Actions in Imola
30 years after Senna’s death: Vettel honors the Formula 1 legend
Sebastian Vettel (M) wants to commemorate the Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna, who died in an accident in Imola, with several actions. photo
© Toru Hanai/AP/dpa
Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest Formula 1 personalities. The Brazilian died tragically in Imola in 1994. 30 years later, Sebastian Vettel proclaims the motto: “Forever Senna”.
30 years after the death of Ayrton Senna, Sebastian Vettel wants to address the in Remember the Formula 1 legend who died in an accident in Imola.
The four-time world champion invited the drivers of the premier class of motorsport around Max Verstappen to a track run in the evening (6 p.m.) at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. They will meet at the start-finish line of the Italian circuit and pause for a minute’s silence near the Ayrton Senna monument in the Tamburello corner.
Vettel will also drive a McLaren MP4/8 around the track after the drivers’ parade on race Sunday, which Senna once drove during his time at McLaren before moving to Williams. For the 36-year-old German, the campaigns are under the motto “Forever Senna”. Vettel also had T-shirts produced in memory of the three-time world champion from Brazil. The profits go to charitable purposes, including half going to the Senna Foundation.
Vettel raves about Senna’s compassion
“I was only 7 years old when the accident happened. Through my father I learned what a great driver Ayrton Senna was. He was a big fan of Ayrton and gave me a Senna doll and a small Senna toy car,” said Vettel, who never met the Brazilian motorsport legend personally, but learned a lot about him in the paddock.
“What I particularly appreciated about him later was that he was not only one of the best racing drivers of all time, but that he also showed compassion and support for the often difficult social problems and poverty in his home country of Brazil,” said Vettel.
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Senna died in an accident in Imola on May 1, 1994. He left the track in the Tamburello corner and crashed his Williams into the wall at more than 200 km/h. The day before, the Austrian Roland Ratzenberger, aged just 33, had a fatal accident on the same route.
Vettel ended his Formula 1 career at Aston Martin at the end of 2022 to have more time for his family and projects away from the racetrack. After the announcement of Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in 2025, the Hessian is repeatedly mentioned as a possible successor to the seven-time world champion with the Silver Arrows.