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Death and danger had always been part of Formula 1. But nothing would prepare people for what would occur at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.
Twenty years ago that event would begin in ominous fashion after Rubens Barrichello - then a Jordan driver - was knocked unconscious after a heavy crash and barrel roll. He would survive but unfortunately Austrian newcomer Roland Ratzenberger and three-time World Champion and motorsport legend Ayrton Senna would suffer a different fate.
In just his third F1 event, Ratzenberger would be killed instantly after hitting a concrete wall head-on at over 300km per hour. Senna was visibly shaken by the incident as he watched from the Williams team garage. Yet 24 hours later, the Brazilian would suffer the same fate as his car hit a wall at the notorious Tamburello corner.
The two deaths and the events of that weekend have cast a long shadow over Formula 1 but also left a lasting legacy which can be felt 20 years on.
To discuss the events, we were joined on the line by former Jordan technical director Gary Anderson, who was at Imola that weekend.
"It's really set in my mind because it really did start on the Friday with Rubens Barrichello in the Jordan," Anderson remembered, talking through the accident which left Barrichello's car upside down.
"When the medical team got there, [Barrichello] was actually choking so it could very easily have been three casualties. Luckily Rubens was okay and I went to see him in hospital that night. He'd damaged his arm, broken his nose and damaged his mouth a bit."
But even after the Friday, Anderson remembers that nobody expected the weekend to take an even more acute turn for the worse.
Ayrton Senna is attended to by Medics on the track after he crashed into the concrete barrier in his Rothmans Williams Car ©INPHOAllsport
Anderson touched on Ratzenberger's accident and believes not enough coverage was given to the 33-year-old's death.
Senna's huge aura within motorsport meant that his passing would end up receiving global attention.
"I knew him and I spoke to him," said Anderson. "Rubens Barrichello was Brazilian as well so Ayrton was always keen to help his fellow Brazilians. So he kept popping down into our garage. He was one of those guys who was totally dedicated to his discipline.
"When we saw the accident, you knew it wasn't good for sure with the way the car broke. It was a huge accident at 185/190 miles per hour into a concrete wall. So we all expected the worst to be honest. It was late in the evening once we got the message."
Gary Anderson ©INPHO/Allsport
While the race was restarted later that day, there was "no atmosphere" in the aftermath of that accident as a numb Formula 1 community tried to process what had occurred according to Anderson.
But he explained how dangerous Imola was at the time and the positives - in terms of increased driver safety and new track regulations - did arise from the darkness of that weekend.
He also discussed the personal anguish he dealt with on that weekend.
"After Barrichello's accident on the Friday, I sort of thought, do I want to do this anymore! I'm creating a vehicle for some of these young kids to get into and go off and kill themselves. I genuinely stood there thinking that."
But the events of the Saturday and Sunday convinced him to remain in F1 and play his part in helping to improve the safety within the sport.
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