AN ITALIAN prosecutor has asked for the Formula One team manager, Mr Frank Williams, to be tried for alleged manslaughter over the death of the world champion driver Ayrton Senna, a source close to the investigation said yesterday.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the public prosecutor, Mr Maurizio Passarini, was also seeking trial on the same charge for the Williams team's technical manager, Mr Patrick Head, six other team - officials and two senior officials of the Imola racetrack where Senna was killed during the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.
Mr Passarini, who is based in the central city of Bologna, submitted his conclusions to an examining magistrate who must now decide whether to bring formal charges and order a trial.
"The prosecutor has asked for both Williams and Head to be indicted, the source said. The request was expected to be considered around July 20th, the source added.
The charge, if allowed to proceed, carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years.
Senna, a Brazilian, suffered fatal head injuries when his Williams car smashed into a wall on Imola's Tamburello curve during the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1st, 1994.
The source said Mr Passarini's recommendations were based in part on an expert report into the accident which concluded that the steering column on Senna's car had been modified for the race and snapped as Senna went into the curve.
Mr Passarini had also requested trial for Mr Federico Bendinelli, managing director of the Sagis group which managed the Imola track, and the track director at the time, Mr Giorgio Poggi.