Vettel in tears after ‘fulfilling Senna’s idea’ at Imola

Sebastian Vettel was emotionally overcome after his parade lap at Imola, saying waving the Austrian flag “completed” Ayrton Senna’s plan to honor Roland Ratzenberger.

This May marked 30 years since Senna’s passing at Imola, a day after Ratzenberger was killed in an accident. A day before that, Rubens Barrichello had a heavy crash in practice, but it was Ratzenberger’s loss that deeply affected Senna.

In the wreckage of his crashed Williams, rescuers found an Austrian flag unfurled, which Senna had intended to wave during the cool-down lap as a tribute to the Simtek driver.

With the blessing of the Senna family, four-time world champion Vettel orchestrated a tribute to both Senna and Ratzenberger, also driving the McLaren MP4/8 that the Brazilian raced in 1993. Vettel waved both the Brazilian and Austrian flags during his demonstration lap, saying it was a way to “complete” what Senna had wanted to do.

“The Brazilian flag is quite obvious because he used to wave it after the race,” Vettel explained. “But I knew the story as well (about the Austrian flag). I was wondering if I should do it, to complete it.

“I don’t think it can ever be completed, and what I did wasn’t to complete it, just to make sure people remember. When I took the flags out, especially the two of them, it was very special. It was a very special and meaningful weekend for me.”

Sebastian Vettel drives Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/8

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Vettel, who raced for BMW, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin over a 15-year Formula 1 career, retiring at the end of 2022, said the tribute lap was the “most emotional” drive of his racing life.

The parade lap was warmly received by the Italian fans, and when asked if it brought tears to his eyes, Vettel replied, “Yes, absolutely.”

“It’s hard to put into words. I think it was one of the most emotional drives in my racing career, even though I was on track alone, not even racing. Unbelievable. When I took the flags out, the people… it was overwhelming. I’m glad I had the courage to present my idea and invite the Senna family. All the feedback I’ve got has been positive.”

“He had empathy, the courage to speak his mind, push for education in his home country, and try to fight poverty. In many ways, he was a pioneer of his time, especially as a racing driver. So, especially for young drivers coming up, it’s an incredibly important and influential story.”

Translation by Chloe