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ICON of Formula One Ayrton Senna told doctors he had visions of his tragic death the night before his horror crash 30-years-ago today.
Concerns started to brew in the F1 paddock on race day after the Brazilian great turned up looking “distant” and completely haunted, says fellow F1 ace Johnny Herbert.
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The triple world champion died almost instantly when his Williams ran off the road at 190mph and smashed into a concrete wall on lap seven of the San Marino Grand Prix.
Senna was leading the race when he lost control at the notorious Tamburello corner and his car’s suspension crashed through his helmet.
Herbert said: “Senna feared he was going to die the night before the crash.
“He apparently had a premonition the night before that he was going to die.”
Herbert claims Senna told F1’s medical expert Professor Sid Watkins about his nightmares.
Watkins told the Brazilian to quit and go live a quiet life fishing after accomplishing greatness in motorsports already – Senna felt he was no where near finished with the sport.
He looked very distant. It was very, very eerie knowing what was going to happen
Johnny Herbert
Pre-race, as all the brave drivers spoke to their mechanics about the conditions, competitors and atmosphere, Herbert says Senna was acting in a way never seen before from the experienced professional.
He continued: “You see the cameras trained on his face before the race. It was a very different Ayrton than we had seen before.
“He looked very distant. It was very, very eerie knowing what was going to happen.
“To go through what he did with those feelings on his own apart from the conversation with Professor Sid, must have been so hard.”
SAN MARINO TRADEGY
The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend has long been coined as the darkest event in Formula One history.
Senna, one of the sports greatest drivers died instantly when his Williams car ran off the road at 190mph and smashed into a concrete wall on the seventh lap of the Imola circuit.
Herbert said: “I remember Senna’s crash. We all stopped on the grid with the red flag waiting for news.
“I remember on the screen we had on the car the shock of seeing the crash and then seeing his helmet move. I remember thinking, ‘It’s ok, he is alive.’
“But it wasn’t, it was just a nerve twitch. It was such a shock.”
Ex-F1 driver turned pundit Martin Brundle once revealed his “anger” at the race continuing after a short break.
Brundle, who ended up finishing eighth said: “We raced past a pool of Senna’s blood for 55 laps.”
The 34-year-old was the second driver to tragically die on track that weekend after Austrian Roland Ratzenberger crashed his Simtek car into a wall during qualifying.
Senna’s fellow Brazilian Rubens Barrichello survived his own near-death experience after being involved in a terrifying high-speed crash during practice.
The exact cause of Senna’s fatal crash remains inconclusive.
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Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone described it as “a disastrous weekend”.
He said this week he was told that F1 would be cancelled in the wake of the event and two deaths.
Safety measures were instantly employed after the crash with the halo being the biggest improvement to the cars.
Countless drivers, including Brit Lewis Hamilton, have praised the revolutionary safety device for saving their lives ever since.
SENNA’S LEGACY
Senna sits on top of the modern F1 mountain alongside fellow legends Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Niki Lauda.
To this day, only five men have won more world titles than Senna even with his career being cut short at just 34.
The former boss of Senna and F1 kingpin Sir Frank Williams was the man who owned and allowed the Brazilian to go out on the fateful day in the car that proved faulty.
His daughter Claire said: “Frank had a love affair with Ayrton. He got into his heart, got into his mind, and he always wanted to put him in his race car.
“Dad’s wish then came true, but it ended in the worst possible way.
“You can see the pain in his eyes every time he thinks about the accident.”
The life of F1 icon Ayrton Senna
March 21, 1960: Ayrton Senna da Silva was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil
1973: Senna starts competitive racing in go-karts built by his dad
1977: He wins his first few titles before the big South American Karting Championship crown
1980-1983: Begins racing in cars winning Formula Ford 1600, British and European Formula Ford 2000 and British Formula 3 titles
1984: Gets his chance in F1 with Toleman and scores points in his second ever race
1985: Secures first F1 win with Lotus
1988: Signs huge contract with McLaren and wins first ever World Championship
1990: Wins second World Championship after an impressive season
1991: Wins third and final world title
1993: Senna completes ‘Lap of the Gods’ at rain-hit European Grand Prix
1994: Moves to Williams for the final season of his illustrious career
May 1, 1994: Senna tragically dies during the 1994 Imola Grand Prix
Senna was a global superstar who carried the spirit of South America on his back in the 80s and 90s.
Shortly before his death, he told his family he wanted to start a project to help bring quality education to poor children in Brazil.
Three months after the crash, Senna’s family opened the Senna Institute. It now helps 1.5million children per year.
His pal Herbert said: “I have lovely memories of Senna – he belongs among the greats.
“He would have been world champion for several years to come.
“We saw him getting to his peak in that period, but we were never able to see the best of that peak.
“It is difficult to compare eras but without doubt he was one of the greatest of all time.”
Current world champion Lewis Hamilton lists Senna as his idol and has famously copied the design of the Brazilian’s yellow crash-helmet before.
Lando Norris also described Senna as the “whole package”.
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Zita boo
Interesting