In his personal book, Adrian Newey nostalgically recollected the distressing Imola incident involving Ayrton Senna.
Adrian Newey put his feelings into words when recounting the tragic accident that claimed the life of three-time F1 World Champion Ayrton Senna.
On May 1st, 1994, during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, the Williams driver tragically lost his life in an accident, while leading the race ahead of Michael Schumacher from Benetton.
Adrian Newey: Ayrton Senna had a certain aura about him
Speaking in his 2017 book How To Design A Car, Adrian Newey went into detail on his memories and thoughts regarding that entire time period of his life.
In the early 1990s, Newey held the position of lead designer for the Williams F1 cars. Alongside technical director Patrick Head, he was responsible for the creation of the FW16 for the 1994 season. However, their unfortunate fate unfolded as the regulations underwent a change during the winter period. This change stripped Williams of their dominance, as the team had excelled in utilizing all the electronic aids that were permissible until 1993. Their stronghold was now challenged.
The transition from active to passive suspension presented a significant challenge, resulting in the 1994 car being initially unstable. Unfortunately, before Williams could refine it into a more flexible and enjoyable driving experience, Senna tragically lost his life in a crash at Imola. The exact cause of the crash has never been definitively established.
Newey expressed his admiration for Senna, despite having only collaborated with him for a short period of a few months.
“He had a certain aura about him,” he said, which is why Frank Williams idolized him so much. It’s not just that he was one of the greatest drivers of all time, but there was something truly special about him.
“And if that seems overly sentimental, I understand, but I can honestly say it felt completely right when you were in his presence.”
It was an indescribable feeling of being in the presence of someone extraordinary. Although it was difficult to measure the influence of his reputation, you undeniably experienced it.
Newey expressed his unease as he helplessly observed the unfolding events on the television screens, while medical crews attended to Senna at Tamburello. The noises and sounds that he witnessed that day became permanently ingrained in his memory.
“He said that one more memory, etched into his mind, is the sound of the spectators.”
Despite the unfolding tragic events at Tamburello, the horns, klaxons, and tambourines continued to create an exhilarating frenzy of noise. Even now, the sound, which has become synonymous with Italian Grands Prix, never fails to send chills down my spine.
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After facing manslaughter charges in Italy, both Newey, Head, and Frank Williams were subjected to three trials, but all defendants were ultimately acquitted. This experience prompted Newey to express in writing that he bore some level of responsibility for Ayrton’s tragic demise, yet not any legal culpability.
Newey disclosed that, as per Senna’s request, he had made a slight adjustment by lowering the steering wheel to prevent any contact between his knuckles and the inner part of the chassis.
Newey, after instructing the drawing office, received the information that the given instruction would cause interference with the FIA cockpit template. As a result, he directed the office to locally decrease the steering column diameter by 4mm. It was later discovered that this modification had failed at some point during the crash.
After conducting tests that confirmed the steering column was not faulty before Senna’s accident, Newey elaborated on areas where he believed both himself and Williams had not adequately fulfilled their responsibilities.
He stated that it is a basic principle of engineering, commonly known, that in order to maintain stiffness and strength, one must enhance the thickness of the wall. However, this necessary step was neglected, and the wall thickness remained unchanged.
In engineering, it is widely recognized that a sharp corner in a component leads to an area of intense stress. Consequently, this stress gradually causes the component to crack and weaken over time. Eventually, the crack will spread throughout the entire component, ultimately resulting in failure.
Ultimately, Patrick and I took responsibility for the two major engineering flaws present in the diameter reduction.
“You must challenge yourself and if you don’t, you’re foolish. The initial inquiry you should pose is: Am I willing to participate in something where my decisions could potentially lead to someone’s death? If you answer affirmatively, the next question is: Am I prepared to acknowledge that a member of the design team under my supervision may make an error in the car’s design, resulting in someone’s fatality?”
Before Imola, I had never taken the time to ponder these questions, even though it may seem foolish. If you aspire to pursue a career in motor racing, you must confront these inquiries. You must be willing to answer affirmatively to both, as hard as it may be, since it is impossible to ensure that errors will never occur, no matter how hard you try.
Pushing the limits of design is essential in the process of creating a racing car. Failing to do so would result in a non-competitive vehicle. Additionally, during a race, important decisions need to be made. For instance, if a car sustains damage, one must determine whether to advise the driver to retire the car or allow them to continue.
“If you err on the side of caution, you might prematurely retire the car without justification. Conversely, if you’ve been excessively optimistic, the driver may encounter an accident with unforeseen repercussions.”
Making a judgment in this matter is always difficult. Many people inquire if I carry guilt regarding Ayrton. I certainly do. As a senior member of the designing team, I bear responsibility for creating a vehicle that led to the tragic demise of an extraordinary individual. Irrespective of whether the steering column directly caused the accident, it is undeniable that its flawed design should have never been permitted for use in the car.
There is no doubt that the system Patrick and I had in place was insufficient.
The absence of a secure verification system within the design office was revealed.
However, my greatest source of guilt lies not in the potential involvement of steering column failure in the accident, as I don’t believe it was a contributing factor. Instead, I deeply regret my mistake in compromising the car’s aerodynamics.
“I made a mistake during the transition from active suspension to passive, resulting in a car that lacked aerodynamic stability. Ayrton attempted maneuvers that the car was not equipped to handle. Regardless of whether or not he experienced a puncture, his choice to take the inside line, which was faster but had more bumps, in an aerodynamically unstable car would have made it challenging for even him to maintain control.”
“I now realize that if we had only been given more time, we could have made a significant difference. Imola made me understand the problem, and I just needed additional time to create the wind tunnel model and assemble the necessary parts for a car that would truly match Ayrton’s capabilities. Unfortunately, time did not allow us the opportunity to achieve that.”
Adrian Newey’s book How To Build A Car is widely available from all good book resellers.
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