On April 30th 1994, the world of Formula 1 witnessed its first driver tragedy at a Grand Prix in 12 years.
Roland Ratzenberger had only just reached his dream of driving in the sport when he sadly lost his life on F1’s darkest weekend.
He was born in Salzburg, Austria, on the 4th July 1960. Unusually, he was a late starter to motor racing and only began competing in 1983, at the age of 23, driving in the German Formula Ford championship.
Ratzenberger was conscious of his age and often claimed to have been born in 1962. Over the next few years he built up a solid reputation, finishing runner-up in 1985 and claimed the Austrian and Central European championships in the same year.
Following his success, he decided to enter the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at the Brands Hatch circuit and finished second. In the following year he won the event, which was enough for him to move up to Formula 3.
His first year racing in the category was with West Surrey Racing, where he finished 12th overall. He then moved to Madgwick Motorsport but was unable to improve and ended the 1988 championship in the same position as he had in the previous season.
In 1987 he also showed his versatility as a driver by registering two second place finishes in the World Touring Car Championship driving a Team Schnitzer BMW M3. The series didn’t continue in 1988 but Ratzenberger instead competed in the final few rounds of the British Touring Car Championship for the Demon Tweeks team.
He then returned to single seater racing in the British Formula 3000 series, where he finished third overall with one race victory. That same year, 1989, saw the Austrian make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut driving a Porsche 962 for Brun Motorsport with Maurizio Sandro Sala and Walter Lechner. The team was forced to retire in the third hour but that wasn’t the end of his career at the famous endurance race.
He competed with Brun again in 1991, as well as driving for the Japanese SARD team in 1990, 1992 and 1993. He scored his best result in the final year, finishing fifth driving a Toyota 93 C-V with Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka.
By then he had switched focus to racing in Japan. He competed in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship at the wheel of a SARD Toyota, winning one race in 1990 and another in the following season. During that time he also raced in the Japanese Touring Car Championship in a BMW M3, finishing seventh overall in both seasons.
For 1992 he moved to the Japanese Formula 3000 championship (which later became Formula Nippon) with the Stella team. It got off to a slow start but once the team upgraded to a newer car, he won two races. He finished seventh in the drivers’ standings and remained in the series for 1993, but he couldn’t improve on his result and slipped to 11th.
After a long stint racing in junior series, he eventually secured a Formula 1 drive at the new Simtek team, run by Nick Wirth, for the 1994 season. He had finally reached his dream. Ratzenberger joined the MTV-backed outfit alongside David Brabham, the son of Australian triple world champion Jack Brabham, and had signed for six races – as he hoped to raise more money to continue the season as it progressed.
He failed to qualify for the first, which took place in Brazil, having been delayed by mechanical issues in practice and rain in qualifying preventing him from setting a representative time. However, he made the grid for the second round at the Aida circuit in Japan.
He was the only driver on the grid who had previously raced at the track thanks to his time racing in the country. He qualified in 26th place but raced to 11th, albeit five laps down on the Pacific Grand Prix race winner Michael Schumacher. Unfortunately, it proved to be his one and only Formula 1 race finish.
The next round took place in Italy, with Imola hosting the San Marino Grand Prix. The weekend got off to a bad start after Rubens Barrichello suffered a huge crash at Variante Bassa during Friday qualifying. Fortunately he was not badly injured.
Ratzenberger had complained throughout practice about the brakes on his Simtek S941. The team asked his team-mate Brabham, who had move F1 experience, to test the car. He said the brakes were “rubbish” and said they needed to be changed. Once they were, the rookie was much faster and felt more comfortable with the car.
During Saturday’s qualifying session, he went off-track and damaged his front wing. After quickly checking the car, he continued for another lap but the wing failed at the flat-out Villeneuve corner. With no steering, he hit the inside wall at nearly 200mph. He suffered a basal skull fracture and was airlifted to the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna, but there was sadly nothing that could be done to save him.
