons steering column failed and caused the crash. The late great Michele Alboreto was part of the investigation and he was 100% certain that the steering failed.

[@michaelschmitt2627]

I agree with you 100% and someone has all of the inboardc recording. it is a big mess that this is gone

[@teetorupold2683]

Michael Schmitt poppooopkppkkl

[@MarkRobertCuthbert]

The Steering Column Broke, as it was Welded. The Williams F1 Team in 1994 had No Spare Steering Column. End of story and end of a great driver.

[@mesoanarchy]

...and Michele Alboreto was a primary witness in the case against Williams. Then died of a "mysterious failure" during testing prep for LeMans when his tyre "suddenly exploded" - with no debris on the track to cause an explosion.. Oddly, the excuse accepted without question from the racing media was that the tire was slowly losing pressure, reached a beyond critical point and exploded - as if, somehow, Alboreto wouldn't have felt this pressure loss in how it would've altered the car's handling.

[@michaelfreeland2791]

Rich kid ran out of talent

[@timmyscuderia]

We all still miss you Ayrton.

[@rigel8755]

21:06 ''Frank Williams to Goodyear technician: Do as Ayrton says. If he has an accident, you... are in deep trouble.'' Well.. that escalated quickly, lucky props to the technician, the accident wasn't caused by the tires.

[@mtenzera1]

26 years after and i still cannot find some closure or inner peace....its just not fair.....

[@icm3523]

Your words echoes what is going on my soul at this very moment.

[@mattbowers8143]

I totally agree... how did the williams team get away with this total negligence? Justice still needs to be served... i dont know how any of the team can sleep at night. I know i could not live with myself if i knew the truth and lied about something like this... when the williams team folded this year i rejoiced that the team is no more. I still miss ayrton and it hurts now as it did then. RIP.

[@mitchiegxxr350]

@@mattbowers8143 fia politics.

[@csonkaperdido]

@@mattbowers8143 Williams got way with it because there wasn't enough evidence to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" - for lack of a better way of saying it - that the steering column failed. The data which would have proven it was erased by the Williams team. That's not a coincidence. The steering sensor data is useless because it read how much the steering wheel itself was turned - not how much the front wheels were turning. Frank Williams is a scumbag piece of shit and absolutely knows what happened - and he absolutely covered it up and deleted data that would have incriminated him and the Williams team.

[@diogopinto9462]

Life isn't fair

[@arebrec]

We were robbed of a battle royale with Senna & Schumacher. Such a tragic weekend.

[@gabrielborba6795]

senna would have won for sure.

[@lnnrt0161]

@@gabrielborba6795 Given how flawed that car was I‘m not sure about. But according to Jean Todt he would have signed with Ferrari and that would have been truly awesome

[@HenioGracie]

@@gabrielborba6795 we don't know that.

[@user-td3wg9qz7q]

Кто украл ? Шумахер убил Сенну.

[@ricardagottschalk9089]

@@HenioGracie That is a Fact. Ayrton wanted to go to Ferrari.

[@SennaStar]

I hope to meet Ayrton one day to thank him for making this world a better place while he was here

[@angelsennarr2194]

He was a different man, a different driver, it (He) cames fast to me the first time I seen Ayrton !! best whises, SennaStar!

[@SennaStar]

@@angelsennarr2194 Thank you for replying to me. I know there are many people that miss him as much as I do.

[@angelsennarr2194]

@@SennaStar , its a pleasure for me to talk to you!! only tell you that that Sunday1-5-1994, was a big Waterloo for me; I´m still in love with F1 after Senna´s dead, but that year I loose the impulse, very great, of him, of Ayrton... He was like a Sun, you can see and hear him but his lever between us was like the distance between The Sun to the Earth!! thank you SennaStar, for your answer and emotions!!

[@SennaStar]

@@angelsennarr2194 Your response makes me happy and sad also. You obviously are a lovely person and Ayrton wasn't just the best and most talented car driver I ever saw in my life, he was actually the best person I never met. We lost a true great human that day and it's hard sometimes because I miss him and what he stood for

[@angelsennarr2194]

@@SennaStar , well, for me, big person or not, Ayrton have obviously a legion of haters!!, but I dont share your opinion that his tecnical level in and out of his racing car...! Seeing Fernando Alonzo´s performance, Im now really sure that Schumy needed run a lot to catch Ayrton!! Un fuerte abrazo de mi parte, AMIGO!!!

[@carldewet6428]

Currently Watching your Complete F1 Career Again, Ayrton. Looking Good in the '88 McLaren.

[@leonardod1846]

1993 was his best season. With cars inferior to Willians and Benetton he even disputed the title.

[@verasaviti4508]

Senna is the best, the king of F1!!!

[@edoslacker]

Senna could have won at least four more championships with Williams if this didn't happen.

[@DuncanCunningham]

edoslacker most probably.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

That's total conjecture.

