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Thousands pay tributes to Senna
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THE crowd resembled the kind of gathering normally reserved for a Formula One podium celebration.
Only this time, the thousands in attendance fell silent at exactly 2:17pm.
Fans, family members plus fellow and current F1 drivers attended a solemn but also festive memorial yesterday to mark the 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
The ceremony was held on the Imola circuit’s Tamburello curve where Brazilian Senna crashed into a concrete wall at about 300 kph. Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger, who died in qualifying a day before, was also remembered.
Among those in attendance were Gerhard Berger, Senna’s teammate with McLaren, and current Ferrari duo Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.
“I think we all agree that he was the best driver of all time,” Berger said, drawing a loud round of applause. “Even if it’s a sad moment we’re all very happy to be here and remember Ayrton.”
Alonso, who has won two F1 titles, was 12 when Senna was killed. “For a lot of us he was our idol,” the Spaniard said. “I used to watch his races on the news and when you saw that yellow helmet and the No. 1 on his car, that really hit you.”
Senna’s niece Paula was among those representing the his family. She was impressed with the big turnout. “It means that somehow he reached people’s hearts, with his career and also with the way he was as a person,” she said.
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