Formula 1, 25 years without Roland Ratzenberger: The "other victim" of the Causedee of Imola

The Austrian of the Simtek dreamed of staying in Formula 1. That April 30, in the straight line between the tambourine and the Villeneuve curve, dramatically 315 km / h against the wall. The next day the spectacular accident of Barrichello; the day before the death of Senna

Fifty-three days of Formula 1, a never-before-seen effort to qualify, to race with Simtek, not with Ferrari, McLaren or Williams. Roland Ratzenberger paid to run, handsome boy, tall enough to begin with, so not inclined to box in those cars that go to 300 per hour, more likely to accommodate maximum meter and sixty-five, maximum seventy, typical of the pilot . And at 314, 9 km per hour crashed on a damn Saturday afternoon, April 30th 1994, qualifying for the Imola GP, the day before the king of Formula 1, Ayrton Senna, went away forever.

Educated, he spoke in a faint voice, Ratzenberger knew well that with that car, Simtek, he could not go far. His detachment was not measured in thousandths, cents, not even in tenths, but even in seconds. However, he engaged, fought, Formula 1 was a dream come true, he could vanish from one moment to the next, he feared that Simtek could turn to another driver, on foot, yes, but maybe more experienced than him and certainly with a portfolio of richest and most wealthy sponsors.

Ratzenberger was one of those pilots with the suitcase, whose present is built race after race: in the end they pulled their accounts, in every sense. Aware of the risks that his job entailed, but a driver runs without fear, a companion who cannot be part of his life, otherwise he does not wear a helmet or climb even on those four-wheel technology. He certainly didn't think destiny was going against him.

A destiny born of man to intrude on technology. An aerodynamic wing detaches itself from Simtek, Ratzenberger's car does not take off, it could happen in those mutilated conditions, but it goes crazy, no longer accepts commands, a small wall is waiting for it. There is nothing to do, a tremendous, deadly impact, for that nice boy with kind manners who wanted at all costs to race in Formula 1. Senna is working, running with his Williams, qualifications are being stopped, the show is being stopped. he cannot continue, the Brazilian champion will watch Roland's crash then in the pits, on TV. We see that he is shocked, rushes to the Formula 1 doctor who explains everything to him, reveals the tragedy of death. Twenty-four hours later it will be the same end for him. The whole world will talk about the disappearance of the champion, of Senna, already myth, that of Roland goes into the background, slips into the credits. A bit like all of Roland Ratzenberger's gregarious life: he was 34, the same as Ayrton Senna.