WATCH: When Roland Ratzenberger’s father visited Imola to pay his respects to his late son who died a day before Ayrton Senna

Roland Ratzenberger (Image via X/@McLarenF1)
Roland Ratzenberger (Image via X/@McLarenF1)

Back in 2022, Roland Ratzenberger's father, Rudolf, visited Imola to pay tribute to his late son who passed away at the 1994 F1 San Marino GP, the same race weekend when Ayrton Senna died.

Most motorsport fans remember the 1994 F1 San Marino as the race in which the three-time world champion Ayrton Senna died. However, Ratzenberger was the first to leave this world during that race weekend.

The Austrian had only competed in three races in his F1 career at the time, including the San Marino GP. During the second qualifying session, he went off-track and spun a few times, which damaged his front wing.

Both he and the team were unaware of the damage, and when Ratzenberger went on another push lap, the front wing got lodged underneath the car, causing a massive crash.

Roland Ratzenberger's crashed into the barriers at 314.9 km/h with a measured g-force of around 500. By the time he arrived at the hospital from air support, he was declared dead.

A video was created by the YouTube channel Levay Film Productions in April 2022 of Roland's father, Rudolf Ratzenberger, walking around the Imola circuit. He was spotted sitting on the corner where his son's crash took place, and even meeting with the track marshals.

The video had a voiceover of him talking about the crash and also hanging an Austrian flag with his picture and flowers on the track's fences.

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"I still have vivid memories of the live footage, seeing how the accident happened. I don't recall anything more. I am doing this to keep the memories of Roland alive," Rudolf said in the video.

Ayrton Senna's partner tried to stop the Brazilian from racing after Roland Ratzenberger's incident

Following the death of Roland Ratzenberger during qualifying, Ayrton Senna's girlfriend, Adriane Galisteu, urged the three-time world champion not to race at the 1994 F1 San Marino GP.

In an interview with Daily Mail in 2014, Galisteu opened up on various aspects of her relationship with the Williams driver, including the ill-fated race weekend at Imola. She stated how disturbed Senna sounded on a call after Ratzenberger's death and Barichello's accident.

"He phoned me. He was not well. His head was not right. Rubens Barrichello, his good friend, was in hospital [after an accident in Friday practice]. He was very upset by the death of Roland Ratzenberger, a fellow driver who died on Saturday [in qualifying]. He told me, 'I'm very sad'," Galisteu said.

She explained that she urged Senna not to take part in the 1994 F1 San Marino GP on Sunday, especially after such incidents.

"I had known him anguished before but never heard his voice like it was that day. I remember telling him, 'Ayrton, don't enter that race'," she added.

Despite being saddened by the events at Imola, Ayrton Senna, and other drivers put on their helmets and raced in the Grand Prix. On lap 7, the Brazilian driver himself crashed hard on the track, which led to his death.

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