1994 San Marino Grand Prix

The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, otherwise officially known as the 14° Gran Premio di San Marino, was the third round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on the 1 May 1994.'San Marino GP, 1994', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr551.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019) The entire race weekend would become infamous as one of the darkest in F1's history, as Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna both lost their lives in accidents caused by car failures.
The weekend had started on a sour note, with the FIA under pressure from several teams to investigate whether certain teams were still using electronic aids. Indeed, were under the most suspicion given their excellent start to the season, although nothing could be proved by their rivals.
Things did not improve when the first qualifying session got underway on Friday, with Rubens Barrichello suffering a major accident at Variante Bassa in his . The Brazilian was left unconscious having hit the wall airborne at 140 mph (225 km/h), swallowing his tongue, although swift work from the medical teams ensured that Barrichello would walk into the paddock the following day with only minor injuries.
Saturday, however, would prove disastrous, with Ratzenberger flying off the circuit at the Villeneuve Kink after a front wing failure on his . The Austrian hit the wall just shy of 190 mph (306 km/h), with medical crews effectively finding him dead at the scene. Ratzenberger hence became the first driver to die at a race weekend since Riccardo Paletti was killed at the start of the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix.
It was in a sombre mood that the rest of qualifying was completed, with Senna, visibly shaken by Ratzenberger's death, claiming pole position. Michael Schumacher shared the second row with the Brazilian, while Gerhard Berger beat Damon Hill to third.
The start of the race itself saw even more accident and injury, with JJ Lehto, making his debut for Benetton, stalling on the grid. Pedro Lamy duly went straight into the back of the Finn's stranded car, with the shattering apart as it flew over the top of the Benetton, sending debris flying over the catch fencing. Four spectators were hit but there were, fortunately, no major injuries.
The safety car appeared to allow that accident to be cleared up, with Senna leading Schumacher, Berger and Hill. Four laps later and the race resumed, with Senna easing away clear of Schumacher, while Berger fended off an early attack from Hill.
Two laps later, however, and the racing world would be brought to a complete standstill, with Senna sliding off the circuit at Tamburello and hitting the barriers. Unfortunately the seemingly innocuous accident, thought to have been caused by a steering failure, resulted in a suspension arm punching through the cockpit and smashing into Senna's helmet.
The race was instantly red flagged, with Sid Watkins and the medical crews arriving to find a shattered and a near-death Senna. Quick work from the medics saw the Brazilian extracted from the car and whisked away to hospital, although Senna was beyond saving and died later that day. It would be the last driver fatality in F1 until Jules Bianchi lost his life as a result of his accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (although other accidents would prove fatal for marshals in the interim).
The race restarted from the grid after a long delay, with the rest of the field not told of Senna's state. This time Berger made the best start and leapt ahead of Schumacher to claim the lead, although with the race set to be decided on an aggregate result the only had to keep the Austrian's in sight.
Schumacher duly moved into the lead a few laps later, before Berger retired with a wheel issue. Nicola Larini then briefly led when the German pitted, although he ultimately slipped back behind the #5 Benetton when he made his stop.
The second round of stops saw another accident cause injuries, with Michele Alboreto losing a wheel as he pulled out of his pit box. The wheel duly slammed into the Ferrari pitbox, wiping out several mechanics, although fortunately there were no major injuries.
On track, meanwhile, there would be little change, with Schumacher claiming a dominant victory ahead of Larini, the Italian claiming his first podium finish. Mika Häkkinen completed the podium for , while Karl Wendlinger, Ukyo Katayama and Hill claimed the remaining points.
After Senna's death the FIA launched a major plan to slow the F1 field, introducing new aerodynamic rules for the Spanish and Canadian Grand Prix.
==Background==
 the atmosphere at Williams here at Imola is very very professional and very very determined indeed. They are not happy with the performance of their car in the first two grand prix. They felt that certainly the outcome of the first corner shunt, they thought that Senna could win in Japan, they are determined to make sure he does win here at this weekend". John Watson.
Ahead of the race, Jordan made further changes to their line-up when it was announced that Andrea de Cesaris would now return to the team in Imola after Aguri Suzuki subbed for the banned Eddie Irvine in Aida. (1994). Who else but Schumacher?. Great Britain: Duke Video.
