The Tragic Death of Ayrton Senna and its Impact on Formula 1

Ayrton Senna was a triple world champion and arguably the best F1 driver of all time, whose death would prompt a number of rule changes aimed at slowing down the cars. The most dramatic of these crashes, which had a long-lasting impact, was that of Senna himself. His death in 1994 was a wake-up call for the Formula 1 community, and it led to a flurry of new rules being introduced.

One of the most notable changes was the reduction of engine size back to 3.0 liters. This change lent itself to a V10 engine layout, balancing power and fuel consumption. The new engines also led to the introduction of a wooden plank on the underside of the car, known as a "crash structure". When the car is forced down by aerodynamic forces, the plank wears away as it rubs against the ground. The FIA measures this wear at the end of the race, and if it's worn down too low, then that car's aerodynamics are illegal.

This practice continues to this day, with these million-dollar race cars made of carbon fiber featuring more fins than a lion fish, capable of driving upside down in a tunnel. The addition of the wooden plank has led to a significant increase in safety standards for Formula 1 drivers. However, it also led to a reduction in speed and power, which some saw as a decrease in the sport's appeal.

Following Senna's death, the Formula 1 grid was left scrambling to conform to the FIA's new rules. The next decade was marked by improvement rather than innovation, with teams focusing on tweaking existing designs rather than introducing radical new technologies. Michael Schumacher won his first championship in 1994 and went on to win a record seven world titles, breaking Juan Manuel Fangio's record that had stood for 47 years.

However, the dominance of Schumacher and Ferrari also led to accusations of boredom among fans. In 2004, Schumacher took first place in 13 out of 18 races, earning him his seventh world championship. The cost of competing in Formula 1 was becoming increasingly expensive, and many smaller teams were struggling to stay afloat. This led the FIA to mandate a switch from more powerful V10 engines to cheaper, smaller V8 engines.

The change came just in time, as a global market recession hit F1 like a wrecking ball in 2008. Many major manufacturers such as Jaguar and BMW were forced to leave the series, while smaller teams were able to weather the storm. The sport continued to evolve over the next decade, with new rule changes aimed at reducing costs and increasing safety.

In 2014, Formula 1 introduced turbocharging, mandating that all cars must run a 1.6 liter V6 hybrid engine. These engines produced a consistent 600 horsepower but could boost their output using an onboard system called KERS, which recovers energy that would otherwise be wasted under braking. When boosted, these engines could make up to 750 horsepower.

The new engines were on the grid for the 2018 season and introduced several safety features aimed at protecting drivers from high-speed crashes. One of the most notable changes was the introduction of a halo, a bar that shields the driver's head from large pieces of debris in the event of a crash. While some saw the halo as a necessary safety feature, others argued that it took away from the open cockpit nature of Formula 1.

