The tragic crash of Elio de Angelis

On May 14, 1986, Formula 1 lost Elio de Angelis, a gifted driver known for his elegance and quiet brilliance. His death wasn’t the result of a dramatic race-day accident but a shocking safety failure during a private test session. This is the story of what went wrong.

A Risky Move & a Flawed Machine

After years at Lotus, where he earned two wins but lived in Ayrton Senna’s shadow, de Angelis joined Brabham in 1986. The team’s radical BT55 car, nicknamed the “skateboard” for its ultra-low design, promised speed but hid dangerous flaws.

During testing at France’s Paul Ricard circuit, disaster struck. As de Angelis sped through a high-speed section at 180+ mph, the rear wing failed. The car flipped over the barriers, crashed, and burst into flames. But the crash itself wasn’t what killed him.

A Rescue That Came Too Late

The real tragedy unfolded in the agonizing minutes after the impact.

• No marshals with fire equipment were on standby.
• No medical helicopter was available.
• Rescue crews took over 30 minutes to arrive.

Fellow drivers, including Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell, rushed to help but couldn’t fight the flames in time. De Angelis, conscious when pulled from the wreck, suffered only minor injuries—but the smoke inhalation proved fatal. He died the next day.

What changed after that

De Angelis’ death forced F1 to confront its safety failures. The FIA mandated emergency teams at all tests, Paul Ricard’s dangerous curves were modified, and the BT55 was abandoned. His passing marked the last F1 fatality until Senna’s in 1994.

Beyond racing, de Angelis was a pianist, a thinker, and a gentle soul who brought grace to the sport. His death was preventable—a harsh reminder of the cost of neglect. Today, his legacy lives on in F1’s relentless pursuit of safety.