There will be another F1 driver fatality
Grand Prix racing is incredibly safe compared to the days when Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lost their lives. But EDD STRAW argues that it can never be completely safe
Twenty years ago this morning, Formula 1 drivers were invincible. Rubens Barrichello had proved it a day earlier by surviving a sickening impact with the fence at Imola's Variante Bassa.
He was back in the paddock on Saturday morning, unable to race but with only swelling to the nose and lacerations to the mouth. Today, the Brazilian's crash is seen as part of the grim narrative of that dark weekend, yet in the hours before Roland Ratzenberger's fatal accident Barrichello was a living, breathing tribute to modern grand prix car safety even though fellow drivers were shocked by the ferocity of the impact.
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