How F1 car safety changed forever after Imola 1994 tragedies
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix marked not only one of Formula 1’s darkest weekends, but proved to be a turning point in car safety that would change the sport forever.
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Imola was just the third round of the championship, and there had already been numerous high profile accidents in testing and racing before the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna prompted a radical overhaul in the approach to driver protection.
Heading in to the 1994 season there had been a big rule change, which had not only set about reducing costs and handing back control to the drivers. It had also attempted to reign in teams in their adventurous use of electronic control systems.
Williams had ruled the roost in the previous few seasons, with its active suspension a considerable factor in its title winning seasons. However, other electronic aids, such as ABS and traction control had started to become more commonplace too, whilst solutions like rear wheel steer and CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) had been tested but not raced.
All of these were to be banned for ‘94 and would have a serious impact on the behaviour of the cars, both from an aerodynamic and mechanical point of view.
The reaction to the events at Imola from the sport's governing body was swift though, as by the Spanish GP, just two races later, the teams were forced to change the design of their front wing endplates and the length of the diffuser, as a way of reducing downforce and slowing the cars.
Click on the arrows in the images below to reveal 10 further changes that resulted in improved driver safety...
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