Jean Alesi is still unable to return to his race seat after his testing injuries at Mugello and Nicola Larini would once again replace the injured Ferrari driver.
However whilst Alesi was still recovering, one driver at least had recovered from his injuries. JJ Lehto would return to his race seat with Benetton after serious neck injuries during pre-season testing had kept him out of the first two races. Jos Verstappen would now return to his testing duties to which was said to have made him "less enthusiastic."
Having conducted major testing ahead of the race in Aida, Williams would arrive at Imola with a heavily revised FW16 to which they hoped would now put them back ahead of Benetton. The car needing not only to exceed the performance of the Benetton, but also enable them to combat "in particular" the skills of Michael Schumacher.
The Ferrari's would arrive at one of their home territories to which as ever their Tifosi fans would have an enforced presence. The Tifosi were now seemingly growing impatient to see a Ferrari victory to which they had "waited too long to see a Ferrari victory, let alone on home ground."
===Pacific Performances===
Michael Schumacher had tripled his Championship lead as a result of the Pacific Grand Prix, leaving Aïda with a maximum twenty points to his name. Rubens Barrichello was his closest challenger, the Brazilian having moved into second after his maiden podium finish. Damon Hill and Gerhard Berger were next, level on six points, while Jean Alesi slipped down to fifth.
In the Constructors Championship it was who unsurprisingly led the way, with double the points of second placed . Indeed, the British squad's tally of twenty meant that Ferrari had to win a race just to get back on terms with Benetton, while sat in a surprise third ahead of pace setters . Completing the top five were , with eight constructors on the board after two rounds.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
0 	Damon Hill 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW16 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
2 	Ayrton Senna 	Rothmans Williams Renault 	 	FW16 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
3 	Ukyo Katayama 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	022 	 	OX10B 3.5 V10 	
4 	Mark Blundell 	Tyrrell Racing Organisation 	 	022 	 	OX10B 3.5 V10 	
5 	Michael Schumacher 	Mild Seven Benetton Ford 	 	B194 	 	ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 	
6 	JJ Lehto 	Mild Seven Benetton Ford 	 	B194 	 	ECA Zetec-R 3.5 V8 	
7 	Mika Häkkinen 	Marlboro McLaren Peugeot 	 	MP4/9 	 	A6 3.5 V10 	
8 	Martin Brundle 	Marlboro McLaren Peugeot 	 	MP4/9 	 	A6 3.5 V10 	
9 	Christian Fittipaldi 	Footwork Ford 	 	FA15 	 	HBE7/8 3.5 V8 	
10 	Gianni Morbidelli 	Footwork Ford 	 	FA15 	 	HBE7/8 3.5 V8 	
11 	Pedro Lamy 	Team Lotus 	 	107C 	 	MF351HC 3.5 V10 	
12 	Johnny Herbert 	Team Lotus 	 	107C 	 	MF351HC 3.5 V10 	
14 	Rubens Barrichello 	Sasol Jordan 	 	194 	 	1035 3.5 V10 	
15 	Andrea de Cesaris 	Sasol Jordan 	 	194 	 	1035 3.5 V10 	
19 	Olivier Beretta 	Tourtel Larrousse F1 	 	LH94 	 	HBF7/8 3.5 V8 	
20 	Érik Comas 	Tourtel Larrousse F1 	 	LH94 	 	HBF7/8 3.5 V8 	
23 	Pierluigi Martini 	Minardi Scuderia Italia 	 	M193B 	 	HBC7/8 3.5 V8 	
24 	Michele Alboreto 	Minardi Scuderia Italia 	 	M193B 	 	HBC7/8 3.5 V8 	
25 	Éric Bernard 	Ligier Gitanes Blondes 	 	JS39B 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
26 	Olivier Panis 	Ligier Gitanes Blondes 	 	JS39B 	 	RS6 3.5 V10 	
27 	Nicola Larini 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	412T1 	 	043 3.5 V12 	
28 	Gerhard Berger 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	412T1 	 	043 3.5 V12 	
29 	Karl Wendlinger 	Broker Sauber Mercedes 	 	C13 	 	2175B 3.5 V10 	
30 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	Broker Sauber Mercedes 	 	C13 	 	2175B 3.5 V10 	
31 	David Brabham 	MTV Simtek Ford 	 	S941 	 	HBD6 3.5 V8 	
32 	Roland Ratzenberger 	MTV Simtek Ford 	 	S941 	 	HBD6 3.5 V8 	
33 	Paul Belmondo 	Pacific Grand Prix 	 	PR01 	 	2175A 3.5 V10 	
34 	Bertrand Gachot 	Pacific Grand Prix 	 	PR01 	 	2175A 3.5 V10 	
Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/engages.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
=== Friday practice ===
John Watson would note "slightly disappointing for Benetton and for Ford that they didn't get the kind of performance from this revised Zetec VR engine, Michael Schumacher is checking the car all around the circuit".
