17 March 1997 New hearing at Senna's death trial. Fabrizio Nosco, responsible for the closed area of the San Marino park, where recovered cars are stored, said that he was asked by Charlie Whiting (FIA's representative) to remove the two black boxes from Senna's car after the accidents. According to Nosco, the two boxes were not damaged.
Bernard Duffor, the Renault technician responsible for the electronics of the engine in Senna's car was the second witness. He said that there were two black boxes, a Magneti Marelli one to record engine and part of the car body data and a Williams one to record data on the rest of the body and the gear box. The engine black box was given to te magistrates in Bologna with a series of floppy disks on which the data had been copied. The black box had been erased, a normal procedure according to Dufford. The only data left in the black box was that to do with the lap in which the accident occurred. He also said that the black box was badly damaged, which contradicts Nosco. The data given to the magistrates is not that elaborated by Renault, but that sent to Williams and then sent by Williams to the magistrates.
Last witness was Michele Alboreto, who was driving for Minardi at the time of Senna's accident. Alboreto said that the Tamburello did not present problems. The small bump on it could never have caused a car to go out of the track, unless a technical problem was present as well. Aboreto believes that Senna suffered some sort of technical problems and it doesn't look to him as if Senna tried to correct the trajectory.
Witnesses to be heard on 18 March are Spiga (black boxes), Fumagalli (Senna's helmet), Romanelli and Ricci (legal doctors) and Charlie Whiting (Fia's representative at the time of the accident).

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