The defense argued that if the track operators had been found guilty, Imola would have been torn up and rebuilt. In December 1997, the trial judge issued his opinion that Senna's death was caused by modifications made to the steering column and that without those modifications the three-time World Champion would not have lost control of his car in the Tamburello turn. In November 1999, upon appeal, members of the Williams team were exonerated.and of course this verdict was appealed. When all was said, and done, the Williams team was acquitted of all charges. No one factor caused Senna to crash into the wall, despite expert testimony, full scale review, and reconstruction of the accident.
All drivers push to the limit and run the risk of injury or death.
They all know it. Had the Williams team been accused of manslaughter, or the track operators forced to bulldoze Imola, who knows what the consequences to the sport of Formula One racing might be. Neither happened, and so racing goes on. Many safety changes have been made in the regulations since 1994 - quite possibly hundreds of them. One safety regulation was the mandate that tires be tethered.