Williams were still struggling with the handling of their car, Damon Hill ending up in the gravel at Rivazza.
=== Friday Qualifying ===
It was a jovial start to Friday qualifying, Allard Kalff noting "it looked cold this morning, but the weather is warm, clear, dry and about 27°" ahead of the start of the first qualifying session. The first car out of the pits was the Sauber of Karl Wendlinger. The Sauber's hoping to maximise their track time after reliability problems had reduced their running during the practice sessions. 
Wendlinger going on to set the initial benchmark with a 1:25.854. However his time was subsequently bettered by teammate Frentzen who set a new benchmark with a 1:24.033. Wendlinger then dropped to third when Morbidelli's Footwork also went faster. Most of the smaller teams were maximising their track time in the early moments of qualifying. Behind Wendlinger, Martini, Bernard, Fittipaldi, Panis, Blundell, Gachot, Ratzenberger, Belmondo and Herbert had all set times. 
The first of the front runners to enter the track was the McLaren of Martin Brundle. Brundle's opening lap put him fourth fastest, John Watson noting "not bad for an opener" to which Kalff further noted "equalling his time he did this morning". Brundle was subsequently joined on track by the Ferrari of Larini and Schumacher's Benetton. Larini set an impressive lap time to take the provisional pole time away from Frentzen. 
However Larini's pole time would not last long, Schumacher quickly took the provisonal pole time with a 1:22.564, further underlining the performance of his car. John Watson noting "I just wish we could see into the Williams pit, I'm quite sure Damon Hill, Ayrton Senna, Frank Williams and Patrick Head are glued to their monitor. Because this is the man that has haunted them all year". The second Benetton of Lehto had also impressed on his first flying lap to take the second fastest time of the session. 
Watson would note "that time of Schumacher, exactly one second slower than Senna achieved this morning. Schumacher you can see how hard he is trying, right over the kerbs at Acque Minerale. And now his principal protagonist, Ayrton Senna". Senna had opted to enter the track in response to his chief rival's opening time. Senna could be seen to be immediately on the pace, Allard Kalff noting his "fighting spirit" whilst John Watson further added "well I've got a feeling that this is one of those laps that Senna over many years has managed to just drag out of a car. And this is in my view Senna at his most committed and most serious". Senna immediately took the provisional pole time away from Schumacher with a 1:22.430.
Almost immediately after Senna had set his pole time, his compatriot and friend, Rubens Barrichello, who was on an out-lap for Jordan, lost control of his car at the Variante Bassa. Barrichello had been launched into the air, and whilst still being airborne had slammed into the barriers in a full side-impact. Barichello's car rebounded off the barriers, flipping upside down. 
It was immediately evident that Barrichello had suffered a severe accident, the red flag being brought out whilst Doctor Sid Watkins and the medical care quickly arrived at the scene of the accident. Barrichello had been knocked unconscious where he was left struggling to breathe due to blood flow from a cut on his face. Dr Watkins quickly got an airway into him, the medical team extracting him from the car and taking him to the medical centre. 
There was relief in the paddock, there had been fears that Barrichello had suffered severe injury, however as was reported by Allard Kalff, "he has a concussion, got damage to his face, which is what you would expect him to have but he is talking to the doctor". Upon seeing the accident, Senna immediately returned to the pits at the red flag and had rushed to the medical centre to see his friend. Senna was the first person Barrichello saw upon regaining consciousness. 
Eddie Irvine, whom despite being currently banned from racing had attended the event to support his team. As the anxious Jordan personnel watched from the garage, Irvine tried to reassure his team by explaining to them what he thought had caused the accident. Irvine notably commenting, "His head never hit anything. His arm was knocked out, but I think he was knocked out by the initial... wack." 
