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On Thursday, April 12, 1984: Enzo Ferrari speaks at the official presentation of the San Marino Formula 1 Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, May 6, 1984, in Imola. The occasion allows the Modena constructor to assess the situation after the races in Rio and Kyalami. Ferrari takes the opportunity to highlight the effective collaboration between KKK (which also supplies turbos to the Maranello team) and Porsche, noting:
"In Germany, especially, but also in other countries, there is a genuine national mobilization around motorsport, which is lacking in Italy, with incredible support and resources. That's why technologies are more advanced, especially adaptable to circumstances and tracks, allowing McLaren to gain, from Thursday to Sunday, ten kilometers in speed".
Enzo Ferrari agrees with his driver, Michele Alboreto, who is certain that Ferrari will soon return to victory.
"I'm glad that Alboreto has so much confidence; after all, he's the one driving on the track. However, I don't set deadlines, I don't make appointments, neither at Zolder nor at Imola. I only say that the fasting is now too long. For now, I am like a little dog licking its wounds".
In the morning, Ferrari had observed Arnoux and Alboreto's tests on reserve cars, the 126 C3 and C4 with lower-section tires, awaiting the new radial spirals and experimenting with accessories. Alboreto, at 11:30 a.m., went off the track in the low variant with no damage to himself and few for the car. However, he interrupted the tests. The Italian driver says:
"Probably a wheel got stuck, but I consider the current troubles fixable".
Can two champions coexist in the same Formula 1 team? The answer to this question is not simple. Examples from the past suggest that the relationship between two top drivers can be difficult, detrimental to the team. Consider the Prost-Arnoux case at Renault. Now, a similar situation is emerging at McLaren, the team that dominated the first two races of the season. Explosive statements from Niki Lauda towards his teammate, Alain Prost, have recently emerged from Germany:
"I can't stay with him; I'll leave".
This is the summary of the Austrian's speech. To clarify the situation, a direct confrontation between the two drivers is deemed necessary, made possible by their presence at the free tests on Monday, April 16, 1984, at the Dino Ferrari circuit. According to the protagonists, their relationship seems idyllic, and they portray it as a perfect and balanced marriage. Niki Lauda explains:
"My statements have been distorted. I only said that it was easier for me with Watson and more difficult to race with Prost. Why? The Frenchman is a very fast driver, perhaps the best at the moment. That's all. In the team, we are equal, we set up the cars in the same way, and we work in great harmony".
Alain Prost clarifies:
"When McLaren contacted me, Lauda was asked if he accepted my presence. He replied that there were no problems. We have a clear agreement for each race: we must maintain positions until ten laps from the end, then we are free to attack. It seems like an excellent situation. When we get to the end of the championship, if we can aim for the world title, the best will win".
Stated this way, everything seems fine at McLaren. However, it's clear that there is rivalry on the competitive level. In any case, having Lauda available is useful for getting an overview of Formula 1 at the beginning of the season:
"It's a very interesting and quite safe championship. I like racing with frozen fuel in the tank; it keeps my back cool. Now we have to see how McLaren performs on slow circuits. The main rivals? Piquet's Brabham, Ferrari, and Williams; we need to see how the tires hold up".
Niki Lauda announces that he will also compete in 1985, but his contract with the current team expires at the end of the year, while Prost has an option to renew it. The Austrian driver says:
"I don't know what the future holds. For now, I'm interested in trying to win the third world title. I'll be willing to help Prost only when I'm out of the race. And I think the same thing goes for Alain".
Would Niki Lauda return to race for Ferrari?
"If I answered affirmatively, the team would work only for Prost now. It would be a mistake. However, Ferrari has Alboreto, who is a very fast driver and, I believe, a good test driver as well. Arnoux represents continuity for the Maranello team, but at the moment, something seems wrong".
