Senna Killed In Crash-Filled Grand Prix -- Champion's Death Raises Controversy About Safety

IMOLA, Italy - The deaths of world champion Ayrton Senna and rookie driver Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix this weekend are expected to touch off bitter controversies about auto-racing safety.

"Safety must be improved. We are pushing very hard for this," said Michael Schumacher after winning yesterday's ill-fated Grand Prix.

Officials of the International Auto Racing Federation, the sport's governing body, were tight-lipped. Drivers, including Senna, had criticized rule changes this season that eliminated many electronic drivers' aids.

Schumacher, who was trailing Senna at the time of the crash, could give few clues as to what caused the 34-year-old Brazilian to miss a turn and hit a concrete wall at 168 mph.

"I don't know what happened to Senna," Schumacher said. "His car took two or three bumps and went off. I must add, however, that he looked very nervous from the first lap and had some problems in controlling his car in the previous lap."

Senna, unconscious when the rescue team arrived, suffered head injuries and died four hours later at the hospital.

The crash, on the seventh lap of the Formula One race, was one of six weekend accidents at Imola, including Ratzenberger's fatal crash during qualifying on Saturday.

Yesterday, at the start of the Grand Prix, J.J. Lehto's car stalled and Pedro Lamy slammed into him. The drivers were unhurt, but a tire from the crash flew into the stands, injuring seven spectators and a police officer.

Senna took the lead on the restart, but tragedy struck on the same turn where fellow three-time world champion Nelson Piquet and former teammate Gerhard Berger crashed in the late 1980s. The race was halted for an hour while Senna was taken away on a helicopter.

Shortly before the race's conclusion, with Schumacher sailing to his fifth career victory, driver Michele Alboreto ran down four race workers while coming out of the pits after a tire change. The four suffered minor bruises.