Michael Schumacher thought one thing as F1 icon ‘didn’t believe’ Ayrton Senna died at Imola

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Michael Schumacher could only picture his own death after Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix but the German initially refused to believe he died.

The Brazilian’s passing only truly hit Schumacher two weeks after whilst at Silverstone where all he could picture was his own mortality. Driving around the home of the British Grand Prix dealt Schumacher a sharp wake-up call for the danger he overlooked before Senna’s death.

Schumacher could not comprehend the idea that Senna had died in the 1994 San Marino GP in the hours after the race at Imola, as well. He was running behind the esteemed son of Sao Paulo when Senna crashed into the wall at Tamburello at 131mph, claiming his life aged 34.

Michael Schumacher ‘didn’t believe’ Ayrton Senna died at Imola in 1994

Senna and Schumacher were set to compete for the drivers’ championship in 1994 after the former left McLaren to join Williams. A crash in the season-opening Brazilian Grand Prix and also the Pacific Grand Prix left Senna 20 points shy of Schumacher heading to Imola, though.

After watching the early laps of the Pacific GP from the side of the track, Senna also sensed Schumacher’s Benetton B194 was running an illegal traction control system. It remains one of Formula 1’s worst controversies with the FIA unable to prove if Benetton used it in a race.

READ MORE: All to know about Ayrton Senna including Alain Prost rivalry and Imola crash

Schumacher would ultimately go on to win the 1994 drivers’ championship by a single point to Damon Hill, who became Williams’ lead driver after Senna’s death at Imola. But given the lack of immediate clarity on Senna’s condition, Schumacher refused to believe he had died.

In a Netflix documentary, Schumacher once shared on the events at Imola: “We went up to the podium. [Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore] told us, ‘He’s in a coma’, but a coma can be many things. It can just be something that is going to be ok the next day or very bad.

“But you don’t judge it and because you still don’t believe that there is something particular or very dangerous or very heavy, you don’t believe it.”

Michael Schumacher still ‘thought’ Ayrton Senna would win the 1994 drivers’ title after the San Marino Grand Prix

Tom Walkinshaw, Benetton’s engineering director, would tell Schumacher a few hours after winning the 1994 San Marino GP that Senna was in a bad condition. News of his death then started to trickle through to the paddock, but Schumacher continued to refuse to believe it.

Schumacher could not comprehend the idea that Senna had died from his crash in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Instead, the thought going through Schumacher’s mind in the Imola paddock was that Senna would return and go on to win the drivers’ championship that year.

He continued: “There was so little information at this time, that you didn’t know what you should think about this. I still didn’t believe that he was dead. I just couldn’t think of that at that point. I just thought, ‘No, he’s going to be the champion’.”

Ayrton Senna’s crash left Michael Schumacher seeing his own death

It was only when Benetton visited Silverstone in the weeks after the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix that Senna’s death at Imola really struck Schumacher. At the Northamptonshire track, it became clear to the would-be seven-time champion that his death was possible anywhere.

“The worst was really the two weeks after, once I really had to accept that he is dead,” the German added. “This was just something crazy. At Silverstone, I went there and you suddenly saw many things with different eyes.

“I went around with a road car and I just thought, ‘This is a point you could be dead. This is a point you could be dead’. I thought, ‘Crazy. You always tested here. You always raced here’.

“But there are so many points you can crash and you can be immediately dead. That’s the only thing I was thinking of… That was something very strange.”