Who is afraid of the McLaren of Alain Prost and Niki Lauda? Everyone, it seems: if the English cars with Tag-Porsche engines also dominate the Belgian Grand Prix, there will be little space for rivals in Formula 1 this year. They fear Brabham, Renault, Williams, the teams with title ambitions. Chasing Prost and Lauda is the dominant theme of the third race of the championship. Already on Friday, April 27, 1984, in the first qualifying session, we will see what progress the rivals have made. Will Ferrari be part of this group? The Maranello team is going through one of the most critical moments in recent seasons, manifested in an unprecedented lack of results. Not only has a Ferrari been out of the points since September 11, 1983, the day of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza (Arnoux second, Tambay fourth), but the most serious and alarming fact is that Ferrari cars haven't even finished a race since then. Four races and eight retirements in seven months. There are whispers of a dark omen in the environment, and it must be acknowledged that this definition seems quite fitting this time. It is not understood why the 126 C4 and the previous 126 C3 have lost their traditional reliability as well as competitiveness. And to think that, as soon as it came out, the new model amazed everyone, including the drivers, setting a series of records in various tests on different tracks during the winter. René Arnoux says:
"It's a car significantly superior to the previous one".
But from theory to practice, reality seems different. Perhaps the issue of reduced consumption has polarized attention too much, diverting technicians from solving other problems. Perhaps an elaborate evolution has been sought in many areas, and the whole has not worked. Probably small things. However, in Formula 1, even the smallest detail can be decisive. For this reason, not without trouble (echoes of Enzo Ferrari's shouts at Fiorano arrive), Ferrari practically starts over, leaving aside some refinements for the moment. On the cars brought to Zolder, integral electronic injection has disappeared, making way for mechanical injection. Carbon brakes have been mounted only on Alboreto's car, and it's uncertain whether they will be used. Also, the alternator voltage regulator has been separated from the control unit to avoid some imbalances that occurred in the last races. René Arnoux says:
"We are working hard to discover all the causes of our troubles. Never before have we been so engaged in tests and trials during this period. I am convinced that we will climb back up, perhaps already here in Belgium. It's a track that evokes painful memories for the team and especially for me. The best way to erase bitterness is to achieve a good result, worthy of the most prestigious team in Formula 1 and a driver who has honored this sport with his courage and loyalty".
The reference to Gilles Villeneuve, who fell victim to an accident at Zolder on Saturday, May 8, 1982, is evident and obligatory. A few meters from the Ferrari box is the memorial erected to commemorate the departed driver. A marble stele, his helmet, and the maple leaf symbol of Canada recall a small, great man who knew how to fight and even win in the most difficult moments. An example for Ferrari. On Friday, April 27, 1984, a few seconds before the end of the first qualifying session of the Belgian Grand Prix, Derek Warwick deprives Alain Prost and the McLaren-Porsche of the satisfaction of provisional pole position. The English driver, nicknamed the bomber for his sometimes somewhat reckless courage, pushes his Renault to the limit, despite the slippery and dangerous track due to oil patches left by numerous exploded engines during practice. Warwick laps in 1’16”311, at an average speed of 201.061 km/h. A remarkable time but still higher than the circuit record, set in 1982 by Alain Prost, who clocked 1’15”701 with the Renault equipped with side skirts. At the end of the trials, Alain Prost says:
"I could have pushed harder and maybe beaten my record, leaving everyone behind. But I must confess, honestly, that I was scared. The image of Villeneuve's terrible accident was still in my mind. When I had to overtake a slower car, I was afraid it would move, so I didn't take risks. Moreover, I am convinced that in the race, my McLaren will still be the best, and there's no point in being reckless the day before. Just starting from the front rows is enough for me".
The memory of Gilles Villeneuve looms over this race. Even Michele Alboreto, despite facing several problems (Ferrari places René Arnoux in sixth position and the Italian in tenth), recalls, as soon as he gets out of his car, that there can be no distractions on this circuit.
"I found a very slow RAM car in my path, I set up the overtaking on the right, and that idiot of a driver, probably Alliot, suddenly moved, giving me quite a scare".
The battle is intense. So much so that many teams are trying risky solutions to improve performance. As a result, many engines break down: two for Brabham, three for Williams, one for Renault, and another for the new Arrows with the BMW turbo engine of Boutsen, one more for Toleman. The Williams-Honda is struggling, with Keke Rosberg in twelfth and Laffite in seventeenth. There seems to be some friction within the team between Frank Williams and the Honda technicians supplying the engine. It appears that the Japanese, accused of lack of communication, have made modifications on their own, increasing the engine's power at the expense of reliability. The only clear outcome from the first day is related to the tires. Michelin seems to have a clear advantage over Goodyear, partially explaining Ferrari's improved performance compared to Kyalami, although it is not entirely satisfying yet. French tires occupy the top three positions (Warwick, Prost, and Piquet), followed by the Lotuses of Mansell and De Angelis with American ones, and then Arnoux. The latter is not very kind in his judgments on the trials.