Reassured at Barrichello's condition, Senna returned to his garage to resume qualifying. On the way back to his car, he was the first person to bare news of his condition, confirming to reporters "he's alright. He's shocked of course, but he is alright". As the green flag was resumed, Senna led the standings ahead of Schumacher, Lehto, Larini, Frentzen, Morbidelli, Wendlinger, Brundle, Katayama, Martini, Bernard, Fittipaldi, Panis, Blundell, Lamy, Gachot, Ratzenberger, Belmondo and Beretta. 
The second Williams of Hill, whom had yet to set a lap, became the first car out on track upon the resumption of the green flag. The Williams continued to look nervous, John Watson observing "again you can see the back end of the car just stepping out at the exit of the corners." As Hill approached the final corner of his outlap, he lost the back end and spun the car around. A concerned Allard Kalff would note, "what worries me is that spin looks very similar to the one he had this morning." John Watson replied by stating "there was at least two occasions on that out lap where the car was very, very nervous. That was the back end without any real warning at all wanting to break away. And as we saw Damon Hill come up to complete his first flying lap, we saw very clearly indeed, the problem Damon Hill has this afternoon, infact he had it this morning as well". 
Allard Kalff would comment "who knows what's going to happen next". The statement was immediately followed by a large spin by Brundle's McLaren. Brundle ran wide onto the kerbing at the exit of Rivazza before losing the back end and spinning into the opposing wall. John Watson would comment "that is a very rare thing to see Martin Brundle make an error." Brundle would be forced to exit the car and return to the pits on foot. 
The Ferrari of Berger opted to wait a long time before exiting the pits for his first flying lap. However upon entering the track and setting a time, Berger immediately took the provisional pole time with a 1:22.113. The Ferrari's were looking competitive, John Watson noting "there would be no surprise to see a Ferrari on the front row of the grid. I'm not sure if Berger can hold down provisional pole for this session, or for Saturday's session but undoubtedly that is going to be worth a few more thousand people for second day practice and qualifying." 
Thereafter the new order read, Berger ahead of Senna, Schumacher, Lehto, Larini, Häkkinen, Blundell, Frentzen, Morbidelli, Katayama, Wendlinger, Brundle, Martini, Bernard, Herbert, Alboreto, Fittipaldi, Panis, Lamy, Hill, De Cesaris, Gachot, Ratzenberger and Belmondo. Only the injured Barrichello, the two Larrousse cars of Comas and Beretta as well as Brabham's Simtek had yet to set a time. 
The Friday session had been tumultuous for a number of teams, John Watson commenting "I think the reason we are seeing so many people looking twitchy and nervy is because they are trying to strike the balance between good top speed and the minimum amount of downforce they need for the parts of the circuit like Tamburello which of course is flat out, 190 mph on the exit of the corner, and the quickest cars just reaching 200 mph through the Villeneuve curve".
 Schumacher in the Benetton could be seen as one of these drivers fighting the car. Allard Kalff noting, "his car can't be the easiest to drive". However that being said, Schumacher immediately went on to reclaim pole position with a 1:22.015. Thereafter on his follow-up flying lap, Schumacher lost control of the back end of his Benetton at the Tosa hairpin and spun the car around. He quickly righted his car and continued without damage to his car. John Watson would comment "we've seen the front runners have more moments here at Imola than we have at any other point during the year."
 Senna meanwhile had dropped down to third, both Schumacher and Berger having posted faster times. Senna returned to the track in response to Schumacher's pole position time, however he could be seen behaving cautiously on track. Senna choosing to perform an extra exploratory lap after his out-lap to which John Watson explained "looking at Senna on that lap he was not running wide out of corners, he was not doing what you expect when you are fully, fully committed to your pole lap. In a sense, just building himself up, getting a feel for this particular set of tyres. Now this will be the lap where I think he will regain that provisional pole position."
 It was clear that Senna was behaving cautiously on track, Allard Kalff further explaining, that until that point "Senna is the only top driver to not have improved on his morning time so far." Senna's following lap was looking much quicker, the Williams easily taking pole position from Schumacher with a 1:21.837. However John Watson believed Senna was still behaving cautiously on track, noting "he's certainly being very very purposeful, but I would say consciously and deliberately staying off the amount of kerb we have seen from others". After taking the pole time, Senna immediately spun the Williams at Tosa corner in a near identical incident to that of Schumacher's earlier spin. John Watson commenting "Williams are probably running more down force than I suspect Benetton are, but probably quite a lot less than Senna would be accustomed to in the first two grand prix's of the year. The margin is just so, so fine."
