Thirty years on from Ayrton Senna’s tragic death Bernie Ecclestone reveals he was told F1 would be CANCELLED for ever
BERNIE ECCLESTONE revealed he was told Formula One would be CANCELLED in the aftermath of Ayrton Senna’s death.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Senna’s fatal crash in Imola.
Brazil’s triple world champion died almost instantly when his Williams ran off the road at 190mph and smashed into a concrete wall on lap seven of the San Marino Grand Prix.
And Ecclestone, who ruled the sport for four decades until 2017, said: “Max Mosley, the FIA president, said to me that he believed it would be the end of Formula One.
“We hoped it wouldn’t cause what Max had suggested but it was a disaster.
“It seems to me a lot longer than 30 years. Ayrton was so unlucky to die.”
Senna was leading when he lost control at the notorious Tamburello corner. The right-front suspension of his car penetrated his crash helmet.
Yet the race restarted less than 40 minutes later with Michael Schumacher winning. Senna’s team-mate Damon Hill was sixth, two places ahead of fellow Brit Martin Brundle.
Now a TV pundit, Brundle has said he was angry that “we raced past a pool of Senna’s blood for 55 laps”.
But Ecclestone, 93, insisted: “Should we have stopped the race? I don’t think so.
“It wouldn’t have helped Senna in any way. When these things happen, they happen so quickly that you don’t really have that much time to think.
“Legally, it should have been stopped because we now know he died at the circuit but it came down to commercial problems, people who would have wanted refunds and all these sorts of things.
“The other side of it wasn’t really taken into consideration.”
F1 is expected to pay tribute to Senna at the Emilia Romagna GP in Imola on May 19.
His death is the last time a driver was killed during an F1 race.
Jules Bianchi died nine months after injuries he suffered at the Japanese GP ten years ago.
Ecclestone added: “Formula One became more popular after Senna’s death.
“It got so much worldwide publicity that people who had not watched before started to become interested.
“But I hope we will never see something like that again.
“And I think today, with the way everything has improved with safety, the chances are so much smaller.”
Complete F1 2024 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix and start time this year