"With the tires, I've been feeling understeer in the first part of the circuit for a while, then the car becomes balanced, but just one lap from the end, traction is lacking. With race tires, on the other hand, after five laps, there is an incredible drop in performance".
To overcome this issue, the Ferrari team technicians try to increase the aerodynamic pressure on the rear wing.
However, this solution reduces the top speed. At the finish line, Alboreto travels at 257 km/h compared to Warwick's 275 km/h, the fastest. It's an 18 km/h difference, and it's significant. On Saturday, Goodyear is expected to send new tires. However, one thing is certain: for Ferrari, the eve of the race is still very uncertain, and it's not enough for Alboreto to express confidence and claim to take the first satisfaction of the season on Saturday. Deeds must follow words because many, including Niki Lauda, express a similar concept. Lauda hopes to reach and surpass Prost in the World Championship standings. During the first practice session, the Austrian is stranded due to a fire on his McLaren caused by a fuel leak. But Lauda is not worried; he has already won twice at Zolder and hopes to make it three.
"I have achieved an important goal, my first pole position in Formula 1. The last time I started in front of everyone was in Formula 2 at Pau three years ago. And I had also achieved the same position with Lancia in the World Endurance Championship. But a first place in the Grand Prix starting grid was still missing from my list. Anyway, this result is not the most important thing; I hope above all to perform well in the race, for me and for Ferrari. My car is perfect, but many uncertainties await us. It will be necessary to start with caution not to deteriorate the tires too much. The race will be decided in the final laps. Whoever manages to reach the end in the best condition will have the game won".
Incredible, surprising Ferrari. One day it seems to be in the dust, twenty-four hours later it rises and dominates its rivals, returning to the top. Two red Ferraris from Maranello will start in the front row of the Belgian Grand Prix. Michele Alboreto will start in pole position. It hadn't happened for eighteen years, precisely since July 18, 1966 (Lorenzo Bandini, Reims, French Grand Prix), that an Italian driver at the wheel of a Ferrari achieved such a feat, and alongside him will be René Arnoux. Alboreto, as calm and controlled as always, performs one of his masterpieces during Saturday's qualifying session, clocking 1’14”846 and beating the previous record set in 1982 by Prost with the miniskirt-equipped Renault. With this time, the Italian driver overtakes René Arnoux, who had taken the lead just before him, after half an hour of trials. A real champion's move. But one wonders how Ferrari, considered in crisis after the last races, allowed such an exploit by its drivers. One of their usual miracles? What secret is behind these performances? Special turbines, a more powerful engine, long-used tires? Nothing of all this: just a lot of work on the cars and careful tuning. At least that's what the men from the Maranello team claim, while Michele Alboreto, as usual, analyzes the situation calmly. He only vents a bit when asked if he expected such a result:
"There's too much pressure around us at Ferrari. Sometimes you have to know how to wait, even the newspapers shouldn't criticize too much".
Mauro Forghieri adds:
"We only made adjustments. We told you on Friday that we were happy with our cars. We weren't thinking about the front row, but we knew we would improve".
And Alboreto emphasizes:
"We found a good balance for the car. There was too much aerodynamic pressure at the rear and too little at the front. So, traction was lacking. Easy to fix. Then, a perfect lap, without mistakes, without encountering other slower cars, that's all".
But how do you explain that on Friday, the top three cars had Michelin tires, and on Saturday, in the starting lineup, there are as many cars with Goodyear tires, as Rosberg is in third place?
