Ferrari, a season to waste? The question arises, seriously, after some rumours leaked from Maranello. At a summit held at the team headquarters, attended by engineer Gradella, on Monday 9 May 1988 it was reportedly decided to accelerate the programme for the aspirated-engined car designed by John Barnard, which could make its race debut in August, more or less around the time of the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, on a track that is theoretically a little less favourable to turbocharged single-seaters. The decision, provoked by a less than brilliant situation, highlighted by the poor performance of the F1 88 at Imola, goes down a forced path in a certain sense, but it also has negative aspects. Concentrating forces on the single-seater of English origin will in all likelihood mean abandoning, at least in part, the development of the turbo, already uncompetitive. And this will mean renouncing any kind of fight in the world championship, assuming and not conceding that in the next few races there would be room to counter McLaren in any way.But these are not the only problems. It had already become evident last year that there were two factions within Ferrari: one led by Piero Lardi Ferrari with Postlethwaite, favourable to the development of the turbo, the other led by Barnard and his technicians, inclined, obviously, to focus on the aspirated. Now the intention to shelve the turbo will certainly throw the first group into despair, while it will give new energy to the English designer from Guildford. It's a kind of revenge for Barnard, but he won't have it all downhill. He designed and built the car with very advanced concepts, to accommodate a 12-cylinder aspirated engine and electronically controlled gearbox. But the power unit at the moment does not yet seem to be performing as expected, and needs a lot of testing and trials. It is a unit that conceptually refers to previous experience, which apparently delivers maximum power at 12.500 rpm, with torque at 11.000 rpm. i.e. very high, of little use. It is doubtful that the new car will be as good as what McLaren will be able to achieve with Honda's collaboration.And of other adversaries already announced (see Ford and Lamborghini) or supposedly on the way (Renault, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota?). In short, the prospects are of a long period of difficulty. Ferrari has been lacking in programming, in method.
At Fiorano they work as always, with passion and skill, but this is no longer enough. Suffice it to say that Honda, which rarely exposes itself in the first person, has invested seven years to arrive at the current turbo. And that it is following a long-established programme with all-Japanese meticulousness. The Roman driver Emanuele Pirro has been hired as a test driver: he tests the cars on the Suzuka track on a strict schedule and each time the latest modifications studied in the Formula 1 world championship and the future ones are reported on the McLaren-laboratory. Furthermore, Honda itself is collecting data on the eight-cylinder Judd engines (which are actually Hondas processed in England) used by March and Williams, in order to enrich the knowledge baggage in view of the use of naturally aspirated engines in the next World Championship.In this field the powerful Japanese manufacturer has already prepared at least a couple of 10-cylinders and a 12-cylinder, but it is possible that an all-new power unit will come out before 1989. In this tense atmosphere Ferrari would face the Monaco Grand Prix, the third race of the World Championship, on Sunday 15 May 1988. Engineer His, responsible for the engines, announced that there would be some novelties. And the Monaco race thus assumes the role of a decisive test for the turbo: if it goes wrong, John Barnard will again be the last hope. A season of transition, announced by the Maranello technocrats. A year of passion, translated into the language of the Ferrari fan. The team is at a crossroads. To live another gregarious championship, with the final satisfaction of a few successes when the game is already over. Or build a bridge to the future, working on the aspirated engine project. In the summit consummated at Ferrari, the second path was chosen. And what do the drivers think? Michele Alboreto seems to have locked himself in a polemical silence. Gerhard Berger speaks instead.The Austrian driver interrupts his golden Monte-Carlo retreat, where he has been for a few days with his beautiful fiancée Anne, to take part in the Turin Racing Show. Time to display optimism, to sow the seeds of autograph hunters and sponsors, and Berger confides all his perplexities to the notebooks.
"It's true, I said that we could get closer to the Hondas, become more competitive. But as for the immediate future and maybe the whole season, the fans will have to be patient. The gear is slow, we have lost ground".
Does that mean closing the championship discourse this year?
"If I thought that, I would pack my bags. But for now the title seems to me to be a matter for two: Prost, favoured by experience, and Senna. With Piquet as a third wheel, although his car is not great".
Pessimist?
"No, just realistic. At Imola we went worse than expected. At Monte-Carlo we can make a few small steps forward, given the Fiorano tests. But nothing more, for now".
So is Barnard right, is it time to set aside illusions and bet everything on the aspirated?