His team-mate Brabham wrote a blog post on his website about that tragic day. "I came past the start finish line on another flying lap and I saw yellow flags and debris on the track between the Tamburello and Villeneuve corners," he said. "I knew immediately it was Roland’s car.
"I saw purple on the bits lying on the track and I was concerned because the car was travelling at near 300kph. As I went towards the accident, I grew very concerned as it looked massive. I started to fear for Roland and the closer I got, the worse I felt. His car ended up in the middle of the Tosa corner, so everyone had to go around Roland’s car.
"Marshalls were on the scene and I was keen to see if my teammate was alright. I wish I hadn’t. As I went round the car and looked, I immediately saw something didn’t look right. The position of his head was different and disturbing, I felt sick and had a strong sense he was gone."
The popular Austrian – known for his smile and sense of humour - died at the age of just 33. He had only just reached his dream but lost his life doing what he loved. Ratzenberger’s death shook the sport and was the first on a Grand Prix weekend since 1982.
He never had the chance to show his true potential at the wheel of a Formula 1 car. Three-time champion Ayrton Senna was deeply affected by the news. Professor Sid Watkins, then head of Formula 1’s on-track medical team, even tried to persuade the Brazilian not to race, but he replied: “Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on."
Of course, Senna unfortunately died on the following day just one corner prior to where his fellow driver crashed. They were born just three months apart but both had very different career paths. Some say due to Senna’s death, Ratzenberger is often forgotten.
In the weeks and months following the tragic weekend, that is probably true. Now, however, I think we remember him and his story even more because of it. I never got the chance to see either driver race on TV, let alone live in person. But due to Senna’s unfortunate death, I got to know who Ratzenberger was and got interested in his career.
When I found out what happened, I researched his path to F1 and read what others thought of him. It soon became clear that not only was he a talented driver who deserved his spot on the grid, but he was also a very popular man in the paddock who is sadly missed by many.
Rest in peace Roland.
This piece was written and originally posted on the 20th anniversary of his death in 2014.
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| © Getty Images |
He was born in Salzburg, Austria, on the 4th July 1960. Unusually, he was a late starter to motor racing and only began competing in 1983, at the age of 23, driving in the German Formula Ford championship.
Ratzenberger was conscious of his age and often claimed to have been born in 1962. Over the next few years he built up a solid reputation, finishing runner-up in 1985 and claimed the Austrian and Central European championships in the same year.
Following his success, he decided to enter the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at the Brands Hatch circuit and finished second. In the following year he won the event, which was enough for him to move up to Formula 3.
His first year racing in the category was with West Surrey Racing, where he finished 12th overall. He then moved to Madgwick Motorsport but was unable to improve and ended the 1988 championship in the same position as he had in the previous season.
In 1987 he also showed his versatility as a driver by registering two second place finishes in the World Touring Car Championship driving a Team Schnitzer BMW M3. The series didn’t continue in 1988 but Ratzenberger instead competed in the final few rounds of the British Touring Car Championship for the Demon Tweeks team.
He then returned to single seater racing in the British Formula 3000 series, where he finished third overall with one race victory. That same year, 1989, saw the Austrian make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut driving a Porsche 962 for Brun Motorsport with Maurizio Sandro Sala and Walter Lechner. The team was forced to retire in the third hour but that wasn’t the end of his career at the famous endurance race.
He competed with Brun again in 1991, as well as driving for the Japanese SARD team in 1990, 1992 and 1993. He scored his best result in the final year, finishing fifth driving a Toyota 93 C-V with Mauro Martini and Naoki Nagasaka.
By then he had switched focus to racing in Japan. He competed in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship at the wheel of a SARD Toyota, winning one race in 1990 and another in the following season. During that time he also raced in the Japanese Touring Car Championship in a BMW M3, finishing seventh overall in both seasons.