 Soon after, the remaining Jordan of De Cesaris had an incident when he ran wide at the Piratella curve He subsequently damaged the right rear of his car, the tyre rim could be seen falling off the wheel hub of the car. De Cesaris thereafter was forced to pull over at the side of the circuit. John Watson stating "this is arguably the worst day for Jordan Grand Prix since 1991." 
 The second Williams of Hill had attempted his first proper flying lap, after having botched his first attempt earlier on in the session. Like Senna, Hill was struggling, however the best he could do for his first proper run was to put the car in seventh position. Senna had also entered the track for a third time, he appeared more confident in this run, further improving his pole time down to a 1:21.548. Senna attempted one final flying lap, however wasn't able to better his time. Hill continued to struggle, backing right off at the beginning of his last flying lap attempt. 
At the end of the session, Senna led Schumacher, Berger, Lehto, Larini, Frentzen, Hill, Häkkinen, Morbidelli, Blundell, Wendlinger, Katayama, Martini, Alboreto, Brundle, Fittipaldi, Bernard, Panis, Herbet, De Cesaris, Comas, Lamy, Beretta, Brabham, Ratzenberger and Gachot. Barrichello, who would no longer participate in the weekend was in the drop zone alongside Belmondo's Pacific. 
=== Saturday Qualifying ===
It was a positive start to the Saturday qualifying session at Imola. The camera's caught Jean Alesi, walking around the paddock in plain clothes, waving and smiling to the adoring Tifosi. John Watson noting "Jean Alesi, another injured driver, recovering from his neck injury. He is not wearing the neck brace, I'm sure his doctors will not be entirely happy about it. But he wants to show the people at Imola, to indicate that he is well on his way to recovery". 
Schumacher was one of the earliest drivers to attack the track in the Saturday afternoon session. His first lap time saw him improve on his previous best, before making a further improvement on his second flying lap. Schumacher had dramatically improved his time, however he still remained a tenth off Senna's personal best from the Friday session. 
There was a lot of activity from the drivers that were sitting at the back of the grid, John Watson commenting "well certainly at the back of the grid, we are seeing reasonable improvements." The Simtek cars had been the first on track, Brabham had improved to twenty third position, whilst Ratzenberger was struggling to improve on his personal best. 
Ferrari continued to look competitive, Berger was looking on course to equal Senna's time, however a lock-up at Rivazza lost him time, and he failed to improve on his personal best. Shortly after, Herbert could be seen losing control of his car and spinning at the Variante Bassa. 
Hill in the Williams became the first front runner to make a significant improvement, after his first flying lap he had moved up from seventh to fourth on the grid. Hill's second lap saw him shave a few further tenths off his best time, however he still remained six tenths off teammate Senna's best time. 
===Qualifying Report===
Senna was said to have been satisfied with the changes made to the FW16 that had enhanced the performance of the handling. Senna had immediately set the best provisional pole time on his Friday afternoon run before his compatriot, Barrichello had his accident. Barrichello had been knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured nose, bandaged arm and cut lip, however he would return to the circuit, albeit not in racing condition on Saturday.
Having visited Barrichello in the medical centre, a relieved Senna was able to return to his car satisfied that Barrichello's injuries were not severe and even conveyed the positive news to the world media.
 As qualifying continued, the Variante Bassa, where Barrichello had crashed managed to cause the spins of drivers such as Häkkinen and Hill. On Saturday, Schumacher whom needed to close the gap to Senna's pole time had seen him over three laps come within three tenths of Senna's time.
However then, the tragic accident of Roland Ratzenberger occured to which brought an end to the qualifying proceedings. Senna exclaiming shock at the magnitude of the accident, having viewed the accident from the in-garage circuit monitor. Berger was similarly affected to which he commented, "It was the first time I find myself shaking after an accident. I was sitting in the car, I watched it on the monitor and when they start to put him out of the car, I could see it going to be very, very bad. And of course, in our job, you are sometimes a bit prepared to see situations like this. But as it was another Austrian driver, as it was a personal conduct to a person, it was even worse. And I know you should not make a difference between a driver what you know and what you don't know but it effects you in a different way."
