"The harsh fact is that Ayrton made a mistake
By Damon Hill
After ten years of reflection, Senna's team-mate has his own theory on the death of the driving great
I HAVE listened and read endless theories about why, or how, he could have crashed on such a “simple” corner like Tamburello. No one other than Ayrton Senna and me knows what it was like to drive that car, through that corner, in that race, on that day, on cold tyres. No one, other than Formula One drivers, can appreciate the forces that are at work in the cockpit of those cars. But, ultimately, we will never know what Ayrton was thinking, or what really happened. I am convinced that he made a mistake, but many people will never believe that he could. Why not? He made many mistakes in his career.
He was identified with pushing to the limit and beyond. He would often prefer to crash into his opponent rather than be defeated. These opinions are sacrilege in the world of driving gods. Ayrton was a great driver and a man with enormous humanity. He was not a god. He was as frail and vulnerable as you or I to the need to show what we are made of, and to whatever personal motives drove him to feel that risking his life was proof of his integrity.
People and the world have made mystery and intrigue out of his death. In Italy, in Formula One, with all the hype, it is manna from heaven. The Italian investigators of the crash seized upon the theory that the steering column had broken, causing Ayrton to become a passenger. They found out about the modifications. They saw the detached wheel and column lying by the car.
But what was not well-known was that this car had power steering. I had tested this system extensively with Williams Grand Prix Engineering, but drove the whole race with it turned off as a safety precaution recommended by the engineers after Ayrton’s accident, as they were unable to be sure at that time what the cause was.
In fact, the column could easily withstand the considerably increased loading for the whole race distance and I only wish the same could be said of me, as I was totally exhausted from trying to turn the wheel and took half an hour to recover in the medical room — such was the difference in effort needed without power steering. It is inconceivable to me that Ayrton’s column could have broken with the power steering working normally, which I believe it was from the data subsequently retrieved from his car.
The popularity of Formula One went through the roof after Imola. Important people have been accused, suggestions have been made, people have protected themselves from lawsuits. Should the race have been stopped? I thought for a long time that the blame lay at the feet of those who make the rules.
But, now, I see it as it is. It is sport. It is entertainment. You don’t have to do it. Ayrton did not have to do it. He had a choice on that Sunday and, incredibly sadly, he made the wrong one.
By his own concerns, expressed in the driver’s briefing, he knew what the implications were of a safety car being deployed. It was not the fault of anyone else that he kept his foot flat when he could have lifted, but Ayrton had to be this demigod “Senna”, and “Senna” does not shrink from fear. And in that moment he fulfilled all our sorry needs for a hero for whom death is just an occupational hazard. "
© Damon Hill 2004.
