The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola is remembered as one of the darkest weekends in Formula 1 history. What began as a regular race weekend quickly turned into a tragedy that would change the sport forever.

On Friday, 29 April, during the first qualifying session, young Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello crashed violently at the Variante Bassa chicane. His car flew into the air and smashed into the barriers. It was a terrifying accident, but Barrichello was lucky to escape with only minor injuries. It was a warning sign that the weekend might not go as expected.

Sadly, the warning went unheeded. On Saturday, 30 April, tragedy struck. Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger, racing for the small Simtek team, lost control of his car during qualifying and crashed at high speed into a concrete wall at the Villeneuve corner. The impact was fatal. Ratzenberger was just 33 years old and racing in only his third Grand Prix. His death was the first during a Formula 1 weekend in over a decade. The paddock was in shock. Teams, drivers, and fans were heartbroken, but the decision was made to continue with the race on Sunday.

Then came Sunday, 1 May, and with it, the darkest moment of all. At the start of the Grand Prix, a crash on the grid caused debris to fly into the crowd, injuring a spectator and a mechanic. Despite this, the race continued. On the seventh lap, three-time world champion Ayrton Senna crashed at the high-speed Tamburello corner. His car left the track at over 300 km/h and slammed into a concrete wall.

The scene was horrifying. Medical staff rushed to him, and Senna was flown by helicopter to hospital in Bologna. But a few hours later, the world received the devastating news: Ayrton Senna had died. He was just 34 years old.

His death shocked not just the sport, but millions of fans around the globe. Brazil declared three days of national mourning. The loss of one of the sport’s greatest icons was almost too much to bear.

In the days and weeks that followed, Formula 1 faced a reckoning. The accidents at Imola forced the sport to confront its dangers. Major changes were made to improve driver safety. Cars were redesigned, circuits were altered, and new regulations were introduced. The legacy of that weekend is the modern, much safer Formula 1 we see today.

Every year, the motorsport community pauses to remember Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna. Though their lives were tragically cut short, their deaths led to lasting change. The events of Imola 1994 will never be forgotten. It was the weekend that changed Formula 1 forever.