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1 May 2012, 21:57 (Ref:3068108) | #1 | ||
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If... (1st of May, 1994)
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1 May 2012, 22:04 (Ref:3068111) | #2 | ||
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1 May 2012, 22:05 (Ref:3068113) | #3 | ||
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1 May 2012, 22:49 (Ref:3068122) | #4 | |
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Schumi would have had to taken Senna out in Adelaide, like he did to Damon. Or possibly upgraded his traction control system - allegedly.
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2 May 2012, 02:55 (Ref:3068167) | #5 | |
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The "if" question opens up a lot of doors, as who knows what might have happened later down the road had not those accidents happened. Since it did happen, I think all you can look at is the positive that came out of it or lessons learned. Now when I look back at 1990-1994 and some of the accidents that happened and the car design of the time, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong.
I think both of those fatal accidents forced a lot of changes in regards to safety. It forced a rethink on how exposed the drivers head was in an F1 car, barrier design, helmet design, head and neck restraints, suspension wishbone design and tethers, etc. Nearly 2 decades later, the fastest open wheel formula in the world hasn't had a fatality since, knock on wood. I think that is a pretty good record considering. You have to give the FIA and F1 credit for improving safety, rather than what many people or organizations would do, which is talk big and apply band aid solutions. |
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2 May 2012, 11:43 (Ref:3068257) | #6 | ||
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Perhaps we would have had large improvements nonetheless as technologies improved and were developed, but I suspect it was only a matter of time before something happened. The cockpits are now massively strong in a way that pushes (defines?) the current limits of material strengths, but I also think F1 has been a bit lucky in recent times in avoiding 'freak' accidents (flying wheels) whose risks cannot be negated by safety advances without wholesale changes in the way we go motor racing (such as closed cockpits). When someone does die it will be a tragedy, as any death is, but it should not be unexpected. |
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2 May 2012, 11:52 (Ref:3068259) | #7 | ||
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I always find it horrifically ironic that on the Eurosport broadcast, they were talking to a guy from Ilmor (I THINK) about the strength of the current chassis/tubs and how they're the safest they've ever been.
Mid way through a sentence, Ratzenberger left the circuit at Villenueve... Selby |
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3 May 2012, 16:37 (Ref:3068906) | #8 | ||
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Sadly as others have said, we would have possibly lost other drivers if it wasn't for Senna's high profile accident and the improved safety which followed. Jos Verstappen at Spa 96' and Martin Brundle at Melbourne 96' come immediatly to mind.
As for the future of Formula One had Senna lived? Well, I think people can confidently say that Schumacher would have won the 1994 Championship. 1995 would have been a bit different with a strong rivalry between Senna-Schumacher and maybe Hill. 1996 would have been interesting because Senna was planning to move to Ferrari that year which would have meant Schumacher probably staying at Benetton or moving to Williams or even McLaren, in turn this would have completely altered the state of F1 in the late 1990s and early 2000s. |
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3 May 2012, 23:15 (Ref:3069040) | #9 | |||
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4 May 2012, 07:06 (Ref:3069125) | #10 | ||
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/\ Yeh I have to say, I see your point, and have thought this a few times.
Are we not just in a similar position to what we were in in 1994? Obviously the cars HAVE been made safer, but we had a close call with Massa, another close call with Schuey/Liuzzi at Abu Dhabi.. It does make you think, doesn't it? Will people look back at this era and say 'why didn't they make changes when they had the chance...?!'. Selby |
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4 May 2012, 09:04 (Ref:3069169) | #11 | |
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I don't think that it's possible to guard against every sort of accident. It's difficult to look at an F1 car and say that it's obvious that this or that is not safe or that it could not be made any safer.
One thing that struck me about the new Indy Cars is that their new chassis seem to have all but eliminated the possibility of accidents where one tyre 'climbs' above a tyre on another car. The idea of side pods as wide as the track of the car, and 'bumpers' on the rear of the car, may not appeal to some, but it may be that there comes a time when there is no choice. It would be the result of not only having to make the cars safer, but also a result of having many millions watching a sport where the unthinkable could happen at any moment. Do you wait for an accident like the one that Schumacher and Liuzzi had to seriously injure or kill someone? Or do you do something about it now? |
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4 May 2012, 09:09 (Ref:3069172) | #12 | ||
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Sadly I think had Senna walked away from Imola 94, Luicano Burti would not have been so lucky at Spa 2001 (180mph head on at Blanchemont (sp?)). The cynic in me says that the sweeping safety changes wouldn't have been bought in if only poor Ratzenberger had died.
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4 May 2012, 09:35 (Ref:3069214) | #13 | ||
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Yeh, I think alot seem to think the same. I don't think we would have seen the extreme changes on circuits if it were just Ratzenberger's accident that weekend.