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Time 	Time 	Gap
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Q1 	Q2 	Gap
1 	2 	Ayrton Senna 	 	1:21.548 	— 	—
2 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	1:22.015 	1:21.885 	+0.337s
3 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	1:22.113 	1:22.226 	+0.565s
4 	0 	Damon Hill 	 	1:23.199 	1:22.168 	+0.620s
5 	6 	JJ Lehto 	 	1:22.717 	1:24.209 	+1.169s
6 	27 	Nicola Larini 	 	1:22.841 	1:23.006 	+1.293s
7 	30 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	1:23.119 	— 	+1.571s
8 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	1:23.611 	1:23.140 	+1.592s
9 	3 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	1:24.000 	1:23.322 	+1.774s
10 	29 	Karl Wendlinger 	 	1:23.788 	1:23.347 	+1.799s
11 	10 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	1:23.663 	1:24.682 	+2.115s
12 	4 	Mark Blundell 	 	1:23.703 	1:23.831 	+2.155s
13 	8 	Martin Brundle 	 	1:24.443 	1:23.858 	+2.310s
14 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	1:24.078 	1:24.423 	+2.530s
15 	24 	Michele Alboreto 	 	1:24.276 	1:24.780 	+2.728s
16 	9 	Christian Fittipaldi 	 	1:24.655 	1:24.472 	+2.924s
17 	25 	Éric Bernard 	 	1:24.678 	1:40.411 	+3.130s
18 	20 	Érik Comas 	 	1:26.295 	1:24.852 	+3.304s
19 	26 	Olivier Panis 	 	1:24.996 	1:25.160 	+3.448s
20 	12 	Johnny Herbert 	 	1:25.114 	1:25.141 	+3.566s
21 	15 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	1:25.234 	1:25.872 	+3.686s
22 	11 	Pedro Lamy 	 	1:26.453 	1:25.295 	+3.747s
23 	19 	Olivier Beretta 	 	1:27.179 	1:25.991 	+4.443s
24 	31 	David Brabham 	 	1:27.607 	1:26.817 	+5.269s
25 	34 	Bertrand Gachot 	 	1:27.732 	1:27.143 	+5.595s
26* 	32 	Roland Ratzenberger 	 	1:27.657 	1:27.584 	+6.036s
DNQ 	33 	Paul Belmondo 	 	1:28.361 	1:27.881 	+6.333s
DNQ 	14 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	14:57.323 	— 	+13:35.775
Source:'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 1', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-1.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'Gran Premio di San Marino Imola - QUALIFYING 2', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 2019), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/1994/races/607/san-marino/qualifying-2.html, (Accessed 02/08/2019)'San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 02/08/2019), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/qualification.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates a driver's best/qualifying time.
** Ratzenberger was unable to start the race due to his fatal accident during qualifying.
===Grid===
==Race==
=== Report ===
In the beginning of the morning, both Senna and Berger whom were equally affected by Ratzenberger's death had met in the Ferrari garage on the morning of the race to discuss driver safety for the future. Shortly afterwards, the drivers' briefing revealed that the drivers had the intention to reform the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) in the wake of Ratzenberger's death. Both Senna and Berger as well as Michael Schumacher were said to be the "prime movers" in the decision. Leaving the drivers' briefing, Senna and Schumacher could be heard discussing the implementation of a pit-lane speed limit for Monaco.
As the race began, "Ratzenberger's accident was still uppermost in everyone's minds." The Simtek team and Ratzenberger's teammate, David Brabham, had made the "brave" decision to continue in the race.
Senna had unusually got into his pole sitting car in full race gear, only to unbuckle and take off his helmet whilst sitting in the car. Senna sat in contemplation, preparing for the start, whilst his Williams mechanics made the final adjustments to his car.
At the start of the race, Senna maintained the lead from pole position whilst behind him, Lehto on the third row stalled his Benetton on the grid to which Lamy's Lotus slammed into the rear of his car. Lamy had been "unsighted" when he collided with the stationary Lehto.
Lehto whom had only just recovered from his neck injuries that had kept him out of the first two races would then receive a light arm injury in the accident. Lamy, whilst emerging unscathed had demolished both his Lotus and Lehto's Benetton. A flying wheel from the Lotus had flown into the grandstand to which eight spectators and a policeman were injured.