The current season is led by Lewis Hamilton, who drives for Mercedes, with Ferrari and Red Bull close behind. The sport continues to be the pinnacle of motorsports, inspiring generations of rivalries and bringing people together. It has given us heroes and taken them away, leaving an indelible mark on the world of racing.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(engines buzzing)- It's the most prestigious racing seriesin the entire world.It's the pinnacle ofspeed, power, and skill.The most advanced cars on the planet,driven by the most skilled racers, period.The drivers are going 100 miles an hour,faster than planes taking off.It's the worlds top manufacturersfighting on the most glamorous circuitsto see who can build thebest race car in the galaxy.This is everything you need to knowto get up to speed on Formula 1.(retro arcade music)In the early 1900's rich guys were racingtheir fancy jalopies fromtown to town around Europein a hastily organizedcontest called Grand Prix.It was like that part of The Great Gatsbywhen they go racing andLeonardo DiCaprio (bleep).Anyway, World War IIhappens, blah, blah, blah,you can't race anymorebut it didn't take longfor people to start racingafter the war ended.In 1947, the FederationInternationale de L'Automobile,or FIA, was founded.The FIA immediately createda bunch of racing seriescentered around Grand Prix style racingwith the top tier called Formula A,which quickly turned into Formula 1.The only rule was thatthe engines couldn'tbe bigger than 2.5 litersand they had to be naturally aspirated,besides that, the sky was the limit.(eagle squawking)These new engines andrules brought new teamsto compete with theold, while the old-timeyGatsby Race teams, generallyhad old-timey drivers,newcomers like, Lancia and Mercedes,had to get drivers of their own.Both companies set out tohire the best available.Lancia hired an Italian, Alberto Ascari,and Mercedes hired Argentinean-born,Juan Manuel Fangio.These guys were insane.Tearing down back countryroads wearing nothingbut a leather helmet and a crazed grin.They didn't even have seatbelts.Fangio and Mercedes were a dominant pair,having won the 1954 and1955 seasons back-to-back,but after a horrific accident involvingone of its cars at Le Mans,killing 83 spectators,Mercedes decided to abandonMotorsport altogether.Almost simultaneouslywith Mercedes departure,crashes would also force Lancia outand sadly, take the life of Ascari.Lancia sold all of theirFormula 1 equipmentand development to Ferrari,and just washed theirhands of the entire sport.Ferrari would take thedevelopment from Lancia,and hire the now jobless Fangio,who would win the 1956 championship.He then left Ferrari for Maserati,and won another championship.In 1957, he decided to retire from racingwhen he was kidnapped by Fidel Castro.Pretty wild, wild stuff.Google it, it happened.In 1959, the Cooper racingteam made an innovationthat would change racing and cars forever.The team moved the enginefrom in front of the driver,to behind his little butt.This totally changed how the car droveand made it way better.By 1961, every team was usinga mid-engine layout in their cars,and they still do today.At the start of the 1967 season,British team Lotus would introducethe Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0liter V8 to the world.It powered the now legendary Lotus 49.Lotus had exclusive rightsto the engine for one year,but it was so good, every(bleep) team wanted it,and it would go on to power almostevery Formula 1 car for the next decade.Ferrari being Ferrari, didn't wanna usesomebody else's engine,so they built their own.Figuring more is more, they triedto combat the V8 with a flat-12.Not only did these things sound amazing,they also made a ton of power.(car engines roaring)With almost everybody usingone of these two engines,smaller teams started usingany technological innovationthat they could sneak past the rules.Soon, some insanely experimental carswere hitting the grid, includingfour wheel drive racers,cars with six wheels,and even a car with a fanto suck it to the road through corners.Jessica.The 70's were a perfect balanceof rock star attitude,and technical innovation.And no two drivers of this period embodiedthat yin and yang better thanNiki Lauda and James Hunt.Lauda was a reservedand meticulous Austrian,who drove for Ferrari, andHunt was a rowdy Playboy type,much like myself,(laughing)who drove for McLaren.Off the track these tworespected each other,but on it, there mightnever be a fiercer rivalry.Their story is so goodthat a few years ago,they made a big oldHollywood movie about it,it's called Rush.Also check out the sequel, Rush More.- I like your nurses uniform, Guy.- These are OR scrubs.- Oh, are they?- In 1977, Lotus introducedan evolving ground effect aerodynamic kit,which not only increased downforce, but also reduced drag.The Lotus didn't rely onwings pushing the car down,but shaped the bottom of their carlike an upside-down airfoil.This essentially madethe entire car a wingwith none of the drag.Whatever 70's stuff theywere smoking, I want some.I'm just kidding, pot suckedin the 70's, ask your grandma.Oh my Lord, please don't usethat language in front of me.All good things must come to an endand the Cosworth enginecould not last forever.In 1978, Renault introducedforced induction to the sport.While every team for the past decadehad used a naturallyaspirated, 3.0 liter engine.The rules also allowed an enginehalf the size with forced induction.Up until '78, teams had figured thatwith the technology available at the time,any competitive turbochargedengine would be too laggy,and any supercharged enginewould be too inefficient.Renault had recentlyused turbos at La Mans,and decided to roll the dice and see whata little boost could do for Formula 1,and it turns out, a littleboost goes a long way.