"This photo is wow" - Fans applaud Sebastian Vettel's dual tribute to Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna at Imola

F1 fans recently reacted to former F1 driver Sebastian Vettel paying tribute to the late Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger ahead of the 2024 F1 Imola GP on Thursday, 16 May.

Three-time F1 world champion Senna and rookie Ratzenberger both lost their lives in the 1994 San Marino GP that took place at Imola. Ever since their deaths, both drivers have been remembered whenever F1 has gone to Imola and on their death anniversaries.

Ahead of the 2024 F1 Imola GP, Sebastian Vettel arrived at Emilia Romagna to pay a special tribute to them. The four-time world champion teamed up with The Senna Foundation to host a track run, open to any paddock member to join.

He also had Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger-inspired T-shirts and armbands made for current F1 drivers and team members. The apparel is available on Vettel's website for fans to buy as well. The money raised from the sale will be given to The Senna Foundation, a charitable organization.

Fans melted after seeing pictures of Sebastian Vettel standing in front of Senna's statue, paying respect to both the Brazilian and Ratzenberger. Many praised Vettel for the gesture and expressed their love for the German driver.

"This photo is wow," a fan wrote.

"Thanks For This Seb," another added.

"OMG," one exclaimed.

One of the fans appreciated Sebastian Vettel's acknowledgment of Roland Ratzenberger's death.

"Glad Roland is being remembered too," the fan chimed in.

"He's such a respectable person and very generous of his time. Seb continues to leave his mark in the world," another fan wrote.

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How Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lost their lives at the 1994 San Marino GP in Imola

In 1994, the San Marino GP was the third race of the season. It was also Roland Ratzenberger's third-ever race himself since he started his F1 career only that year. During the second qualifying session at Imola, he had a minor on-track incident but managed to be able to compete.

Unknown to him and his Simtek team, he had front wing damage. Later on, when he was on a fast lap, he lost control of the car again and the front wing got lodged underneath the car. This resulted in a massive crash, which eventually led to his death.

Though every driver, including Ayrton Senna, was well aware of Ratzenberger's incident and death, they continued to race at the San Marino GP. Even when his partner urged him not to race, the three-time world champion put on his helmet and raced on in Imola.

Unfortunately, on lap 7 of the race, the Brazilian lost control of his car and crashed at the high-speed Tamburello corner. The impact of the crash was so severe that it took Ayrton Senna's life.