With the wreckage on the pit straight, the safety car was immediately brought out to clear the wreckage away. It took five laps for the marshalls to clear the incident to which when the racing resumed, Senna led the race with Schumacher directly behind.
On the sixth lap, Senna whom was still pushing to extend his gap to Schumacher then mysteriously failed to turn into the high speed left handed Tamburello corner and crashed. The race was immediately stopped in order for the medical team to attend to Senna. The race would restart nearly fourty five minutes later to which the entire field was said to be "under an overwhelming sense of dread."
However all the drivers' returned to their cars to take the restart. However it was noted that for the teams and drivers', "the true gravity of Senna's situation is unknown." At the start, Berger got the best start and took the lead from Schumacher. Hill, Häkkinen, Larini, Wendlinger and Katayama.
The Tifosi were visibly overjoyed in witnessing Berger putting the Ferrari into first place on home turf. However, only ten laps later, the excitement of the Tifosi would disappear as Schumacher whom continued to tail Berger then pressured the Ferrari to run wide off the circuit at Acque Mineralie.
Berger thereafter lost the lead to Schumacher before shortly thereafter pulling into the pits to retire from the race. The only official reason given was that "there was a problem with the left rear of the car."
There would be yet one final "nasty twist" at Imola when the right rear tyre from Alboreto's Minardi dislocated whilst exiting the pits. The tyre bounced down the pits and crashed into three Ferrari mechanics and a Lotus mechanic. All four of them are injured by the loose wheel.
 Schumacher thereafter described as "oblivious too it all" thereafter went on to once again dominate the race to which he finished ahead on the podium of Larini's Ferrari and Häkkinen's McLaren. Larini embracing a scarlet Ferrari flag on the parade lap. Rounding out the final points positions were Wendlinger, Katayama and Hill.
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Michael Schumacher 	 	58 	1:28:28.642 	2 	10
2 	27 	Nicola Larini 	 	58 	+54.942s 	6 	6
3 	7 	Mika Häkkinen 	 	58 	+1:10.679 	8 	4
4 	29 	Karl Wendlinger 	 	58 	+1:13.658 	10 	3
5 	3 	Ukyo Katayama 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	9 	2
6 	0 	Damon Hill 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	4 	1
7 	30 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	7 	
8 	8 	Martin Brundle 	 	57 	+1 Lap 	13 	
9 	4 	Mark Blundell 	 	56 	+2 Laps 	12 	
10 	12 	Johnny Herbert 	 	56 	+2 Laps 	20 	
11 	26 	Olivier Panis 	 	56 	+2 Laps 	19 	
12 	25 	Éric Bernard 	 	55 	+3 Laps 	17 	
13* 	9 	Christian Fittipaldi 	 	54 	Spin 	16 	
Ret 	15 	Andrea de Cesaris 	 	49 	Spin 	21 	
Ret 	24 	Michele Alboreto 	 	44 	Wheel 	15 	
Ret 	10 	Gianni Morbidelli 	 	40 	Engine 	11 	
Ret 	23 	Pierluigi Martini 	 	37 	Spin 	14 	
Ret 	31 	David Brabham 	 	27 	Spin 	24 	
Ret 	34 	Bertrand Gachot 	 	23 	Engine 	25 	
Ret 	19 	Olivier Beretta 	 	17 	Engine 	23 	
Ret 	28 	Gerhard Berger 	 	16 	Suspension 	3 	
Ret 	2 	Ayrton Senna 	 	5 	Fatal Accident 	1 	
Ret 	20 	Érik Comas 	 	5 	Vibration 	18 	
Ret 	6 	JJ Lehto 	 	0 	Collision 	5 	
Ret 	11 	Pedro Lamy 	 	0 	Collision 	22 	
DNS† 	32 	Roland Ratzenberger 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	33 	Paul Belmondo 	 	 	 	 	
DNQ 	14 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)	Source:'San Marino 1994: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin/classement.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Fittipaldi was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
*† Ratzenberger was unable to start the race due to his fatal accident during qualifying.