"I have great faith in Barnard. But you have to concentrate on one thing at a time. Today we are trying to make the turbo work. In two months the aspirated will be ready. We will test it at Fiorano, hopefully it will work".
A soft position, then. Much softer than the one attributed to Alboreto. After all, it is well known that of the two Berger is the one closest to the British designer's ideas. But the Austrian is also intelligent enough to avoid quarrels and broaden the discourse:
"I don't know if this great work being done at Ferrari will help to close the gap with the Honda engines in a short time. I think it's a question of money. The Japanese invest a lot more money in research. It's a general problem of European industry versus Japanese industry. But it is also a fascinating bet".
So fascinating that Berger, one of the most courted drivers in Formula 1, has decided to stay at Ferrari again next year:
"As long as I feel good, there is no reason to change. I want to win a world title with Ferrari. It will take time and a lot of work. But I am sure I can do it. And winning here. will definitely be more beautiful".
Pilots are smart, diplomatic. By now they have understood who they can talk to, how to intervene depending on the circumstances. Take Alain Prost: at Imola, responding to the Italian press, he said:
"We are strong, but at Monte-Carlo everything will be possible. The cars with naturally aspirated engines will be able to give us trouble, and Ferrari could also give us a hard time".
A content, just to raise hopes and illusions. Prost himself. interviewed in recent days by French television, changes his register completely:
"Ferrari? It has no chance of winning at Monte-Carlo. On the contrary, I can safely say that Berger and Alboreto will hardly have a chance of coming first in any race this year. They should at the very least retire both McLarens. And then, again, because they will always have to reckon with Piquet's Lotus and, apparently, also with several cars with naturally aspirated engines".
Clearer than that. Even in his world title predictions, the Frenchman is explicit:
"A fight between Senna and me. The Brazilian will be a tough opponent".
Ferrari is working hard to get out of the unexpected crisis at the start of the season. While accelerating on the naturally aspirated engine programme with John Barnard's car, at Maranello they are also trying to run for cover for the turbo. Considering that the three and a half litre twelve-cylinder with electronically controlled gearbox will require a long and severe test, the technicians are trying to solve the problems that slowed down the current single-seater: Berger and Alboreto, after finishing second and fifth at Rio de Janeiro, gave up sharply at Imola (fifth the Austrian, retired the Italian), with the resounding lapping of Senna and Prost. The work mainly concerned the supercharging system and the engine. According to the drivers, the engine shows a worrying drop in power in the new configuration at 2.5 bar pressure with the pop-off valve imposed by FISA.In Formula 1, secrets are short-lived. And it turns out that Honda, it seems, has found a (very regular) system to make maximum use of the pressure. In essence, the Japanese engines would immediately have the maximum supercharger and, therefore, all the horsepower required for acceleration, with an immediate response. In contrast to the Ferrari, which, on the other hand, has a progressive utilisation, starting from idle and arriving almost at the top with a certain delay. This means that the Maranello team has to work on several fronts, the very structure of the engine, turbines, valves and electronic mapping. Engineer Jean-Jacques His, in charge of the sector, is working in forced stages in this direction. It is a complex operation that will take time, provided it yields positive results. It is not the case to have too many illusions for the Monaco Grand Prix, which will begin on Thursday with the first qualifying round on Thursday, 12 May 1988 (as is well known, compared to other races, the Principality enjoys the privilege of bringing forward practice by one day), to continue on Saturday with the second and on Sunday with the race. It is unlikely that the modified and upgraded engines will be available for testing, while it is not excluded that at least one of these engines could be used in the Grand Prix, provided the results on the dyno are positive. The situation could change radically for the Mexican Grand Prix, the fourth round of the World Championship, scheduled for Sunday 29 May 1988. By that date the evolution should be complete and Ferrari better able to defend itself.