[@edoslacker]

@@jerrymarshall2095 Williams had one of the most competitive cars of the grid in the 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons. Damon Hill, who started as the second driver for the team, was the championship runner up in 1994 and 1995 seasons, until he finally won his first and only championship in 1996. In 1997, Jacques Villenueuve won the championship in a very competitive fw19, one of the fastest cars ever designed by Adrian Newey along with the fw14 and fw15c. If this accident didn't happen, Senna would have got his grips with the car and he would have fought Schumacher's Benetton fiercely throughout the 1994 and 1995 seasons. In 1996 and 1997 he could have taken both championships more easily due to the dominance of the car in those seasons, having ocassional clashes with his teammates and Schumacher's Ferrari.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

@@edoslacker Im aware of that edo,ive watched F1 since the mid 80's,but the future is unpredictable,Senna might have retired ,he was 33 or 34,lost his edge,anything can happen.What you posted was certainly possible,we'll never know.

[@DuncanCunningham]

@@jerrymarshall2095 conjecture it is. Had Senna been as he was, probably would have won 94, 95, 96 and 97. We would of thought of it as boring too.

[@PizzaChet]

1) Steering column modified by a "Non-Certified" welder before race. 2)During the highest corner-loading on the track his hands suddenly fly left and he goes straight into wall at 185mph.3)Telemetry shows frantic braking and downshifting. 4) Very bumpy while putting in the highest turning force of the lap. Have you ever welded anything properly? It is a straight line of logic. Why are so many trying to hide the obvious truth? To protect Williams? Pride?

[@antoniok4735]

Just to add the crash was due to multiple things that led to the steering column failure. If you look at the original steering design the steering column was 8mm thick and than it was changed to 6mm during the season that led to less strength for such a high force critical component but even that 6mm thickness was fine to hold the stress caused by steering. The major cause was when SENNA REQUESTED THE STEERING COLUMN TO BE LOWER DOWN WITH 2 CM ! But not many people know that and that led to extreme forces been put on the steering column that led to metal fatigue and eventually broke at the corner that was the cause of the accident. Now that brings another question why was the steering column thickness changed from 8mm to 6mm and why did Adrian Newey sign the document approving the design change to lower the steering wheel column by 2cm at Senna's request WITHOUT TESTING IT FOR STRENGTH. This was never asked in the original investigation because Williams covered that otherwise they were going to be incriminated by the Italian Police and mostly Adrian Newey was going to be blamed for it because he approved the design change without testing it for strength.

[@jimijames6449]

Could not agree more.

[@christopherjefferson3561]

Senna wasn’t the only one to wreck at some spot. Berger in 89, and i think piquet in 87

[@Percivallis]

Err complete rubbish, I'm afraid, the steering column was modified by Williams engineers and signed off by the chief mechanic, as all such modifications have to be, it then has to be inspected by the FIA to ensure it complies. This doesn't mean that it didn't fail though.

[@Jejking]

Pleaseee source for 'non-certified' welder. This just adds fuel to a weird, unknown fire.

[@matheusrodrigues8999]

At the very last frame we are able to see from the cockpit, you can see the steering wheel is gone from the picture. Also, at the opening of his last lap, he looks directly towards the steering wheel, wich is clearly sloppy, The column broke, really. Williams claimed it to be designed like that, but it's firm at the first two races and even during friday's sessions. But the poor guy's luck had really run out, because the crash itself was heavy, but not fatal, if not for the piece of assembly that flew towards his head, finding the only gap that allowed it to hurt and kill him.

[@MarkRobertCuthbert]

The Steering Column Broke, as it was Welded. The Williams F1 Team in 1994 had No Spare Steering Column.

[@debilawrence1545]

Frank Williams has taken a lot to his grave , sadly we will never know.

[@michaelfreeland2791]

Hes dead from lack of talent. Professor

[@matheusrodrigues8999]

Nice try, but I ain't biting that bait

[@michaelfreeland2791]

@@matheusrodrigues8999 ill say it slow. He wasn't very good. He died not being good period. Steering wheel really?

[@onaliz]

Ayrton Senna Da Silva ( 1960 - 1994 ) was a down to earth person with a great personality & a true professional who cares about safety protection for all drivers in F1 during his career. He was a real fighter during his prime time and a great CHAMPION. We miss you Ayrton & may Heaven showers upon you forever.

[@geraldoluizferreiraneves3569]

The truth that this Ayrton car was beautiful. It is a pity that nothing went right and ended in a historic and remarkable tragedy.

[@ingobordewick6480]

Beauty tells you nothing about function. ;-)

[@noircluck]

I thought at the time that Ayrton looked so good in the Williams Rothmans blue, so sad that it brings just the worst sad feeling now.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Senna wanted the williams and got it.be careful what you wish for.

[@noircluck]

@@jerrymarshall2095 Yes indeed.

