San Marino Grand Prix – 1984

Ayrton Senna arrived in Imola on Wednesday. He was nervous to drive on the circuit which carries the name of Commander Enzo Ferrari and is known as the backyard of the traditional Italian motor racing team.

He visited the famous trattorias of Bologna, the capital of Italian cuisine, neighboring the autodrome, where he tried some delicious pastas. On the race track, he would feel, for the first time at F1, the bitter taste of disappointment.

In 1984, qualifying was held on Friday and Saturday, and only the drivers’ fastest lap counted. On the first day, on the dry race track of Imola, his Toleman had issues with the Hart engine, preventing any fast lap.

On Saturday, a heavy rainfall came as a surprise. Ayrton Senna was the fastest driver on that slippery race track, but was still far behind his opponents’ lap times the previous day. And so, penne al dente on Sunday would have to suffice.

It was the first and last time that Ayrton Senna was not able to qualify for a Formula 1 start in his career. Far from being a completely wasted weekend, his performance in the rainy qualifying was a glimpse at what the world could expect from him in a race under the same conditions.