It seems that the American company brought rear tires not new to Zolder but kept as reserves for special occasions. Moreover, the supremacy of Goodyear in qualifying is not new. In Rio, the Lotus started in the lead, and in Kyalami, the Williams did. Both with the same tires as Ferrari. Goodyear offers excellent performance when a lot of rubber debris is deposited on the track. On the second day of trials, and on Saturday, the circuit is much faster for American tires than for Michelin ones. The situation mainly benefits Ferrari, which, returning to tried-and-tested solutions, seems to have regained competitiveness. The same cannot be said for other teams, rivals in the race for the world title. Brabham breaks seven engines in two days (apparently due to a new fuel): Piquet is one of the five drivers who do not improve their time, and Fabi hardly turns due to ignition problems. McLaren also experiences many problems: Lauda stops due to gearbox issues, Prost due to electrical problems (the engine suddenly stops, and the Frenchman performs three spectacular spins). Renault partially saves the situation with Warwick in fourth place (but Tambay is twelfth, and the engines of the two French cars grumble unusually). Alfa Romeo does reasonably well, with Patrese in seventh, preceded by De Angelis and Winkelhock. Ghinzani's return with the Osella is without too many problems (twentieth). But, let's not forget, trials are one thing, and the race is another. Cautiousness is needed with predictions. The Zolder circuit is among the worst for challenging cars and drivers. There will be the problem of tire choice and their replacement halfway through the race. An even more challenging problem is fuel consumption. It seems that almost all teams, after calculations, are at the limit with 220 liters. And it is expected that several cars will not finish the race. In short, great uncertainty for everyone, including Ferrari. But at least today, you can dream again. Niki Lauda says:
"Of course, the race could be a whole different story. For us at McLaren, starting so far from the front will be tough. But I am convinced that we will not be cut off from the fight for victory. I could reach points, at least third or fourth. But I don't despair of winning either".
For Arnoux, however, the problem does not arise. The Frenchman is satisfied with his second time and is not worried about being overtaken once again by Alboreto.
"Everyone will be free to run their race, and it is not possible to make predictions in Formula 1. When you try to guess what will happen, you are always wrong. I am confident that I can have an excellent race because the car has become perfect, drivable on all parts of the track, balanced and well-braked. You will see that Ferrari will have great satisfaction".
On Sunday, April 29, 1984, at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix, Michele Alboreto held onto the first position, while Derek Warwick overtook René Arnoux, who had a poor start, and Keke Rosberg, who was practically stationary on the grid, moving up to second place. Manfred Winkelhock climbed to fourth place, while Nelson Piquet, to avoid contact with Rosberg, put two wheels off the track. Elio De Angelis and Riccardo Patrese followed in fifth and sixth positions. However, the driver from Padua was forced to retire on the third lap due to an ignition problem. Meanwhile, Michele Alboreto began to set a high pace in the race to distance himself from the competitors, with only Derek Warwick able to keep up for a few laps. Manfred Winkelhock, in fourth place, slowed down the rest of the group. During the sixth lap, the current World Championship leader, Alain Prost, retired from the race due to a crankshaft problem while he was in fifth position. During the eighth lap, Nelson Piquet passed Elio De Angelis and moved up to fifth place. Meanwhile, Keke Rosberg made his way through the middle of the pack and was already eighth by lap 15, having overtaken both Niki Lauda and Patrick Tambay. In the 22nd lap, the Finnish driver also passed Eddie Cheever. Then, in the 23rd lap, Nelson Piquet took the fourth position from Manfred Winkelhock, closing in on René Arnoux. In the 24th lap, Elio De Angelis dropped to seventh position after being overtaken by both Keke Rosberg and Eddie Cheever. In the 25th lap, with worn-out tires, René Arnoux was passed by Nelson Piquet before entering the pits for a tire change. However, the mechanics encountered problems, and the French driver's pit stop lasted 19 seconds. Arnoux returned to the track in thirteenth place. Between laps 26 and 27, Keke Rosberg overtook both Manfred Winkelhock and Eddie Cheever.
