1994 San Marino Grand Prix
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 16 in the 1994 Formula One season | |||
 |
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| Date | 1 May 1994 | ||
| Official name | 14° Gran Premio di San Marino | ||
| Location |
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
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| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 5.040 km (3.144 mi) | ||
| Distance | 58 laps, 292.320 km (182.351 mi) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 61 laps, 307.440 km (191.784 mi) | ||
| Weather | Sunny | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Williams-Renault | ||
| Time | 1:21.548 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Damon Hill
|
Williams-Renault | |
| Time | 1:24.335 on lap 10 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Benetton-Ford | ||
| Second | Ferrari | ||
| Third | McLaren-Peugeot | ||
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The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix (formally the 14° Gran Premio di San Marino) was a Formula One motor race held on 1 May 1994 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, located in Imola, Italy. It was the third race of the 1994 Formula One season.
Tragic events at this race proved to be a major turning point in both the 1994 season, and in the development of Formula One itself, particularly with regard to safety. The race weekend was marked by the deaths of Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger and of three-time world champion Ayrton Senna in separate accidents. Other incidents saw driver Rubens Barrichello injured and several mechanics and spectators injured. In terms of driver fatalities, this was Formula One's darkest weekend since two drivers were killed at the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix.
Michael Schumacher, driving for Benetton, won the race despite contact with Damon Hill (who dropped to the back of the field and battled back to finish sixth). Nicola Larini, driving for Ferrari, scored the first points of his career when he achieved a podium finish in second position. Mika Häkkinen finished third in a McLaren.
The race led to an increased emphasis on safety in the sport as well as the reforming of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association after a 12-year hiatus, and the changing of many track layouts and car designs. Since the race, numerous regulation changes have been made to slow Formula One cars down and new circuits incorporate large run-off areas to slow cars before they collide with a wall. Senna was given a state funeral in his home town of São Paulo, Brazil, where around 500,000 people lined the streets to watch the coffin pass. Italian prosecutors charged six people with manslaughter in connection with Senna's death, all of whom were later acquitted. The case took more than 11 years to conclude due to an appeal and a retrial following the original verdict of not guilty.
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