(Dark Helmet screaming)The aging DFF could onlymuster about 500 horsepowerin its most developed form,but Renault's turbo motorwas matching that poweron its very first outing.Soon, after a bit of development,Renault was making 700 horsepower,and the rest of the constructorsbegan to take notice.While the turbocharged 80's of Formula 1only lasted for a few short years,there is no denying that they dominated.The insane power to rate ratios meantthat drivers achieved speeds and timespreviously only dreamed of,cementing their namesin the history books.Drivers like Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell,Alain Prost, all made their names racingthese turbocharged beastsagainst each other.FIA introduced a new set of rules in 1987.They stabilized power numbers,reigned in developmentcosts, and increasedthe naturally aspiratedengine size to 3.5 liters.When the turbo engines powernumbers still ranked supreme,FIA outright banned the useof turbochargers in 1989.Luckily, for Formula 1 teams,the increase of displacement, combinedwith improvements in engine technology,meant that many of thesenew NA motors were,essentially, as fast as theirturbocharged predecessors,although power could no longerbe turned up for qualifying.- Turn up, ooh, eh.- With these new engines,drivers like Aryton Senna,and Alain Prost, continuedto set blistering lap times.Further technological development,such as active suspension,semi-auto gearboxes,and traction control, not onlymade these times even faster,but seemed to make the sport safeto a degree only dreamedabout in the past.By 1994, F1 had gonealmost an entire decadewithout a death.While there had still beeninjuries in that time,no one had died and the sport had a senseof invulnerability about it.This was crushed in aspectacular and horrifying way,when at the 1994 San Marino Gran Prix,three drivers were involvedin terrible crashes,two of which were fatal.The most dramatic of these crashes,and the one with thelongest lasting impact,was that of the legendarydriver, Ayrton Senna,who, at the time of his death,was a triple world championand arguably the bestF1 driver of all time.His death would prompta number of rule changesall aimed at slowing down the cars.The most notable changeswere the reductionof engine size back to 3.0 liters,and the addition of a wooden plankon the underside of the car.(bell dings)When the car is forceddown by aerodynamic forces,the plank wears away as itrubs against the ground.They measure it at the end of the race,and if it's worn down too low,then that car's aerodynamics are illegal.This practice continues to this day.Now that means that thesemillion dollar race cars,made of carbon fiber withmore fins than a lion fish,capable of drivingupside down in a tunnel,they all have a piece ofwood strapped to the bottom.Following the tragic 1994 season,the Formula 1 grid was left scramblingas they tried to conform tothe FIA's flurry of new rules.Over the next 10 years, improvementbecame the name of the game,rather than innovation.The new 3.0 liter requirement lent itselfto a V10 engine layout, balancing powerand fuel consumption.Out of this scramble,new names would appear,and Michael Schumacher won hisfirst championship in 1994.This guy won so much thatpeople started getting bored.It seemed like the German national anthemwas Formula 1's theme song.For instance, in 2004 Schumachertook first in 13 out of 18 races,and he got second, twice.Are you (bleeps) kidding me?Dude didn't podium three times.I bet he partied sohard that year. (laughs)This earned him hisseventh world championship.Finally breaking Fangio'srecord that lasted 47 years,but it was becoming too expensivefor the smaller teamsto compete in the sport.So in 2006, the FIA mandated the switchto cheaper, smaller V8's,which also sounded sick.(engines buzzing)And the cost-cutting came just in time,because in 2008 a global market recessionhit F1 like a wrecking ball.♪ I came in like a wrecking ball ♪- Strangely, many smaller teamswere able to weather the storm.While almost every major manufacturersuch as, Jaguar, and BMW, wereforced to leave the series.This is due to the fact thatwhile racing was the life bloodof many of these small teams,that wasn't the casefor big manufacturers.Following the slow bounceback of the global economy,Formula 1 would once againinitiate rule changes.Beginning in 2014, Formula 1 again lookedto turbocharging as FIA had mandatedthat all cars must run a 1.6 liter,V6, hybrid, turbocharged engine,which could not use more than100 kilograms of fuel in an hour.These engines produced aconsistent 600 horsepower,but could boost theiroutput at certain timesusing an onboard system called KERS,which recovers energy,otherwise wasted under breaking.When boosted, these engines could make750 horsepower, justlike their predecessors,and it is these engineswhich are on the gridfor this 2018 season.So what's new for this year?Drivers are now protected by a halo,a bar that shields their headsfrom large pieces of debris, like tires,in the event of a crash.Some people say the halo takes awayfrom the open cockpit nature of F1.These people are turds.- Howdy ho.- Lewis Hamilton is the currentchamp driving for Mercedes.Ferrari's close behind, though,with Red Bull right behind them,if they can figure their car out.F1 has such a long and rich historythat there's no way that we can talkabout everything in one episode.Formula 1 has always beenthe pinnacle of Motorsport.It's inspired generations of rivalriesand brought generationsof people together.It's given us heroes,and it's taken them away.There really is nothing like it.This is everything you need to knowto get up to speed on Formula 1.Hit that subscribe button,the more subs we get,the more cool stuff wecan do with you guys.The season started last weekend.What do you guys think?Who's gonna do it?Follow me on Instagram at James Pumphrey.Follow Donut on Instagram at Donut Media.Fernando Alonso, will hemake a comeback this year?Nolan thinks so, check outthis episode of Wheelhouse.You like race cars?How about race cars for the street?Check out this episode of The Bestest.I love you.