However, the Italo-American driver of the Alfa Romeo was forced to retire due to an issue with the Alfa Romeo engine. Michele Alboreto maintained control of the race in the first position, followed by Derek Warwick, Nelson Piquet, Keke Rosberg, Manfred Winkelhock, Elio De Angelis, Andrea De Cesaris, and Stefan Bellof. Piquet, who made a driving mistake at Bolderbergbocht on lap 32, was overtaken by Rosberg. In the 34th lap, Warwick made a pit stop to change tires, returning to the race in third place behind Rosberg. In the same lap, Winkelhock also pitted, but his stop was longer, and he returned to the track only in twelfth place. Michele Alboreto made a pit stop in the 39th lap and returned to the track in the first position. Earlier, in the 37th lap, Niki Lauda retired due to a water pump issue in his Porsche engine. In the 41st lap, Winkelhock, who had been performing well until then, retired from the Grand Prix due to an electrical failure. In the 44th lap, Keke Rosberg made a pit stop and returned to the track in sixth place. Meanwhile, Andrea De Cesaris retired due to a track exit, without consequences for the Italian driver. Alboreto continued undisturbed in the lead, followed by Warwick, Piquet, De Angelis (struggling with tires), Bellof, Rosberg, and Arnoux. The French Ferrari driver, in the 55th lap, managed to pass Rosberg, Bellof, and De Angelis, moving up to fourth place. In the 56th lap, Rosberg also performed a double overtake, passing Bellof and De Angelis. In the 60th lap, René Arnoux climbed to third place after overtaking Nelson Piquet at Bolderberg. In the 61st lap, Stefan Bellof made a pit stop for a tire change. The Belgian driver returned to the track in seventh place. Piquet conceded his fourth position to Rosberg in the 64th lap. In the 65th lap, René Arnoux spun at Kanaal Bocht. The French driver managed to restart but was passed by both Keke Rosberg and Nelson Piquet.
Arnoux would later regain the third position since, in the 67th lap, the BMW engine in Nelson Piquet's Brabham exploded. Meanwhile, in the final lap, Keke Rosberg stopped due to a lack of fuel. Michele Alboreto, driving for Ferrari, crossed the finish line first at the Zolder circuit, winning the Belgian Grand Prix. The flags with the Prancing Horse waved joyfully in the air. It is thought, without rhetoric, that this is a historic moment for Italian sports. Images from the past, from the exploits of Tazio Nuvolari, come to mind. It had not happened for eighteen years, since the distant September of 1966, that an Italian driver and a Ferrari together won a Grand Prix. Back then, the victory was achieved by the courageous gentleman driver Ludovico Scarfiotti at Monza with the 312, a single-seater with a 12-cylinder 36-valve engine. Ferrari has once again risen. After seven months of drought, the Maranello team is back at the top, confirming the value and commitment of its people. But how strange (and fascinating) Formula 1 is, so much so that the protagonists themselves often cannot explain the reason for certain results or reversals. Until Saturday, McLaren was on the podium, seeming invincible. People talked about the turning point made by German engines (Porsche for McLaren and BMW for Brabham). Well, on Sunday, none of these technical pairings completed the Grand Prix. Michelin tires, considered the ultimate weapon, were defeated by Goodyear. This time, that's how it went; maybe everything will change again next time. What will certainly not change is Alboreto. Impassive, calm, measured, he practically witnessed his triumph as a spectator, marking his third victory in Formula 1, the first with Ferrari. The Italian driver said serenely:
"It was easier than other times because I was in a manifestly superior state. In Las Vegas and Detroit, with Tyrrell in previous years, I had struggled. Here, I had decided to at least finish. I attacked immediately to distance the opponents after warming up the tires and bringing the engine and brakes to temperature for two or three laps. Then I stepped on the accelerator. I remained alert for a few laps with Warwick following me. Then I saw that I was pulling away from Renault and everyone else. So I tried to manage the car and the race".
There was a thrill in Alboreto's race. At the beginning of the 37th lap, the Ferrari #27 was seen bouncing on a curb, going off the track, dangerously going into the dirt in front of a guardrail, and returning to the asphalt in a cloud of dust. Alboreto explains:
"My tires were almost completely worn out. I put a wheel in the dirty part of the track and realized I was going off course, risking damaging the car. So I tried to widen the trajectory to avoid causing damage. It went well. After changing the tires, I didn't have any more problems, and in the last five minutes, I slowed down noticeably".
Alboreto dedicates the victory to the team and Enzo Ferrari:
"Our charismatic leader who never let himself be down in difficult moments".
And then he lets go in the only sentence where he loses his now proverbial composure:
"I wish Imola were tomorrow".
In reality, the San Marino Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, May 6, 1984, with this Ferrari and this Alboreto. It is easy to predict that the circuit will be besieged for this reason, and for natural caution, Mauro Forghieri tries to temper the enthusiasm:
"It went well, but we could have lost. Formula 1 is like that, what doesn't change is our commitment. We worked hard, had confidence, Goodyear collaborated well, but surprises are always lurking. Alboreto? A true professional".
