San Marino Grand Prix facts for kids
| Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari | |
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| Race information | |
|---|---|
| Number of times held | 26 |
| First held | 1981 |
| Last held | 2006 |
| Most wins (drivers) |  Michael Schumacher (7) |
| Most wins (constructors) |  Ferrari (8) |
| Circuit length | 4.959 km |
| Race length | 307.221 km |
| Laps | 62 |
| Last race (2006) | |
| Pole position | |
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| Podium | |
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| Fastest lap | |
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The San Marino Grand Prix was a special Formula One car race. It took place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari track in Imola, a town in Italy. Imola is close to the Apennine mountains.
The first race was held in 1981. The last race happened in 2006. The race was called the San Marino Grand Prix because it was near the small country of San Marino.
Contents
History of the Imola Race Track
The area around Imola is famous for making racing cars. Companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati are from here. After World War II, the town wanted to make its economy better.
Four local car racing fans had a great idea. They suggested building a new road. This road would connect existing public roads. Car makers used these roads to test their new car designs.
Building the track started in March 1950. The first test run was two years later. Enzo Ferrari sent a car to try out the track.
In April 1953, the first motorcycle races happened at Imola. The first car race was in June 1954. In April 1963, Formula One cars raced at Imola for the first time. This was not a championship race. Jim Clark won it for Lotus.
Another non-championship race took place in 1979. Niki Lauda won this race for Brabham-Alfa Romeo.
In 1980, the Italian Grand Prix moved to Imola. It used to be at the very fast Monza track. This move happened because of a bad crash in 1978. That crash sadly killed the driver Ronnie Peterson.
Nelson Piquet won the 1980 race for Brabham-Ford. In 1981, the Italian Grand Prix went back to Monza. Imola then started hosting the new San Marino Grand Prix. It was named after the nearby country of San Marino.
Safety Changes After 1994
The 1994 race weekend at Imola was very difficult. There were three serious accidents.
First, during practice on Friday, Rubens Barrichello crashed hard. He was knocked out for a short time. He was okay later.
Then, during qualifying on Saturday, Roland Ratzenberger crashed. He hit a concrete wall at high speed. He was taken to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.
On Sunday, during the main race, Ayrton Senna crashed. He hit a concrete wall at a fast corner called Tamburello. Senna was badly hurt. He was flown to the hospital, but he also died from his injuries. It is still not fully clear what caused Senna's crash.
These accidents led to big changes at the Imola track. For the 1995 race, the Tamburello and Villeneuve corners were made slower. They became chicanes, which are S-shaped turns. The Variante Bassa corner was also made straighter.
These changes at Imola helped make Formula One racing much safer. Other Formula One tracks also made safety improvements because of what happened at Imola.
The San Marino Grand Prix was removed from the Formula One calendar after 2006. One reason was that the facilities (buildings and work areas) at Imola were not the best. Also, there was already another Grand Prix held in Italy.
Winners of the San Marino Grand Prix
Drivers with Multiple Wins
| # Wins | Driver | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Michael Schumacher |
1994, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 |
| 3 |  Ayrton Senna |
1988, 1989, 1991 |
 Alain Prost |
1984, 1986, 1993 | |
| 2 |  Nigel Mansell |
1987, 1992 |
| Damon Hill |
1995, 1996 |
Active drivers are in bold.
Teams with Multiple Wins
| # Wins | Constructor | Years Won | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Ferrari |
1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 | |
| Williams |
1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001 | ||
| 6 | McLaren |
1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1998 | |
Active teams are in bold.
Winners by Year
Images for kids
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Michael Schumacher (pictured at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix) won a record seven times.
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The Imola track layout used from 1981 to 1994.
See also
In Spanish: Gran Premio de San Marino para niños
