Could Ayrton Senna’s death have been prevented?

Ayrton Senna died on May 1, 1994, when his Williams FW16 collided with a concrete barrier while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

The Italian Supreme Court of Cassation issued its verdict on April 13, 2007, stating that: “The failure of the steering column was determined to be the cause of the accident.

28 years later, people are still debating whether Ayrton Senna’s death could have been prevented.

It’s unclear whether the steering column failed before the crash or was broken on impact. Two separate court investigations resulted in opposing conclusions.

The only thing that could have prevented the crash is if Senna had not gotten into the car that day.

Ayrton died when the right front wheel of his car came off with the suspension still attached and at high speed as he hit the wall.

The right-front wheel and suspension are thought to have been thrown back into the cockpit, striking Senna on the right side of his helmet and pushing his head against the headrest.

A piece of upright attached to the wheel had partially penetrated his helmet, leaving a large indentation on his brow. Furthermore, a jagged piece of the upright assembly appeared to have penetrated the helmet visor just above his right eye.