The mechanics are moved by Alboreto's success. One of them recalls:
"Two years ago, in these same days, we were here crying for Gilles Villeneuve. Now we laugh, we are happy".
It's not cynicism or forgetfulness; it's life as it is.
"There is only one way to establish the race tactic, and that is to attack. And that's what I did. I chose the right tires, the new compounds brought by Goodyear, and everything went well. This is the first victory for the American radial tires and will certainly be remembered. Maybe things won't go so well in Imola, but we are on the right track".
To those who ask Michele Alboreto what was the greatest difficulty in achieving this success, the Italian driver responds:
"The car was so perfect that I had to concentrate to the maximum not to let myself get carried away. I was afraid, that is, of exaggerating in overtaking and in keeping up with the pace. In the end, during the checks, it turned out that we had 20 liters of fuel left. This means that we are also comfortable for the next races".
If everyone's faces at Ferrari are, of course, smiling, on this occasion, the black faces can be seen inside the McLaren box. Lauda is particularly upset:
"Just when I hoped to reaffirm our supremacy, a bad blow came. The Porsche engine in my McLaren seemed powerless".
Alain Prost's analysis is calmer but no less bitter:
"I had an electrical problem, perhaps also related to the fuel supply. Probably the frozen fuel we put in the tanks causes some problems that we are not yet perfectly aware of".
Nelson Piquet is also furious, the only one among the big protagonists of the World Championship, the absolute champion, not to have scored a single point so far.
"We chose the tactic of not stopping to change tires, and it turned out to be a mistake. In any case, I couldn't have done much because the engine wasn't responding perfectly".
René Arnoux is satisfied. The third position suits him well.
"The engine didn't work well at the beginning. When I unloaded part of the fuel weight, with new tires, I felt like a rocket. Unfortunately, I made two mistakes in this race, the choice of tires before the start and a track exit in lap 64. Fortunately, it went well, and I managed to recover, but if I reached the podium, I also have to thank the misfortunes of others. Now we are on the right track, and this comforts me. It's fine that Alboreto won. Everyone runs their own race, and he deserves the success he has achieved. I just hope that sooner or later it will be my turn".
On the Ferraris of the Italian and the Frenchman, a different arrangement of the exhaust pipes has been noticed. Some have insinuated that they may have two different engines. But Mauro Forghieri states precisely that the engines are perfectly identical, except for small details, precisely in the exhausts or in the calibration of some electronic systems. Nico Rosberg is certainly not happy with the fourth place, despite an exceptional race:
"I couldn't do anything because my car only worked intermittently. I ran out of fuel because the ignition, which was defective, made me consume too much. It's certainly not our problem. For now, I'm satisfied, but I'm certainly not the type to settle for placements".
Italian Elio De Angelis has once again finished in the points, in fifth place. But the Roman cannot enjoy this small satisfaction. Before the start, he had been given some vitamin pills by a doctor to endure fatigue better. The treatment turned out to be disastrous, and De Angelis drove in very precarious health conditions. Even after the race, the Italian driver continues to have physical problems and will certainly not repeat the experience. In sixth place, surprisingly, a car with a naturally aspirated engine, the Tyrrell of the German Bellof. If the Belgian driver, making his debut in Formula 1, is proving to be a great fighter and certainly a man to consider for the future, it must also be noted that his car is certainly underweight. When Bellof stopped at the pits, instead of changing tires, the Tyrrell mechanics inserted a special pump into a socket to load the car with ballast. A negative day also for Alfa Romeo. To avoid consumption problems, probably the turbo engines of the cars of Cheever and Patrese were fueled with a very lean mixture that caused several issues, up to the breakdown of both cars. The question now is just one: how did Ferrari overturn with a single blow a technical situation that seemed clearly unfavorable after the results of the first two races? The most fanciful and even absurd hypotheses are made: someone even goes so far as to say that the teams, under pressure from sponsors, have decided to share victories fraternally. But this is not betting, motorsport is not yet so polluted even though the interests are enormous. There is only one truth: Formula 1 is now so sophisticated that the slightest change can cause revolutions. Apart from the modifications made to the race cars from race to race, based on previous results, track and laboratory tests, computer calculations, wind tunnel test results, there are basic elements that determine incredible ups and downs. Just, for example, an even minimal change in ambient temperature can cause disasters. Note, however, that in recent times Ferrari has always shone in colder races. Is it a coincidence? And then the type of tracks, the composition of the asphalt, more or less abrasive, the altitude of the circuits.