[@liamfriel8749]

I have seen a lot and I am convinced the steering column failed before rather than in/after the accident.i

[@bassmunk]

@@Piper_PA What gets me is the on board video. You can see the front wheels twitch straight while he's still turning the wheel. Immediately he tries to correct a "slide" which isn't actually happening but he initially feels might be cuz of the sudden change of behaviour, but the front wheels don't budge. They stay perfectly still and straight. Some people have said that the steering sensor proves the steering was working cuz his "correction" was recorded in the data, but that only tells us there wasn't a break between the steering wheel and the sensor... The sensor being quite close to the steering wheel, this data isn't useful at all, beyond telling us what Senna was doing leading up to hitting the wall. Then there's how suspiciously the Williams crew was being with getting access to the car when it was closed to everyone and couldn't be touched and some mysteriously missing info from the telemetry after. The judge making a comment about this fact saying how "it seems somebody was very jealous of the data on the computer..." The team was acquitted more on the grounds of not having enough evidence to prove anything against them than anything else. In court, if people can't prove you did anything wrong, you can't be punished. Doesn't mean you didn't do it tho... I like Williams, and I'm sure any responsibility they have is purely accidental. But I'm 100% sure they messed up and they feel terrible about it.

[@marcinszukielojc2874]

For sure but his steering was already wobbly going towards Rivazza. Have a closer look and you will see

[@MarkRobertCuthbert]

@@Piper_PA The Steering Column Broke, as it was Welded. The Williams F1 Team in 1994 had No Spare Steering Column.

[@jordisantacruzbernabeu8546]

Un pilóto impresionante. Era el pilóto que todos alguna vez hemos soñado ser

[@leonardofabbri7930]

The Rothmans livery, that beautiful car, legendary Ayrton and those colours of that helmet in, still make an easthetical impact full of meanings. Good, sad, full of what should have been but sadly didn't. I was 8 when the accident at Tamburello happened, I was watching the race next to my dad who was a massive (euphemism) fan of Magic. We still have a replica helmet of him. If I'm not wrong was the Easter Sunday? I remember we had at lunch uncles, grandmas, grandpas, everybody. That day has been paranormal. Although I was a kid, I started to watch f1 around mid 1993 and without understanding the whole big picture, all the deep things and the most technical ones, was clear to me Ayrton had a magical talent. He did crazy things with that subpar McLaren-Cosworth. The expectations for 1994 season were massive. I perfectly remember the buzz and the articles about. Unfortunately that FW 16 was fast, but really problematic. Looked like the perfect marriage on paper, ended on the darkest page of F1 history books. Really sad. Tbh from a simple view of his camera car, was evident the chassis was completely unfit to Ayrton on ergonomical plane. Really a bizarre thing. Amazing at 01:22 I can recognize Nick Harris, the legendary voice of Motogp.

[@marsattacks7071]

That's the first time I read such a good "report" on what might have caused Senna's fatal accident. That's real mechanical engineering you're talking about ! Thanks DeWeberis !

[@alexvieira4602]

Ayrton Senna da Silva ó melhor piloto que a F1 já teve é terá !

[@samu1508]

Its evident from slow-mo footage on board camera as well from the race, Ayrtons position in the cockpit was sideways before impact.. the steering column broke before impact.. plus Williams tampered with the car right after crash (ment to be locked up for investigation) allowed by Charlie Whiting, thats why most important part of onboard cam is missing.. oh and dont forget - you are not allowed to speak about Senna when visiting Williams HQ.. we all know why

[@MarkRobertCuthbert]

A.S. Was not happy that weekend. He never smiled, as if he could sense something was going to happen. Some say he had the 6 th Sense.

[@housesports000]

@@MarkRobertCuthbert he wasn’t happy because of Ratzenberger, the car still being aerodynamically shit, Schumacher getting the lead on him in the championship, it was all factors

[@rh_BOSS]

@@MarkRobertCuthbert He'd spent his entire career in f1 without ever witnessing a fatal accident. That was 10 years mind you. Obviously he was unnerved.

[@theosas5267]

about 1-mont before season start ayrton talk to myray and state that he expect much accident to happen cause of fia regulation in 1994 cars....he was the better driver of his era and not only....fia like that he gone :(

[@FlavioHSTavares]

Que falta ele faz até para os Brasileiros #eternosenna

[@joseaugustotrindade5762]

🙏🏻 thank you for sharing this🇧🇷 🏎

[@AndreLuiz-pp9ze]

SENNA ERA FORA DO COMUM O MAIOR PILOTO QUE JÁ EXISTIU ❤👑

[@antonyvogelzang3848]

In my opinion the steering column snapped before impact. Original filmmaterial shows the yellow button moving strangely around. You can say anything you like, but to me this is very, very strange in a racing car where everything has to be felt through your hands and but, and this movement all around of the button proves to me there was some metal fatigue already during the earlier laps. I think that Senna felt that ofcourse but due to the pressure of many point behind Schumacher in the championship, he could have decided just to go on and see, probably he couldn't imagine the colomn would brake or maybe when he realized the steeringwheel-movement, he could have thought it was a consequense of the suggested altering of the posision of the steeringwheel/column. Second proof, and i'm surprized almost nobody mentions this, his sudden headmovement. When you go straight ahead as a passenger in a car and suddenly the driver steers to the right, what happends to you head? That is exactly what i see happening with Senna's head, while leaning to the left in en very high G-force corner, then suddenly when his car goes straight, his head should fall to the left, and that is just what i see happening. His head bang the the left at the time the car suddenly goes straight, now would he do that if he corrected an overstear, due to bottoming out, like some people suggest? Finaly, take a look at this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJrVkndnlMymd9U It is very clear to me.

