FEBRUARY 27, 1995

The changes being made at Imola

The Autodromo Ferrari at Imola is currently undergoing considerable changes as a result of the accidents there last Spring which killed Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger and sparked a new safety campaign in F1 racing.

The Autodromo Ferrari at Imola is currently undergoing considerable changes as a result of the accidents there last Spring which killed Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger and sparked a new safety campaign in F1 racing.

Tamburello Corner, where Senna crashed, is to have a new chicane on the inside of the track as the outside wall of the circuit cannot be moved because there is a river behind it. There will also be a new chicane just before Villeneuve Corner where Ratzenberger died.

The planners have, however, tried to avoid too many chicanes and have revamped the Acque Minerale section of the circuit, getting rid of the chicane and replacing it with two challenging right-hand corners. By doing so they have managed to increase the run-off area available on the inside of the track. At the bottom of the track the first part of the chicane before the pits, where Rubens Barrichello crashed, has been removed, while the double left-hander at Rivazza Corner now cuts inside the original circuit to increase run-off areas.

All the work will be finished in time for this year's San Marino GP at the end of April.