In short, a number of variable components difficult to control. It is certain, however, that the influence of tires has reached significant levels, enough to determine the majority of results. The fact that in the Belgian Grand Prix among the top six finishers, five cars used Goodyear tires (Alboreto, Arnoux, Rosberg, De Angelis, and Bellof) and only one Michelin (Warwick second with Renault) is already significant. On this matter, there are various rumors. Ferrari claims to have used tires already used in Kyalami but with new compounds. Some talk about old tires, and then the hypothesis arises that Goodyear has taken a step back by providing Ferrari and others with conventional tires instead of the radials developed since the beginning of the season. The theory is even ventured that the American company has prepared half conventional and half radial tires. This is science fiction, even absurdity. Tires are either of one type or the other; at most, radials could be reinforced in the shoulder. Probably this famous truth lies in the middle: Ferrari nailed the setup of the car, the right tires, the suitable track, and a race, all in all, a bit lucky. If the exploit continues, then the other teams will have to try to discover where the secrets of the Maranello cars lie.
"Always thinking about winning, but calm".
In this short sentence by Nadia Astorri, Michele Alboreto's wife, is probably the synthesis of the qualities of the Ferrari driver. The 27-year-old Milanese started his racing career with well-defined goals and is achieving them one after the other with exemplary determination, passing over all problems without being emotionally touched. The fact that he arrived in Maranello, the first Italian after ten years, is a demonstration of his ability to reach where he wants. He had managed to win two Formula 1 races with Tyrrell, driving a car that was certainly inferior to many others; he could only continue on the same path with the red cars from Maranello.
"Yet there was already talk of a team in crisis, and too many words were being said. I had confidence because I knew that the 126 C4 was competitive. Only a small piece of the mosaic that leads to crossing the finish line first was missing, and we found it. Don't ask me what's underneath because I don't know. In this sport, the slightest hesitation, a wrong assessment, is enough to pay dearly. You just have to work seriously, commit yourself, and strive for long-lasting satisfaction. It seems to me that Ferrari is an example for everyone on this front".
Alboreto is a person who likes actions more than words. Many things are obvious to him. It was natural for Enzo Ferrari to call him after he promised, it is natural to start in pole position and win with Ferrari. And the small mistake made on Sunday, which could have cost this long-awaited first place?
"Of course, it would have been better not to find myself in that situation. But the track was dirty, with loose gravel waiting. Just putting half a wheel off the trajectory was enough to lose control of the car. It happened to several drivers, even more experienced than me. I managed to guide the off-track, not to ruin the car. A risk, it's true, but if there were no risks, everything would be much less interesting".
Mauro Forghieri adds:
"Michele is a big professional, but let's not get too carried away as Italians. You can't go from the altar to the dust and vice versa every week. It went well, and it could have gone wrong. Formula 1 is like that. It comforts me that Alboreto will not change because of this first success. Rest assured, on Sunday, he will still be as hungry as before. And that's a guarantee. For the rest, we'll see. It's a continuous struggle".
The engineer doesn't go any further. Explanations for the triumph in the Belgian Grand Prix (not to mention René Arnoux's third place) are postponed to another date or to other voices. Forghieri, in response to a specific question, only says that the engines of the two cars in the race had imperceptible differences. Indeed, the fact that the Italian's car had different exhausts than those mounted on the Frenchman's car intrigued. But if Arnoux set the fastest lap, it certainly cannot be argued that Alboreto's engine was more powerful, to justify the difference in performance both in qualifying and in the race. And then, a small aura of mystery always goes well. Also because the issue of espionage and copying must be taken into consideration. So some small margin of advantage, just like McLaren, Renault, and others do, Ferrari can keep it for itself. It is interesting, however, to note the opinion of a technician working for Porsche on the great comeback of the Maranello team.
"Those guys are more German than us. We knew that sooner or later they would resurface. It was only a matter of days. At least now we know it, and we will again take countermeasures. The challenge is always open".