Almost three years later, the question is still why. On May 1,1994, Brazilian racing star Ayrton Senna was zooming along on the seventh lap of the San Marino Grand Prix near Imola, Italy. Senna led the field, trailed closely by Michael Schumacher of Germany. As they approached the courses difficult Tamburello turn, Senna Williams-Renault hugged the inside of the track. Suddenly, at a speed of 306 kilometers per hour, the car changed direction, veered off the road and smashed into a concrete wall. The king of racing was dead, and the controversy about the cause of the crash commenced. Was it simply an unfortunate accident? Did the 34-year-old Senna, regarded by many as the greatest driver of all time for his 41 victories and three world championships in 10 years, commit some fatal error? Was the track bad? Or did a faulty car design cause the crash?

In a makeshift courtroom, not far from the Tamburello bend, six people just went on trial, accused of causing Sennas death. The most prominent defendant is Frank Williams, owner of the most accomplished team in Grand prix history — and Ayrton Sennas last employer. Also in the dock: two Williams associates and three racing officials, including one from the Paris-based International Federation of Automobiles(FIA), Formula Ones ruling body. Backed by a 500-page report on the crash, prosecutors say a faulty weld caused the steering column to snap as Senna tried to make the fatal turn, a charge aimed at the Williams team. The race officials are blamed for an unsafe track. All six defendants denied the charges.

So far, the trial has played out like a bad knockoff of a Kafka novel. To accommodate the crush of reporters and TV crews from around the world, authorities made a courtroom out of a dance hall, complete with disco lights on the ceiling, speakers on the walls and the two staples of any Italian court — a crucifix and a sign that reads THE LAW IS THE SAME FOR EVERYONE. A handful of fans wearing Senna memorabilia showed up and a man stood in silence at the entrance of the courtroom holding a picture of the fallen driver with the inscription TELL US THE TRUTH. Federico Bendinelli, managing director of the company that owns the Imola circuit, was the only defendant who showed up for the opening hearing, on Feb. 20. "It seemed there was a curse on the 1994 Grand Prix: six accidents in three days," he told the court. (A day before Sennas death, Austrian rookie Roland Ratzenberger died in a similar crash during qualifying heats, the first F-1 fatality in 12 years.) So far Williams, who has been confined to a wheelchair since crashing a test car in 1986, hasnt attended any of the hearings. But he is expected to show up soon, perhaps as early as this week.

The case promises to cloud Saturdays season opener at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. In fact, it could darken much of the Formula One season. Given the snail-like pace of Italian justice, the trail will likely to drag on onto summer. Along the way Formula One will battle the impression offered up by the Italian prosecutors that racing is not much more than a high-tech blood sport. Since the Senna death, FIA has in fact instituted numerous new safety measures such as mandating longer run-off areas at tracks. However, FIAs representatives point out that none of the improvements implies any guilt in the Senna case. Senna, they have said all along, was an unlucky victim of an admittedly dangerous sport. His death was indeed freakish. On impact, a piece of debris shot through his helmet "like a bullet", according to the prosecution report, killing him instantly. Last years F-1 champion Damon Hill, who was Sennas teammate that fatal year, applauds the changes, but tells NEWSWEEK that improvements can still be made: "You cant make racing completely safe, but we must never stop trying. It can be dangerous without being fatal."

Convictions in the Senna case would set an unsettling precedent. Future crashes, at least in Italy but possibly elsewhere, would expose team owners, car and track designers and racing officials to criminal charges. That could spell the end of Formula One in Italy. Already, one top team manager, Flavio Briatore of Benetton, has vowed to lead a boycott on Italys San Marino and Monza races if Williams and company are convicted. "Why bring a racing team to a country where you can be put in prison for an accident?" Braitore told reporters. For enthusiasts like Matt Bishop, editor of the British monthly F-1 Racing, "the notion of never going to Monza again after so many wonderful races is hard to imagine." Millions would agree.