===Post-Race===
Having taken the victory at San Marino, Michael Schumacher became the first driver to speak about the horrific weekend experienced at Imola. Schumacher in a sombre mood conveyed "What happened this weekend, never have I seen something like this. Not just one thing, but so many things. The only thing I can say about this is that I hope we learn from this. I think there is a lot to learn from and we have to use this. Things like this, they shouldn't happen without taking the experience from it."
Larini in second place had achieved a small success in achieving his first podium and putting Ferrari back onto the podium in home territory. Larini expressed little joy in his success to which he already was contemplating whether the race would be the last in his career. Commenting after the race, Larini noted "I'm lucky in my result, it is the best result of my career. And could be the last one because next race, Alesi will take his car." 
The day after the race, the FIA announced that in the wake of Senna's death they were immediately gathering reports from the "technical, medical, safety and supervisory staff, as well as from the relevant teams and personnel." The Williams team refused to comment on the accident and considered all potential causes of the accident to be speculation until the FIA had completed their investigation.
Two days later at the FIA meeting in Paris, Max Mosley proposed the "best hypothesis" of the cause for Ratzenberger's fatal accident that an off-track excursion had weakened the front wing structure to which the wing snapped and became lodged under the front wheels whilst the Simtek driver was approaching Villeneuve.
On the 5th May 1994, a state funeral is held in honour of Ayrton Senna to which over 1 million Brazilians payed tribute to Senna's life. The Brazilian President thereafter announced that they would go into three days of official mourning with the loss of their legendary champion. 
==Milestones==
* 161st and final Grand Prix start for Ayrton Senna.'3. San Marino 1994', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1994/saint-marin.aspx, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
** Senna became the first driver since Riccardo Paletti at the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix to be killed during a Grand Prix.
** He would also be the last driver to die of a fatal accident until Jules Bianchi lost his life as a result of his accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
* Third and final entry for Roland Ratzenberger.
** Ratzenberger was the first active Formula One driver to be killed in an F1 car since Elio de Angelis in .
* Gerhard Berger started his 150th Grand Prix.
* 50th Grand Prix start from Johnny Herbert.
* 200th entry for a car using #31 as its race number.'1994 San Marino GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1994&gp=San%20Marino%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 02/08/2019)
* 65th and final pole position for Senna.
** His record for most poles would stand until the 2006 San Marino Grand Prix, taken by Michael Schumacher.
* claimed their 70th pole as a constructor.
* Schumacher scored his fifth career victory.
** This was the 75th victory for a car using #5 as its race number.
* Tenth win for as a constructor.
** powered a car to a 169th victory as an engine supplier.
* Maiden (and only) podium finish for Nicola Larini.
*Maiden points finish for Nicola Larini
* Mika Häkkinen claimed the first podium for a engine.
==Standings==
A third straight victory for Michael Schumacher ensured that the German ace had a commanding lead in the Championship after the opening three rounds, leaving San Marino with 30 points to his name. Damon Hill was officially his closest challenger, although the Brit was already 23 points behind, and only ahead of third placed Rubens Barrichello on count-back. Gerhard Berger was next, level on six points with stand-in teammate Nicola Larini, with twelve drivers on the board.
In the Constructors Championship it had been another strong afternoon for , who left Imola with almost double the points of their closest challengers. Indeed, had established themselves in second after Larini's podium, although with only sixteen points to Benetton's 30 the Italian squad still had room for improvement. , meanwhile, were up to third, level with , although their entire season had been thrown into chaos as a result of Ayrton Senna's death.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Michael Schumacher 	30 	
2 	Damon Hill 	7 	1
3 	Rubens Barrichello 	7 	1
4 	Gerhard Berger 	6 	
5 	Nicola Larini 	6 	15
6 	Mika Häkkinen 	4 	14
7 	Jean Alesi 	4 	2
8 	Karl Wendlinger 	4 	2
9 	Ukyo Katayama 	4 	2
10 	Christian Fittipaldi 	3 	4
11 	Heinz-Harald Frentzen 	2 	3
12 	Érik Comas 	1 	3
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	30 	
2 	 	16 	
3 	 	7 	1
4 	 	7 	1
5 	 	6 	1
6 	 	4 	7
7 	 	4 	
8 	 	3 	3
9 	 	1 	1
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
es:Gran Premio de San Marino de 1994
Category:San Marino Grand Prix
Category:1994 Grands Prix
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Formula One races in Italy