[@lonnekefalk2560]

Thank you for your analysis! The part about head movement is very interesting!👌

[@jamesstewart1794]

I agree. David Coulthard basically lied to the public when he made his statement saying the column was designed that way. How in the hell would you be able to control a car at those speeds with a column that telescopes in and out like that ?

[@zorayanuthar9289]

Some research that I did years ago where showing shotgun smoke from the woods behind Tamborello. Ice bullet was used. Trying to find the video about it....

[@alexandrosathanasopoulos9654]

Great video! Thank you

[@AaaBbb-ff1pn]

The fact that they have to warm up the tyres at a very slow speed (safery car was just an ordinary car) put a lot of stress on the steering coloumn. The steering wheel is so much heavier at slow speed due to that big slick tyres. I think that the left right weaving at slow speed create a lot of stress in the wealding. This lead to create fatigue cracks that eventually make the coloumn steer to snap.

[@michaelroberts1420]

Actually the colder slick tires get the more slippery they become. If you drive a car with slicks at ambient temperature when you turn the steering wheel the car just goes straight its like driving on ice. So there would actually be less torsional stress on the steering column. This of course is why they developed tire warming blankets when the tires get up to maximum operating temperature that is when it really takes some muscle because the steering is incredibly heavy.

[@weallfollowmanutd]

There's more chance in most of the stress happening at a corner like tamburello, with full downforce on the car. The real issue was the team modifying the steering column that poorly, for it to be weak in any way.

[@AaaBbb-ff1pn]

Yeah,i agree for the coloumn welding problem. What i'm talking about is not the single swing. When you heat the tyres you swing from side to side in a short time frame. When you shift weight from left to right the stress in the metal is bounced from one direction to the other direction. Is not a single swing the problem of what i'm talking about (or one turn like tamburello). It's the resonance that could be created by a series of swings in a small time frame. Anyway just an hypothesis

[@unfortunately_fortunate2000]

welding anything creates stress within the material, plus, youre wrong, driving slower and with less heat in the tyres is much less load (and therefor stress) than running at race pace. the steering broke, because it was always going to break, add to those internal stresses within the welded material an unpredictable car, aero instability & the car bottoming out hard af every time he went down that main straight and yeah...

[@RomanCityCobra14]

I am convinced the “weaving” side to side to warm the tyres is what started the steering column failure. The bump he hit coming out of Tamburello is what finally broke it. The bottom of his car left a huge mark after it made contact with the track. Why didn’t he just park it. A driver of his experience would’ve known he had a steering wheel problem long before Tamburello. The pressure of 0 points made him continue.

[@P3KaX]

Amazing footage. Thanks for uploading it.

[@diegofonsecameire]

Thanks for uploading.

[@thegregdavieschannel]

They had it in 87 and it was banned at the end of 93

[@giannistsoukatos4205]

At the start of the race you can see Senna look very troubled and very worried without focus. I have never seen him like that before. He looked like he was thinking something else and not that he was minutes away from a race start.Something was troubling him so much that he couldn't focus.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

I would too,driving that ill handling pile around Tambarilo.

[@kostaskatsampanis5752]

Gianni I never lost a race o Ayrton those years(was and still is my young age hero). Ayrton has never been so frustrated and anxious before. He was afraid of something. Instict? Who knows. If you ask me , he was afraid of something else. Something in the team . I suggest you to analyze the intelagos race where he spins . First of all not a logic spin for Ayrton. But this is not the important. After he spins he shouts to the marshals something and he points the front wheels. Everybody believed that the engined has stopped and he shouts to be pushed to start again the engine. But if you see the engine was not stopped as he drives the car out by himself. Why didn't he continue if the engine was alive?? If you watch carefully you will notice that probably the front wheels were not aligned!! I believe there was a front suspension failure. And he was not asking for help to be pushed back. I believe he was asking for something that has to do with the front wheels. THE CAR WAS HAVING MAJOR PROBLEMS FROM THE SEASON START. And these kind of problems were not setup problems . It was sudden suspension failure problems! And I believe he was freaked out. Scared to death that if this happens again it was not manageable. I think this was the reason for the fear in his face through our the rest of the 2 races.....

[@russscott552]

This good man and great driver died due to poor engineering on his car and a poor weld on the steering column that broke, keeping him from avoiding driving straight into the wall. It had nothing to do with his car bottoming out before the wreck. I think he knew was going to die that day but there was no way to avoid getting into the car. He was representing his country the sport , f1 , his family, Williams company should have protected him, they should have realized emotionally he was suffering afraid, the man who ran f1 at the time should have been prosecuted for not stopping the race after the injury to a driver and the death to another the days preceding the race. Rip Great man you still are missed by so many.

[@johnjohnson9658]

Ayrton phoned Angelo Parilla Friday before the race asking him if he would partner in a new Gokart venture and he was no longer happy in F1 the car was terrible and his heart was no longer in it he wanted to leave Angelo agreed but Senna lived up to his commitment instead if following his heart. And your absolutely right about the weld on the steering column I believe there was a coverup. i'd like to see that weld if it broke clearly it was a poor weld low penetration on an alloy it might have tempered the shaft and made it brittle. A proper metalurgical study was needed. So sad that a hillbilly fix was allowed I believe negligent !

