This day, that year: Formula One's darkest weekend

Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna died after crashing his car into a barrier as he led the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1, 1994, during the weekend which is considered to be the darkest in F1's history.
Even today, 22 years after his death, it's still not clear why the Brazilian ended up crashing his Williams but that tragic incident changed F1 forever and for the good, resulting in much better safety standards.
Rubens Barrichello being airlifted after crashing his Jordan (Getty Images)
During the Friday's practice of San Marino GP in Imola (Italy), Rubens Barrichello, driving for Jordan, hit a kerb that launched his car in the air, crashing into a pile of tyres. He was knocked unconscious and swallowed his tongue. To everyone's surprise, the Brazilian escaped with just a minor bruise and it seemed everything was normal again after that horrendous sight.
But that, as it turned out, was just the beginning.
On Saturday, rookie Australian driver Roland Ratzenberger crashed his car into a wall after his car's damaged front wing gave way. The medics quickly sprung into action, pulling him out of the wreckage. And after a failed attempt at resuscitation, he was airlifted to a nearby hospital but a skull fracture meant he didn't survive. It was Ratzenberger's debut Formula One season and the fateful race only his third event on the grid. His was also the first death on the F1 circuit since 1982.
Roland Ratzenberger (Getty Images)
Senna was taken aback by Ratzenberger's death and reportedly was in two minds whether to start the race on Sunday. However, come Sunday and he was all ready at the front after securing the pole position for the race earlier.
It seemed as the entire weekend was jinxed as right after the start of the race, Pedro Lamy and JJ Lehto were involved in a crash which brought the safety car onto the track. After normalcy was restored, the race resumed and on the seventh lap, Senna's car veered off the track with a young Michael Schumacher right behind. Before anyone could make sense of what was transpiring, his Williams FW16 hit a concrete wall at the first corner of the lap.
Ayrton Senna's car after the crash (Getty Images)
Viewers across the globe watched in horror as the pictures of 34-year-old being airlifted after attempts at reviving him on the track failed were beamed live on their Television sets.
A brain damage resulted in him being declared clinically dead after he was flown to a nearby hospital. He was accorded a state funeral in Brazil which saw close to five million people in attendance. Known for his aggressive style, Senna is widely regarded as the best driver of his generation. His death came as a massive jolt to the race governing body FIA who then rang in major improvements in F1 safety standards.