1994 San Marino Grand Prix

1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Race 3 of 16 in the 1994 Formula One World Championship ← Previous race Next race →
Race details[1][2]
Date	1 May 1994
Official name	14º Gran Premio di San Marino
Location	Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	5.040 km (3.144 miles)
Distance	58 laps, 292.320 km (182.351 miles)
Scheduled distance	61 laps, 307.440 km (191.784 miles)
Weather	Sunny
Pole position
Driver	Ayrton Senna	Williams-Renault
Time	1:21.548
Fastest lap
Driver	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault
Time	1:24.335 on lap 10
Podium
First	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Ford
Second	Nicola Larini	Ferrari
Third	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren-Peugeot
Lap leaders

The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix (formally the 14º Gran Premio di San Marino) was a Formula One motor race held on 1 May 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, located in Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One World Championship. Michael Schumacher, driving for Benetton, won the race. Nicola Larini, driving for Ferrari, scored the first points of his career when he finished in second position. Mika Häkkinen finished third in a McLaren.

Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger and Brazilian three-time world champion Ayrton Senna lost their lives in separate accidents during the event. In addition to the two fatalities, other incidents saw injuries to driver Rubens Barrichello plus several mechanics and spectators. The deaths were the first fatalities in the Formula One World Championship since the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, and the first with two driver deaths since the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix. Senna was given a state funeral in his home town of São Paulo, Brazil, where around 500,000 people (some numbers say 2 million) lined the streets to watch the coffin pass. Italian prosecutors charged six people with manslaughter in connection with Senna's death, all of whom were later acquitted. The case took more than 11 years to conclude due to an appeal and a retrial following the original verdict of not guilty.

These tragedies proved to be a major turning point in both the 1994 season, and in the development of Formula One itself, particularly with regard to safety. This led to a reforming of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association after a 12-year hiatus, and the changing of many track layouts and car designs. Since the race, numerous regulation changes have been made to slow Formula One cars down and new circuits incorporate large run-off areas to slow cars before they collide with a wall. As a result of increased standards in safety subsequent to this race, there were no fatalities for a period of 20 years from the deaths of Ratzenberger and Senna, a period which ended with the crash of Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix which led to his death the following year.