[@Beltfedshooters]

The Williams car was a death trap.

[@paulocruz8585]

Que saudades Senna!!

[@danielmeierotte3342]

Senna is No.1

[@giovannisenna1714]

OLE OLE OLA SENNA SENNA 🏆🏆🏆🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🥇🥇🥇

[@James-Sweeney]

21:12 Frank Williams “...that’s what you have to do because if he has an accident, you are in deep trouble”. I cannot tell where or when this was but what prophetic words.

[@forsakenoutcast]

Indeed, it says “in the previous night”. Frank was right they were in deep trouble but he covered it all up and got away with it.

[@noircluck]

@@forsakenoutcast there is no cover up.

[@noircluck]

The night before the race, Frank is talking to Goodyear technicians about the tyres.

[@forsakenoutcast]

calicostrawberry calicostrawberry Oh trueee, so the 1.4 seconds of missing footage from the accident never existed in the first place right?, and Patrick head and Adrian Newey weren’t escorted by a little Bernie Ecclestone into the garage where Senna’s crashed fw16 was being held for investigation and removed the black box illegally and the last two data chips containing the data that held the last 1.4 seconds of footage magically became damaged right?, and “looked almost like someone had hit them with a hammer” quoted from a witness in the enquiry. You should watch this too kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKvWlWSrgqZ2pac That wasn’t an attempt at a cover up either right?. Dumbass.

[@noircluck]

@@forsakenoutcast Like I said there was no cover up, get over it.

[@Fokfeesspecial]

There are always splashes of sparks certainly in the whole weekend on Senna's car, omg , No doubt: The steering column failed on the bumpy third section.

[@andrebentivegna3156]

AYRTON SENNA DIDN'T DIE, HE'S JUST A LAP IN FRONT OF EVERYONE...🏁🏁🏁

[@descamm9313]

Great video thanks but not a word of the other great F1 driver Roland ratzenberger as one of the two drivers who sadly died on that fateful weekend, both sadly missed and hopefully never ever forgotten, thanks.! 🏁🏎️🏎️

[@matthewbell1968]

Excellent, thank you but, at times, a very hard watch 😢

[@Rodrigo-bv7uv]

Senna didn't passed. He's just one lap ahead of us.

[@harrow2355]

The whole weekend before Senna crashed RIP,there was also Roland Ratzenberger died RIP, also at Imola,Rubens Barichello also crashed and was sent to hospital,Senna even visited him,the complete ignorance by officials kept the race going,what a freaky weekend it was at Imola.

[@peterdemkiw3280]

The crash at the start had bits of cars going into the crowd, 9 people needing hospital treatment, towards the end of the race had a wheel come off a car in the pit lane hitting 4 people, all needing treatment.

[@bleepbleep5245]

also that weekend marked the 49th anniversary some austrian corporal with funny mustache prematurely left us 😞

[@kennethrobey7893]

Williams team to blame for this....... they may have slimed out of a court case and avoided the blame but it’s all to apparent that the team WAS to blame for the accident. Rich team owners and teams have no consciences, apparently.........

[@ericloiczerotoni1238]

formula one is a show time the official build team who he want win is like that

[@the_road__warrior6185]

Even if his car had bottomed out to the point it altered his apex, He still would’ve been able to save it. I’m my opinion I think the steering Column broke. Race In peace Ayrton.

[@ingobordewick6480]

When you look at all the evidence that is available now, that's the only reasonable conclusion you can reach.

[@ukqwerty999]

@@ingobordewick6480 puncture

[@ingobordewick6480]

@@ukqwerty999 There is no evidence for that.

[@ingobordewick6480]

@@ukqwerty999 also there is evidence against it, because there is no movement in the car, that indicates something like a wheel damage or something like that.

[@derrickallen2054]

You're correct, definitely steering column failure. I saw another onboard video with better quality that clearly showed (through Senna's mirror) his helmet jerk toward the left as soon as his car started going straight, there's no other reason for his helmet to jerk in that manner, simple physics.

[@tekpic04]

One of Ayrton Senna’s problems was that steering rod was a bit too long and anyone with some engineering knowledge will know by reducing the length from it’s original design length, there would definitely an increase load on it then the original. When the FIA, brought in sudden changes to the rules banning active ride suspension, the FW16 characteristic massively change under springs spec.

[@eduardosoaresbrasil]

The best!

[@andrearojas1248]

8:56 everybody has wheelspin smoke - except The Michael with illegal Traction Control.

[@jandaf2761]

Perfect trottle control

[@kevbratt131]

John Watson’s observation’s at 12:25 proving to be frighteningly accurate!😞

[@Sennaral]

To the person who posted this video - it was NOT driver error. It was mechanical failure which caused Senna to leave the track and plunge straight on into a concrete wall. How you can surmise that it was driver error is extraordinary considering the calibre of driver that Ayrton was. 100% steering column failure.

