F1 Champion Senna Remembered on Imola Track 30 Years After His Death During San Marino GP 

People lay flowers at the grave of Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 1, 2024, during the 30th anniversary of his death. (AFP)
People lay flowers at the grave of Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 1, 2024, during the 30th anniversary of his death. (AFP)
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F1 Champion Senna Remembered on Imola Track 30 Years After His Death During San Marino GP 

People lay flowers at the grave of Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 1, 2024, during the 30th anniversary of his death. (AFP)
People lay flowers at the grave of Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 1, 2024, during the 30th anniversary of his death. (AFP)

The 30th anniversary of three-time F1 champion Ayrton Senna’s death was commemorated Wednesday with a memorial on the Imola track where he crashed during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali was joined Wednesday by hundreds of fans, politicians from Brazil and Italy, plus a representative from Austria to also recall fellow Formula One driver Roland Ratzenberger, who died a day earlier during qualifying.

At 2:17 p.m. (1217 GMT), a minute of silence was held and flowers laid down at the Tamburello curve to observe the exact time and place that the 34-year-old Senna crashed into a concrete wall at about 300 kph (185 mph).

Then flowers were also laid down at the Villeneuve corner only slightly further down the track where the 33-year-old Ratzenberger crashed.

Senna, the Brazilian driver who won F1 titles in 1988, 1990 and 1991, was leading the race in Imola when he crashed.

Ratzenberger was an F1 rookie from Austria.

“They are part of sports history and history in general for what they represented,” Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.

The attention around Senna’s death brought about safety improvements at the Imola track and throughout F1, resulting in shorter straights, more room around dangerous turns and less powerful engines.



The Camera Never Lies: Electronic Line Calls in Focus Again as Zverev Takes Photo of Ball Mark 

Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 27, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev takes a picture of the court with a phone during his round of 32 match against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. (Reuters)
Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 27, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev takes a picture of the court with a phone during his round of 32 match against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. (Reuters)
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The Camera Never Lies: Electronic Line Calls in Focus Again as Zverev Takes Photo of Ball Mark 

Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 27, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev takes a picture of the court with a phone during his round of 32 match against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. (Reuters)
Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 27, 2025 Germany's Alexander Zverev takes a picture of the court with a phone during his round of 32 match against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. (Reuters)

Alexander Zverev is convinced there was a defect in the electronic line calling system during his Madrid Open win on Sunday after the German risked a hefty fine by pulling out his phone to take a photograph of a contested call.

The top seed overcame Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 2-6 7-6(3) 7-6(0) to reach the last 16 of the claycourt tournament but was frustrated by an incident in the second set when a backhand from his opponent was called in by the tracking technology.

Zverev appealed to chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani to take a look but was rebuffed, and the world number two was then warned for unsportsmanlike conduct after pulling his phone out of his bag and taking a picture of the spot.

"I honestly think there was a defect in the system. There was a mistake in the system in that moment," said Zverev, who later posted the photo on Instagram.

"It's not like one millimeter in, one millimeter out, it was like four-five centimeters. That's why I went to the umpire and said 'Please, come down to have a look at this, I'm not crazy'."

Reuters has contacted the ATP for comment.

Earlier this month, women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka also took a photo of a disputed ball mark during a match in Stuttgart and was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The ATP has adopted the line calling system for all of its tournaments from this year, and while Zverev said he was a fan of the technology he was shocked by the incident in Madrid.

"It's going to be interesting to see what happens now, what kind of fine I'll get, even though I'm right," he said.

"I hope I don't get a fine, because obviously, in my opinion, I'm completely in the right and I should not get fined for this."