Roland Ratzenberger: The Tragedy Formula 1 Forgot After Ayrton Senna’s Death

When Roland Ratzenberger was killed during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, he became the first Formula One driver to die during a grand prix weekend since Riccardo Paletti at the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix. The next day, during the race itself, Ayrton Senna was also killed. Although Senna and Ratzenberger were born less than four months apart, their career paths were completely different. For Ratzenberger, a 33-year old Austrian, the race at Imola was only the third grand prix of his career, having spent a decade slowly climbing the ladder from Formula Ford to F1. Senna, in contrast, was in his 11th F1 season, already a three-time world champion and universally regarded as one of the greatest racing drivers ever. Understandably...

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