For 1992 he moved to the Japanese Formula 3000 championship (which later became Formula Nippon) with the Stella team. It got off to a slow start but once the team upgraded to a newer car, he won two races. He finished seventh in the drivers’ standings and remained in the series for 1993, but he couldn’t improve on his result and slipped to 11th.
After a long stint racing in junior series, he eventually secured a Formula 1 drive at the new Simtek team, run by Nick Wirth, for the 1994 season. He had finally reached his dream. Ratzenberger joined the MTV-backed outfit alongside David Brabham, the son of Australian triple world champion Jack Brabham, and had signed for six races – as he hoped to raise more money to continue the season as it progressed.
He failed to qualify for the first, which took place in Brazil, having been delayed by mechanical issues in practice and rain in qualifying preventing him from setting a representative time. However, he made the grid for the second round at the Aida circuit in Japan.
He was the only driver on the grid who had previously raced at the track thanks to his time racing in the country. He qualified in 26th place but raced to 11th, albeit five laps down on the Pacific Grand Prix race winner Michael Schumacher. Unfortunately, it proved to be his one and only Formula 1 race finish.
The next round took place in Italy, with Imola hosting the San Marino Grand Prix. The weekend got off to a bad start after Rubens Barrichello suffered a huge crash at Variante Bassa during Friday qualifying. Fortunately he was not badly injured.
Ratzenberger had complained throughout practice about the brakes on his Simtek S941. The team asked his team-mate Brabham, who had move F1 experience, to test the car. He said the brakes were “rubbish” and said they needed to be changed. Once they were, the rookie was much faster and felt more comfortable with the car.
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| © Wikimedia Commons |
During Saturday’s qualifying session, he went off-track and damaged his front wing. After quickly checking the car, he continued for another lap but the wing failed at the flat-out Villeneuve corner. With no steering, he hit the inside wall at nearly 200mph. He suffered a basal skull fracture and was airlifted to the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna, but there was sadly nothing that could be done to save him.
His team-mate Brabham wrote a blog post on his website about that tragic day. "I came past the start finish line on another flying lap and I saw yellow flags and debris on the track between the Tamburello and Villeneuve corners," he said. "I knew immediately it was Roland’s car.
"I saw purple on the bits lying on the track and I was concerned because the car was travelling at near 300kph. As I went towards the accident, I grew very concerned as it looked massive. I started to fear for Roland and the closer I got, the worse I felt. His car ended up in the middle of the Tosa corner, so everyone had to go around Roland’s car.
"Marshalls were on the scene and I was keen to see if my teammate was alright. I wish I hadn’t. As I went round the car and looked, I immediately saw something didn’t look right. The position of his head was different and disturbing, I felt sick and had a strong sense he was gone."
The popular Austrian – known for his smile and sense of humour - died at the age of just 33. He had only just reached his dream but lost his life doing what he loved. Ratzenberger’s death shook the sport and was the first on a Grand Prix weekend since 1982.
He never had the chance to show his true potential at the wheel of a Formula 1 car. Three-time champion Ayrton Senna was deeply affected by the news. Professor Sid Watkins, then head of Formula 1’s on-track medical team, even tried to persuade the Brazilian not to race, but he replied: “Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on."
Of course, Senna unfortunately died on the following day just one corner prior to where his fellow driver crashed. They were born just three months apart but both had very different career paths. Some say due to Senna’s death, Ratzenberger is often forgotten.
In the weeks and months following the tragic weekend, that is probably true. Now, however, I think we remember him and his story even more because of it. I never got the chance to see either driver race on TV, let alone live in person. But due to Senna’s unfortunate death, I got to know who Ratzenberger was and got interested in his career.
When I found out what happened, I researched his path to F1 and read what others thought of him. It soon became clear that not only was he a talented driver who deserved his spot on the grid, but he was also a very popular man in the paddock who is sadly missed by many.
Rest in peace Roland.
This piece was written and originally posted on the 20th anniversary of his death in 2014.
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