[@ingobordewick6480]

The sparks had nothing to do with the accident. Sparks like that were totally normal in F1 during that time. The cars often hit the ground, because they were so low. It pretty obvious now, that the steering culumn was broken and that was the reason the car stopped turning left and went straight. There are videos from Sennas car where you can see, that he was steering extrem left, two times, even with waving his head to the left, but nothing happened. Also you can see, that there is a lot of movement in the steering wheel at that point. You can also see, that he was totally concious and was breaking hard. I've see footage with the RMP blended in and what you see is, that he was breaking and down shifting 2 gears before he hits the wall.

[@mesoanarchy]

True.

[@mrkipling2201]

The lack of traction control and the other electronic systems that were banned by F1 shouldn’t be underestimated. The oversteer and understeer problems were very noticeable as well.

[@MV1-OP81-Mclaren]

I shake my head when people argue with me saying it was Michael who pressured Senna into driving off the track.

[@rafademetrio7519]

Indiscutível que ele tenta guiar a esquerda mas o carro passa reto na curva...

[@pederfallbom]

Such tragedy! Still, after all this time cant believe this happened the way it did! Ayrton Senna is deeply missed👏❤️

[@suryanadriano5483]

Que capacete bonito!

[@odillerivera3982]

El mero mero lo amamos por humano grandioso único de chihuahua con amor al pilotó brasileño mas querido y amado de chihuahua México con amor

[@michaelroberts1420]

I have to say that F1 tires are filled with nitrogen a gas that is not sensitive to hot or cold tires it keeps the same pressure regardless. My god it is even used in FIA sanctioned kart races. So following the pace care would not cause the car to be lower. Look it up.

[@bulterriersanromangomez2152]

Le quitaron las mejoras del año anterior , y el F1 era nuevo sin la suspensión activa sin el cambio automático sin la cantidad de sensores que compensaban y corregían todas las inercias y sin electrónica , era un hierro . Y así todo le puso más oh menos bien ! Pero le maratón con la barra de la dirección que estaba fin soldar y quebró ?

[@tzsteve33]

Fact of the matter is we will probably never know with 100% certainty what caused his accident, However we do know that the legend will live on...... RIP Senna

[@apocalypticweasel9078]

Well after reading most of the comments i see no mention of the fact that the black box was removed from the wreckage after it was returned to parc ferme it is recorded that an un-named person removed the black box which today has still not been recovered, now just let that sink in for a minute and ask yourselves why would someone do that, remove a vital piece of recording equipment one might suggest this was done to hide the fact that Williams committed murder. Also its well known that in Italy if something like this happens at a sporting event it is by law that the event ceases immediately to enable the authorities access to conduct an investigation hence bringing the the race to an end right there and then however money played a role here as they would have had to refund everyone. Also anyone ever twisted metal in opposite directions in quick succession can result in weakening the metal and the whitening of the metal to the point it will eventually snap, we all know the column was altered and for me there is a high probability that the x amount of laps behind the safety car weaving to keep the tyres warm may well have weakened the column to a point that the accident was inevitable. RIP Senna you will never be forgotten

[@suryanadriano5483]

Nice soundtrack

[@Octolicia]

17:57 : The ultimate straight... only 10 seconds before the accident... nobody could predict such an outcome...we all thought things couldn't get any worst...

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Come on now.

[@eltonleao6361]

Antes da batida que tiraria a vida dele , só observar que o carro faz esee zig zag intorta para a diretira e na hora que ele joga pra repor a posição de volante certa ja e tarde, Pois ali era curva que muitos falam está, um carro a 300 klm por horas em um piscar de olhos ja ta no muro. SENNA FOI O MAIOR🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@suryanadriano5483]

Carro instável! Erro de projeto E realmente aquele trecho da pista na época não tinha margem para escapar…

[@henrywalter4750]

Berger had an identical crash at Imola some years before.

[@misobozic2634]

piquet '87 berger '89 alboreto '91 patrese '92 all of them had terrible crash in tamburello and they were happy to come out alive and some of them wasn't same drivers nor persons after that. no one was guilty, motorsport is dangerous. if you really want to blame some that is small take-off zone for such a fast corner. in senna case too.

[@chrisfleming5109]

In 1994 it so very nearly happened that Prost continued at Williams and Senna was going to drive with Benneton, I would have loved to see that unfold.

[@mrdraw2087]

"until Lap 5, the cars were following a painful slow Safety Car [Opel Vectra with 175 hp], and the 6 laps [6x5,040 km] were completed in 15 min [0,4 h]. Which give us an average speed of 75,6 Km/h, too slow for F1 standards." A 175 hp car only able to achieve 75 km/h? 15 minutes is not 0.4 hour, however, but 0.25, so the average speed was about 120 km/h.

[@diegofonsecameire]

Good point

[@michaelroberts1420]

Sorry bud that comment was for Aaa Bbb my apologies.

[@michaelroberts1420]

Sorry again disregard all comments i have sent you you have a good point this website is causing me trouble Aaa Bbb did get the original message.

[@mark4lev]

If anyone is wondering why some of the footage is from Eurosport, believe it or not the bbc hardly ever showed practice/ quali back then. Eurosport used to show everything.