It does make you wonder what little changes would have taken place. I don't think we would have had severe changes to places such as Imola. I do miss those sweeps at Tamburello and Villeneuve. Selby -- Besides Imola, what other tracks were modified after the accidents? Last edited by ECW Dan Selby; 4 May 2012 at 09:46. |
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4 May 2012, 11:51 (Ref:3069282) | #14 | ||
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I think we're underplaying the importance Ratzenberger's death would have had if Senna hadn't died.
For a start, Senna himself would have been pushing very hard on the drivers' behalf to ensure that any appropriate safety improvements were made. |
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4 May 2012, 12:24 (Ref:3069297) | #15 | ||
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That is true.
Would it have happened to quickly and to such an extreme, though? Like I asked, how many tracks were changed as a result of Imola 1994? Selby |
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4 May 2012, 13:37 (Ref:3069325) | #16 | |||
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Catalunya in 94 had a temporary tire chicane added at the before the old high speed Nissan chicane before Campsa was tightened and a straight added to avoid Nissan the following year. Silverstone in 1994 Copse and Stowe were both tightened and the Abbey chicane was added. Hockenheim had the Clark and the Senna chicanes tightened. Monza had the Lesmo curves tightened. Jerez had the Ayrton Senna chicane added. Montreal in 1994 and 1995 had a temporary tire chicane added before the old Casino kink before Casino was flattened and basically eradicated in 1996. Estoril the fast Tanque corner was bypassed by adding the Gancho uphill corkscrew section. |
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4 May 2012, 13:55 (Ref:3069332) | #17 | ||
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Beautiful
I think that Senna might have fullfilled his contract with Williams, but seeing more and more "Ecclestonisation" of the sport, he might leave F1 for CART/IndyCar in 1996. Senna stays in CART until 1999/2000, before he does one last attempt at Formula One, or he just retires in Brazil and becomes a politician. At least his legacy lives on in case of increased safety measures in this sport. But unfortunately, the fight still has to go on, as seen with recent deaths over the last months. |
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4 May 2012, 13:55 (Ref:3069333) | #18 | |
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There were other accidents that happened at Imola which may also have got some people thinking.
There was the Barrichello accident during one of the Friday qualifying (remember that?), in which he was knocked unconscious and did not start the race, and also a wheel that flew off Alboreto's car has he was exiting the pit lane. Ratzenberger's crash was thought to be caused by front wing failure, and yet the cars still have somewhat fragile front wings, even today. |
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4 May 2012, 14:09 (Ref:3069341) | #19 | ||
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But, the front wing failure was apparently caused by going over large kerbs/through gravel, both of which have been eradicated.
Don't think there's footage of what happened to Ratzenberger to cause the crash, is there? Selby |
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4 May 2012, 14:25 (Ref:3069356) | #20 | ||
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I don't think that there's anything to show that Ratzenberger actually did damage his car on a kerb, but there is certainly some eye witness testimony to say that he did. |
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4 May 2012, 21:25 (Ref:3069500) | #21 | |||
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My take is that had he lived, Ayrton would've struggled to make up the gap in '94 but it would've been a cracking spectacle. I also doubt Schuey would've been forced to sit out those races for the alleged plank rubbish... Senna would have pushed him much harder than Damon managed. Senna would simply have obliterated the field in 1995-97 and then either have done a 2 year swansong with Ferrari or retired. |
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4 May 2012, 21:55 (Ref:3069506) | #22 | ||
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Tragically I think that it has to be a f1 great to force a change in f1 regulations. Sennas accident led to drastic saftey improvements to f1 circuits - especially at Imola and a few crucial changes to the cars structure... am I right in thinking the plank under the car was a result of this as well?
Looking at F2 for instance back in 2010 when Henry Surtees was killed, it took a flying wheel to kill a driver for them to introduce wheel teathers for the following year - even though it would have been possible that year. Personally I think a similar accident will provide the momentum for f1 to implement windsheilds, but sadly I think that stage will only come as the result of a big accident. |
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4 May 2012, 22:45 (Ref:3069513) | #23 | ||
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4 May 2012, 23:46 (Ref:3069530) | #24 | ||
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It would be like taking a Moto GP bike and putting a monocoque around it. |
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4 May 2012, 23:52 (Ref:3069532) | #25 | |
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Well, who really knows? People seem to change every 6-7 years and go through phases, so it's really hard to say how he would have lived his life. Life and people are unpredictable and he could have done anything from hang around for 10 more years in F1, or have retired the next year. I think in F1 to remain at such a high competitive level, it takes a lot out of you and who knows how he would have felt about life at 40, 50 and so on.
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