Why 2024 will bring a timely reminder of an unheralded F1 mission

Martin Brundle doesn’t often take to social media since, with over a million followers across the main platforms, he understands both its importance and pitfalls. Particularly as the sport’s pre-eminent English-language commentator. When he does post something, it’s usually an insightful comment or column worth reading.

So it was when a 2 November photograph of him kneeling by Ayrton Senna’s graveside appeared on my phone. “I visited Ayrton’s grave to pay my respects,” he wrote, adding, “It’s Dia dos Mortos in Brazil and the Cemitério do Morumbi Park was serene and beautiful. He must surely be resting in peace here.”

As we approach the first months of the New Year, many more will join Martin in reflecting on the 30 years that have passed since the twin tragedies which robbed us of Ayrton and Roland Ratzenberger during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend.

Considering that 35 drivers were killed while driving Formula 1 cars in world championship events, non-championship races and tests between 1950 and that fateful weekend in Italy, grand prix racing’s safety record since then is nothing short of remarkable. Jules Bianchi’s death following injuries sustained in the 2014 Japanese GP came as a complete shock to a generation of F1 personnel, media and fans who imagined that such things had been consigned to the history books.

This should not have been the case, of course.

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

F1 safety improvements like the halo helped save Grosjean's life in his 2020 Bahrain GP crash

Not only do the risks inherent in racing cars at 200mph remain, Maria de Villota’s premature death in 2013, a year after her testing accident in a Marussia at Duxford Aerodrome, had ultimately been attributed to the neurological injuries she had sustained. The safety revolution championed by Max Mosley, supported by Bernie Ecclestone and executed by figures including Professor Sid Watkins, Charlie Whiting and Peter Wright can never be taken for granted.

While complaints about the size and weight of contemporary cars are all too common, no one doubts that the introduction of the halo saved drivers including Romain Grosjean and Lewis Hamilton from life-changing injuries or worse. Continuous improvement in safety must remain central to F1’s technical and sporting regulations since, in the study of safety, it’s axiomatic that the further we get from the last tragedy the closer we get to the next one.

Given the profile of F1 today, vastly greater than it was in 1994, it seems unimaginable that a driver of similar stature to Ayrton should meet a similar fate while leading a race. Yet it’s for precisely that reason we need to support those who carry the burden of responsibility when it comes to policing teams and drivers, calling for Safety Cars or red-flagging a race.

As we head into F1’s most extensive season yet, the foundation stones of safety have never been more important

I often find myself bemoaning contemporary F1’s reluctance to ‘let the drivers race’ in bad weather conditions or appear to overreact following some relatively minor incident. The collective memory of what occurred in Imola 1994 and Suzuka 2014 needs to be constantly jogged and refreshed. Complacency is F1’s enemy.

As we head into F1’s most extensive season yet, with 24 races featuring a more diverse range of circuits than at any time in the sport’s history, the foundation stones of safety have never been more important.

Let’s hope the forthcoming anniversaries of Ayrton and Roland’s deaths will serve as an opportunity to reset the determination of all involved to ensure that the next 30 years pass without further loss. The race to zero fatalities is one worth winning.

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Brundle's recent visit to Senna's grave is a reminder of how far safety in F1 has come but also how important it is to maintain