[@konradwalz891]

RIP Murray Walker 🙏

[@Ahito1984]

2 details came to my mind remembering some crashes in the past : Did the steering column broke? Explain why the car did not oversteer since the tires were going left. With the g pressure it should have followed that physical rule unless something was off in the rear tires getting the car too close to the bumpy ground. He covered previous lap normally, so something happened by the finish line where Lamy's and Lehto cars got destroyed. After, we can sim up everything : rear right tire puncture due to debris, failure of steering column and you get the picture. Sad the right tire was not in the datas at this time

[@weallfollowmanutd]

Had nothing to do with the tires. I've tracked the front wheel on the last frames of the onboard and they were going straight on, when Senna was turning his wheel.

[@weallfollowmanutd]

@They race me so hard the onboard with the wheel with a box around it, tracing the amount of lock is the most obvious one. You can see Senna trying to steer and the wheels go straight. That's not downforce issues, tire problems or anything else. It's someone trying to steer and the front wheels not reacting.

[@4488leona]

Сенна был в шоке от Williams. Это очевидно. Единственный раз в жизни он принял ошибочное решение...

[@ericloiczerotoni1238]

Я не думаю, что ему пришлось принять неверное решение, он всегда вдохновлялся самим Богом, несмотря на то, что его трагическая смерть привела к большим изменениям в сфере Формулы-1.

[@vincenzabenvegnu9876]

Wishing "Good racing" to a pilot is like wishing "Good fishing" to a fisherman; in Italy it is not done, because it is believed that it brings bad luck. At 8'41 ": truly powerful Briatore who, in Aida, touches Senna behind him and wishes him «Buona corsa» («Good race»): not even a corner has managed to do! A curiosity: did Briatore wish him a "good race" at Imola too?

[@lauribricker9439]

Racing drivers had problems with Imola , Kyalami and the old Nurburgring. Please correct me if I'm wrong.💕

[@arthidsamphao1138]

FW16 has killed him.

[@kou2917]

FIA killed him.

[@arthidsamphao1138]

Williams cars were best in ‘92-‘93 but.. ‘94 was the worst car.

[@kou2917]

@@arthidsamphao1138 Exactly, and that's caused by all the unnecessary regulation changes.

[@weallfollowmanutd]

It had nothing to do with the chassis or downforce. The front wheels weren't steering when Senna was turning his steering wheel. Seen enough from the onboard to track his front tires and g-force dropping to 0.3, from 2.7g. His front wheels aren't responding, the moment the g-force drops with the onboard footage. He hit the brakes immediately.

[@jordisantacruzbernabeu8546]

Mira que lo he visto correr, que he vivido en su época y luego le he vuelto a ver en videos y carreras grabadas. Un pilóto implacable que por sus actuaciones en pista e incluso parecía venido de otro planeta. Pero es a partir del minuto 20:13 la primera vez que lo veo tan fragil como cualquier ser humano

[@eversonalvesdasilva2424]

Saudades! Mataram nosso campeão.

[@reinaldobrasil5038]

Por isso o Michael foi ótimo pq lutou com um dos melhores do mundo senna

[@speedmann194]

You see his head go forward that suggests brakes. You see head also go left that suggests (car was turning right to catch slight oversteer) head goes forward and left due to centrifugal force of car turning right and slowing. Lap 6 tamburello 188mph Lap 7 crash lap 193 mph Lap 6 time was only beaten much later in lap by hill and Schumacher with much warmer tyres and a lighter fuel load. so senna was on it. Extra speed he entered tamburello lap 7 was very sadly to much to early.

[@antwnhs213]

If you compare it with other onboard footage, his head went too much forward like he didn't expect the car to brake.

[@biophobe1989]

@@antwnhs213 you can clearly see riding from the onboard that, the car didn't brake though.

[@hyogadecisne1745]

08:30 Senna trying to visualize something in Benetton's car? Flavio Briatore being ironic? Senna laughs, and then his face dissatisfied or indignant?

[@89ccmf]

Is Senna complaining about tire pressure one night before the race? Could a problem like this play a role in his crash? I remember Hill saying that an unexpected fall in tire pressure could have contributed to the crash.

[@marcelvanrijn1388]

Max is in the spirit off Senna .Same natural talents .Both are fantastic and beautiful people 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@andy-dt7to]

whats that bit right at the end, Damon Hill suffering mechanical issue?

[@audreyperrin320]

I think damon was to drive the car that day

[@raymondchapman5990]

The steering column broke. It's bullshit that it was attempted to be covered up and Williams tried to say he lost control etc. You can see the wheel drop down just before he goes straight off. Actually, you can see it wobble some on the straight and you can see Ayrton looking down as if he is trying to figure out what is happening. If you watch onboards prior to the wreck that wheel is as strong and sturdy as can be and that yellow button never goes up and down or side to side. It's a shame that man died due to their negligence.

[@loboluacheia5986]

22:39WTF!!! I always despised the car williams, but now I hate this car for all my soul.

[@knighttemplar9362]

UMA TRISTE E DOLOROSA DECLARAÇÃO O piloto brasiliero, Ayrton Senna da Silva, ficou em uma sala de uma UTI sozinho, entubado e completamente nu, com apenas uma toalha sobre às genitálias e a pessoa que reportou o que viu disse que a cabeça do piloto brasileiro estava do tamanho de uma bola de basquete.

