The crowd resembled the kind of gathering normally reserved for a Formula One podium celebration.
Only this time, the thousands in attendance fell silent at exactly 2.17pm.
Fans, family members plus fellow and current F1 drivers attended a solemn but also festive memorial yesterday to mark the exact 20th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
The ceremony was held on the Imola circuit’s Tamburello curve where the three-time world champion crashed into a concrete wall at about 300 kph (185 mph) on Lap 7 of the race in his Williams car, while leading.
Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger, who died in qualifying a day before, was also remembered during the event.
Among those in attendance were Gerhard Berger, Senna's teammate with McLaren between 1990-1992, and current Ferrari drivers Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen.
“I think we all agree that he was the best driver of all time,” Berger said, drawing a loud round of applause from the crowd.
“Even if it’s a sad moment we’re all very happy to be here and remember Ayrton.”
Alonso, who has won two F1 titles in his career, was 12 when Senna was killed.
“For a lot of us he was our idol,” the Spaniard said. “I used to watch his races on the news and when you saw that yellow helmet and the No. 1 on his car, that really hit you as a kid.
“I didn’t have a chance to know him or race with him and there are a lot of people here who really knew him but I also see a lot of kids, so he continues to influence a lot of people.”
Senna’s niece Paula was among those representing the driver’s family.
She was impressed with the big turnout.
“It means that somehow he reached people’s hearts, with his career and also with the way he was as a person,” she said.
“I feel like he’s alive in people’s hearts, even after all this time ... It’s beautiful.”
Organiser Ezio Zermiani was beaming with delight at the event’s success.
“We thought it may be something that was forgotten. But then this morning when I exited my hotel, I saw the traffic lining up longer than when there was the race here – even though there are no cars racing. So it has become a grand prix of remembrance.”
Zermiani pointed out how the safety improvements introduced to F1 in the wake of Senna’s and Ratzenberger’s deaths have helped prevent any more fatal accidents in the sport in the last 20 years.
“So Ayrton didn’t die for nothing,” he said.
The event gave fans of Senna across the world to remember the Brazilian and their own memories of the events of May 1, 1994.
“Our hearts sank when they told us the news,” said Marco, a 31-year-old Italian fan who was at Imola as a young boy on the day of the crash.
Marco wore the same type of helmet that Senna had on that day and was taking his car around the circuit.
Daniela, 39, from Belo Horizonte in Brazil said: “What moves me about Senna was his humility, his enormous charisma. He is in our hearts like family.”
Another Brazilian fan, 57-year-old Renato, said: “His will to win was what I liked about Ayrton.
“He proved that a Brazilian could be internationally known and that was a great encouragement for us.”
Marco, 34, who wore a chequered flag around his shoulders, said simply: “He was the best driver ever.”
Yesterday’s ceremony comes after a week of commemorative events held to mark the tragic accident, which ushered in a raft of changes to improve F1 safety.
Football club Corinthians from Sao Paulo, the city where three million people turned out for Senna’s funeral, paid tribute to their local hero by wearing crash helmets with the Brazilian flag colours before kick-off in a match against Nacional-AM on Wednesday.
Senna’s sister Viviane said this week that her brother’s legacy is alive and well through the Ayrton Senna Institute, which she chairs.
She recalled a conversation she had with him weeks before his death, when he told her how he wanted to contribute to a better future for Brazil by helping to open up opportunities for children.
“Ayrton really wanted Brazil to work, for everyone to have a chance and from this dream the institute was born,” she said.
She said the organization has worked with two million children and trained 75,000 teachers per year in around 1,000 cities around the country.
Senna's death prompted extensive changes, including the reform of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. Engine capacities were reduced and tethers to help prevent wheels flying off following accidents were introduced.
The HANS device to protect drivers’ heads and necks was made compulsory, and run-offs were extended and improved.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai World Cup Carnival card:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 | 2,410 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
LIVERPOOL SQUAD
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
if you go
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
