Who was the F1 driver who was killed?

Several Formula 1 drivers have been killed over the sport’s history; if you mean the most recent driver to die from injuries sustained in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, it was Jules Bianchi (crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix; died on July 17, 2015). If you are referring to the most famous fatality, it was Ayrton Senna, who died during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Below is the context behind both names and others often associated with this question.

Why the question is ambiguous

“Who was the F1 driver who was killed?” is often asked in reference to different moments in the sport: the high-profile death of Ayrton Senna in 1994, the most recent loss of Jules Bianchi (2015), or earlier tragedies that shaped safety reforms. Clarifying the timeframe or event helps pinpoint the intended answer.

The most recent F1 driver death linked to a Grand Prix

Jules Bianchi (1989–2015)

Jules Bianchi suffered a severe head injury after colliding with a recovery vehicle under double-waved yellow flags at the rain-affected 2014 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. He never regained full consciousness and died on July 17, 2015, in Nice, France. His accident prompted immediate and far-reaching safety measures, including the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car (2015) to neutralize races more effectively and updated protocols for trackside recovery operations. While the cockpit “Halo” device was adopted later (from 2018), its widespread acceptance was influenced by the drive for improved head protection that accelerated after Bianchi’s crash.

The most famous fatality in F1 history

Ayrton Senna (1960–1994)

Ayrton Senna, a three-time world champion, died after his Williams left the track at the high-speed Tamburello corner during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola and struck a concrete wall. The previous day, Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying, making that weekend one of the sport’s darkest.

Senna’s death reshaped Formula 1: the FIA overhauled circuit design and car regulations, raised cockpit sides, strengthened wheel tethers, mandated crash testing advancements, and later standardized the HANS device (from 2003). The FIA’s permanent Safety Department and continuous risk-reduction culture trace directly to the reforms accelerated by the 1994 tragedies.

Other F1 fatalities often referenced

The question can also refer to earlier eras when fatalities were more common. Here are notable drivers whose deaths are frequently cited in discussions about F1 safety and history.

• Roland Ratzenberger (1994) — Killed during qualifying at Imola, the day before Senna.
• Gilles Villeneuve (1982) — Died in qualifying at Zolder, Belgium.
• Riccardo Paletti (1982) — Died at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix.
• Ronnie Peterson (1978) — Suffered fatal complications after a crash at Monza.
• Tom Pryce (1977) — Killed in a collision involving a track marshal at Kyalami.
• Piers Courage (1970) — Died in a crash at Zandvoort.
• Jochen Rindt (1970) — Died at Monza; remains F1’s only posthumous world champion.
• Wolfgang von Trips (1961) — Died at Monza in an accident that also killed spectators.

These losses, spanning the 1960s to the 1990s, drove major regulatory and engineering advances that steadily improved survival rates and made modern F1 far safer than in previous decades.

If you meant a different context

If you were thinking of a non-Grand Prix incident involving an F1-affiliated driver, note that Maria de Villota, a former Marussia test driver, died in 2013 from neurological complications linked to a 2012 straight-line testing crash. Additionally, Anthoine Hubert (2019) and Dilano van ’t Hoff (2023) died in feeder-series events (Formula 2 and FRECA) at Spa-Francorchamps, not in F1, but their deaths also influenced safety debates and procedures.

Verification and sources

Authoritative accounts and obituaries from the FIA, Formula 1, and major news outlets provide the definitive records of these events, including: FIA safety publications; Formula1.com historical archives and obituaries; and reporting by BBC Sport, The Guardian, and Autosport on the 1994 Imola weekend and the 2014–2015 Bianchi case. As of 2025, Bianchi remains the most recent F1 driver to die from injuries sustained in a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Summary

If you’re asking about the most recent F1 driver killed as a result of a Grand Prix accident, it was Jules Bianchi (2015, following his 2014 Suzuka crash). If you’re referring to the most famous case, it was Ayrton Senna (1994, Imola). Both tragedies, alongside earlier losses, catalyzed major safety reforms that define modern Formula 1.