[@rossellaagnorelli6382]

Il miglior pilota del mondo su una macchima difettosa, una bara con le ruote. Seguivo senna con il babbo. Ricordo quel 1 maggio. Ancora oggi so cosa stavo facendo e quanto piansi. Senna è morto per imperizia

[@eversonalvesdasilva2424]

Porque os volantes da William's sempre foram os piores em tecnologia? Contenção de gastos?

[@davidhodder9939]

The car looked so unstable

[@misobozic2634]

before big update for gp germany hill already had 2xwin and 3x2nd. keep that in mind.

[@davidhodder9939]

@@misobozic2634 i know ..hill did a great job

[@gazzoob6953]

At 18:16 it looks like the left front wheel is slighty turned to the left. It's frustrating that we will never know 100% what caused the crash.

[@JackPecker911]

Of course the steering failed, you can see it come off in his hands at 18:42. You can suddenly see the much lighter dash appear behind where the wheel is supposed to be, the only way that is possible is if the wheel completely falls off. You can even see him try to turn left, but the g forces pull his head left instead

[@annab.8724]

I'm not sure how accurate the following observation is, but at 18:42, he seems to still be taking the line for the curve, then at 18:43 a few things seem to change: the camera fails for a moment, the helmet moves significantly to the left (you see it on the right side of the screen in green where it was not visible before, also the letters from the word 'Nacional' on the mirror that before showed only reversed ''LAN" then show 'LANOIC')', the trajectory changes with the car nose pointing off track from that point on. kzbin.infoUgkxxQtdemt8ZttIf2yWtO0976CQkCnFPsiz?si=i-cfFM-ClhkUwmNN

[@zijopoljo]

shortly before his death, Senna's front right suspension was broken and no one checked the steering column to see if it was cracked or not, they just continued racing

[@carlosgustavospinelli7506]

Ayrton Senna foi Penta-campeão no céu, eu sonhei com isto.

[@ELUSIVEJIM]

The Italian Court of Appeal, on 13 April 2007, stated the following in the verdict numbered 15050: "It has been determined that the accident was caused by a steering column failure. This failure was caused by badly designed and badly executed modifications. The responsibility of this falls on Patrick Head, culpable of omitted control". Even being found responsible for Senna's accident, Patrick Head was not arrested, as the verdict was delivered past the Italian statute of limitation for manslaughter.

[@antoniok4735]

Adrian Newey approved and signed the document to change the original.design of the steering wheel column and lowering it by 2 cm at SENNA'S REQUEST ! That led to extreme forces on the steering column that eventually broke at the corner.

[@ELUSIVEJIM]

@@antoniok4735 WOW. So a driver asks for a change so it's his fault for his death. As Newey stated "the column had fatigue cracks and would have failed at some point" yet you think it's the driver's fault. Beyond words.

[@mesoanarchy]

Exactly.

[@zoltasoldier2353]

The devil is waiting for head and Frankie boy

[@YkSeven]

9:40 where were the recordings of the accident by this camera?? .. Hmm...

[@sun11450]

Léonidas . lopez. Hello Ayrton , tu me manques , à chaque fois que je viens te revoir ici j'ai une plus qu'une larme , je me souviens du stress que j'avais à chaque départ de tes grands prix , et tant que le feu n'était pas vert et toi en tête , mon coeur s'emballait et oufff quand tu gagnais comme souvent ,, ,, je pense à toi pour toujours ,,,Salut .Ayrton SENNA / JEAN CHRISTOPHE LO

[@anaestrela820]

Quem dera o Senna naquele dia horrível, tivesse saído da pista, como nessas outras corridas , ou teste. Pelo menos, sairia vivo. E deveria ter largado essa porcaria dessa " carroça" que lhe deram.,e te levou a morte. Antes, ficasse na Mc Laren onde foi feliz e bem tratado.

[@jonm2522]

the sparks under sennas car on that fatal corner must not be good, his steering could/would have become weaker and snapped off on the 7th lap?

[@cartermoth6447]

Watch the problems in Japan in the previous race: both Senna & Hill oversteering & losing the car at the end of a long bend. That car had issues & the Tamburello was an accident waiting to happen.

[@GreekSIMRACING]

Why Frank Williams threats Goodyear people in the end of videos telling them "if he has an accident you are responsible?"

[@walbercarvalhosilva2466]

Da pda ver ai ai claramente que os dois carros rodarao na mesma curva ambos com pilotos diferente... nesse ano carro tava com a suspensão péssima

[@miguelachucarro8565]

Alguien que me ayude con la traduccion del portugues de lo que dice en el 20:15 en adelante

[@user-jh2ts2eb4q]

Sparks sparks sparks - means nothing in tamburello - if he was going to go off at tamburllo due to tyre pressures being too low as many suggest - it would have happened on the 1st restart lap not the second....it was clearly a sudden snap and change in direction and you can see Ayertons steering wheel in some footage move drastically with his helmet as if he is reacting and saying WTF at the same time - when berger crashed at Tamburello James Hunt said it perfectly " berger goes straight on, that's a failure on the car for sure". You don't lose the back on corners like that, any racer knows that, not suddenly to the right doing 200mph in the opposite direction