Editing Simtek (section)

===1994===
In August 1993, Nick Wirth took the decision to enter Formula One with his own team for the 1994 season. Triple world champion [[Jack Brabham]] became a shareholder in Simtek Grand Prix, and his son [[David Brabham]] was signed as a driver before the end of 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00169.html |title=The Formula 1 Silly Season |date=1994-01-01 |work=GrandPrix.com |publisher=Inside F1, Inc. |last=Saward |first=Joe |access-date=10 April 2008 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204220/http://www.grandprix.com/ft/ft00169.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Andrea de Cesaris]] and [[Gil de Ferran]], both carrying sponsorship money, were initially considered for the second seat but negotiations broke down. Frenchman [[Jean-Marc Gounon]] was also considered, but already had commitments for the start of the season so eventually 33-year-old F1 rookie [[Roland Ratzenberger]] took the place. [[Charlie Moody]], a former [[Leyton House]] manager, was appointed Simtek's team manager.<ref>{{cite web |title=People: Charlie Moody |url=http://grandprix.com/gpe/cref-moocha.html |work=GrandPrix.com |publisher=Inside F1, Inc.}}</ref>

[[File:Ratzenberger.jpg|thumb|left|[[Roland Ratzenberger]]'s Simtek at the [[1994 San Marino Grand Prix]], prior to his fatal accident.]]

The company secured customer Ford HB [[V8 engine|V8]] engines from [[Cosworth]], and prior to the season starting, [[MTV Europe]] stepped in as title sponsors. Wirth's initial design for the 1994 race car included active suspension, a technology used by [[Williams Grand Prix Engineering|Williams]] to win both the drivers and constructors championships in 1992 and 1993. However, active suspension was banned prior to the start of the 1994 season, and so Simtek were forced to revert to a more conservative design, named the [[Simtek S941|S941]]. This design was heavy, initially included a fully manual gearbox compared to the semi-automatics being used by the frontrunning teams and the Ford HB engine was less powerful than the engines being used by the front-runners. The company employed 35 people, the fewest of any team competing in Formula One during 1994, and only 10% of the number employed by [[Scuderia Ferrari]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Haslam |first=Rick |author2=Stokes, Nick  |title=Grand Prix 2 Manual |publisher=MicroProse |year=1995 |page=137}}</ref>

These deficits showed at the first race of the 1994 season. Brabham qualified in 26th and last place while Ratzenberger failed to qualify. Brabham finished the race 12th, but all cars behind him retired. The next race saw both Simteks qualifying but again occupying the back of the grid. Brabham retired early with an electrical failure, and Ratzenberger finished 11th, last of the cars still running.

{{quote box|quote=I lost a close friend yesterday. Though team-mates for a mere few weeks, we had already a lot of fun together and had every reason to look forward to a great year with the Simtek team. I am confident that the greatest tribute we can pay to Roland is to race today, hence my decision.|source=[[David Brabham]], on Ratzenberger and his decision to race following Roland's death.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Simtek Raced |author1=David Tremayne |author2=Mark Skewis |author3=Stuart Williams |author4=Paul Fearnley | work = Motoring News | publisher = News Publications Ltd. | date = 1994-04-05 |page=25}}</ref>|width=25%|align=right}}
The next round was the [[1994 San Marino Grand Prix]]. During the Saturday qualifying session, Ratzenberger left the track during an out-lap dislodging his front wing. After rejoining the track, Ratzenberger decided the car wasn't damaged, and eager to ensure qualification for the race the next day began a flying lap. At the ''Villeneuve curva'' while traveling at {{convert|190|mph|abbr=on}} the front wing failed, causing Ratzenberger to lose control and the car crashed into a concrete wall. Ratzenberger suffered a [[Basilar skull fracture|basal skull fracture]], and was killed instantly. A time posted earlier in the qualifying session by Ratzenberger would have given him the 26th position on the grid. His death was the first at a Grand Prix weekend in 12 years. Traditionally, the team would have withdrawn from the event, but David Brabham decided to race on, in tribute to Ratzenberger and in order to raise the morale of a devastated Simtek team. During the [[ESPN]] broadcast of the race, it was stated that Brabham was reluctant to race but was encouraged to race by officials who wanted to keep the field full.<ref>{{cite news|title=1994 San Marino Grand Prix|date=1 May 1994|newspaper=ESPN}}</ref> Only a day after Ratzenberger's death would another driver - three-time world champion [[Ayrton Senna]] - [[Death of Ayrton Senna|be killed]] in an accident during the race itself. Senna's death marked the second driver fatality of the weekend.

Brabham's decision to continue racing, in part resulted in Simtek making a collective decision to continue racing and "For Roland" was painted on the airbox of the car, to show their reason for continuing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Remembering Roland |url=http://f1rejects.com/centrale/ratzenberger/index.html  |publisher= Formula One Rejects |year=2004 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070510180240/http://f1rejects.com/centrale/ratzenberger/index.html |archivedate = 2007-05-10}}</ref> The team only had one chassis to enter at the Monaco Grand Prix, and before the start, a minute's silence was held in memory of Senna and Ratzenberger with the second grid slot painted with the Austrian flag. In Spain, [[Andrea Montermini]] drove for the team, but during the practice session crashed heavily. He escaped with only a broken toe and cracked left heel but was unable to race and his Simtek chassis was badly damaged. After another one car entry in Canada, [[Jean-Marc Gounon]] became available to the team for the French Grand Prix. He finished the race ninth, the team's best finish of the season, in part down to high attrition but finishing ahead of [[Mark Blundell]]'s [[Tyrrell Racing|Tyrrell]] which was still running. Both cars qualified for all the remaining Grands Prix, ahead of the Pacifics, and occasionally also Lotus and Larrousse. Brabham qualified in 21st for the Belgian Grand Prix, ahead of a Lotus, Larrousse, Footwork and Tyrrell car.

Three races before the end of the season, [[Domenico Schiattarella]] took over Gounon's race seat finishing 19th. He was replaced for the penultimate round in Japan by another pay driver [[Taki Inoue]], but his race ended after three laps when he crashed into the pit wall. Schiattarella was reinstated for the final round at Adelaide, but both Simteks retired from the race with technical problems.

After a challenging debut season the team finished with no world championship points but, convinced that Simtek could do better, Wirth decided to continue the Grand Prix programme.