Fast-paced and filled with adrenaline, motorsport has a huge following across the globe. The sport is not for the faint at heart. The gladiators that take part in formula 1, MotoGP and IndyCar racing (to mention a few) realize the risks they take every single time they take to the track.

They put their lives at stake trusting the safety measures put in place will carry them through, but as the in life nothing is guaranteed and sometimes tragedy strikes.

We look take a look at motorsports most tragic accidents.

Ayrton Senna

The Brazilian born, three-time Formula One driver was killed on 1 May 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix, after crashing in lap 6 at the Tamburello corner. His nephew, Bruno Senna, has followed in his footsteps currently racing for Renault in the Formula 1.

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Felipe Massa

An avid football fan, Felipe Massa had a brush with death during the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009 after being hit on the helmet by a suspension spring from Rubens Barrichello’s car. The unfortunate accident saw the Ferrari driver crash head-on into a tyre barrier.

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Don Wheldon

Don Wheldon was involved in a  fatal car crash in the IndyCar Series. Wheldon died at the age of 33 after a collision at the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship. His suffered what were described as "unsurvivable injuries”. An autopsy revealed the British born driver has suffered blunt force trauma to the head.

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Gilles Villeneuve

During the final qualifying session for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, Gilles Villeneuve was involved in a horrific accident with Jochen Mass. Villeneuve was launched in the air at approximately 200-225 km/h and suffered a fatal neck fracture.

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Marco Simoncelli

A close friend to former champion Valentino Rossi, Marco Simoncelli was involved in a collision with Colin Edwards and Rosi in this years’ Malaysian Grand Prix. Later it was revealed that Simoncelli had suffered "a very serious trauma to the head, to the neck and the chest".



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