From the placings that will be achieved in these two races (Monaco and Mexico) and above all from the performances obtained by the single-seater of Maranello in relation to those of McLaren and the other most competitive rivals, will depend the future programmes and the eventual debut in the season of Barnard's car. It is understood that the project entrusted to the English technician will be followed from now on with greater intensity, precisely with the aim of not falling behind on one side (turbo) and the other (naturally aspirated).It is no secret that many Formula 1 teams are already thinking about the future, i.e. 1989, when the turbo will be retired and aspirated engines will be mandatory. Among the first teams to make a move is Williams, which this year, having been abandoned by Honda despite winning the world title, had to fall back on the atmospheric 8-cylinder Judd. The English team started negotiations with Renault, which already has a 3500 cc ten-cylinder ready. The French company has not yet decided how and whether to use it (the course of action will be decided by June), but many managers have already come forward. Among the first is Frank Williams, who would probably like an exclusive contract. Lotus (where the technical manager is Frenchman Ducarouge) is also possibly in the running, having already had a relationship in the past with Renault to supply turbo engines. Honda's success, meanwhile, has also moved other Japanese manufacturers who would not want to lose ground.Among these in the forefront is Toyota, but other companies could come forward, with programmes and projects ranging from the construction of a single-seater to the building of an engine. While these important issues are being discussed, on Thursday, 12 May 1988, the run-up to the third act of the Formula 1 World Championship begins on the most prestigious stage, that of the Principality of Monaco. From Thursday morning the cars will take to the track on a narrow and winding street circuit. It is the last maturity exam for McLaren, dominant on the mixed and winding Rio de Janeiro track and on the fast Imola one, where the turbocharged cars should have been penalised by petrol consumption. If the British team overcomes this difficult test with another success, the World Championship could live only more on the rivalry between Prost and Senna, who have so far equally divided the victories. McLaren manager Ron Dennis is categorical:
"There is no problem, we will be first everywhere this year. For me Prost or Senna at the moment it makes no difference. If anything, we will see at the end of the season who will have deserved more".
An enviable confidence, comforted by the performance of the MP4/4, the red and white single-seaters that dominated the first two races with overwhelming superiority. Ayrton Senna reiterates:
"I don't think our rivals can give us much trouble. We have an exceptional engine and a chassis that many have perhaps underestimated, which is very well balanced. It is clear that on this type of circuit the values will be closer and the gap between us and the others smaller. Theoretically, the cars with naturally aspirated engines will have a better chance. But basically I think it will be harder for us to lose than to win. In any case we will have the first indications in Thursday's practice".
McLaren big favourite, therefore (thanks also to the skill of its drivers, a factor not to be forgotten) with the rivals forced to chase. This is the dominant motif of the Monaco Grand Prix, even if the other teams do not give themselves away. Among the optimists are Benetton, protagonist at Imola, and Williams. Nigel Mansell explains:
"We have had engine problems that have slowed us down so far, but both in Rio and Imola we have shown that we are up to the task. Our technicians are working, or rather have worked hard, to solve the overheating problems that have been revealed by the engines. We hope to present ourselves at the start with some more hope. I will try to do everything in qualifying to start at the front. Staying in the front rows here is already half a success".
Ferrari brings three cars and a new bodyshell, to be fitted if necessary. Berger and Alboreto will try different aerodynamic solutions for comparative tests. A smaller rear wing is installed on the Italian's car, while on the Austrian's it is larger. A different intake box should also be tested. No predictions are made in the Maranello team, the watchword is:
"We will see".
Almost all the teams have carried out tests on various circuits in recent days. Even the Osella, which was rejected at scrutineering at Imola, should now comply with the regulations. The engine mountings have been moved and the rear part of the chassis modified. The car seems to be running well enough to be optimistic for qualifying. As usual, this morning, in the first free practice session, five drivers will be competing for four places. They are Larini (Osella), De Cesaris (Rial), Caffi (Scuderia Italia), Modena and Larrauri (Eurobrun). Twenty-six of the thirty cars that will take part in the official timed sessions will then be admitted to the start. This crowding on the track is criticised by the racers for the usual safety reasons. But, as usual, their opinion counts for nothing. If the Monaco Grand Prix were to take place on the motorway from the Principality to Maranello, Michele Alboreto could race with his eyes closed. The driver has been commuting to the Fiorano track for five years. This winter, between tests, he has driven at least 20,000 kilometres in single-seaters. All, at the moment, to achieve a modest fifth place in Rio de Janeiro. And? now the situation is even worse. But Albereto is a man of character.
"This is the moment when you have to keep calm. Of course, it is not easy. However, every time I manage to find motivation to start again, to hope. Driving for Ferrari, for better or worse, is always a privilege. I don't disarm, on the contrary, I try my best. I always have faith in a turnaround, even if at the moment the gap, the gap to the Honda-powered cars, is enormous. It will not be an immediate recovery, but we will be able to overcome this crisis as well".
Is there any chance of returning to the top at Monte-Carlo?
"I honestly don't think we can get close to McLaren. And we will have to take into account the competitiveness of naturally aspirated cars on a track like Monaco. But we are working. The last tests at Fiorano gave positive indications. Small things: in the team, however, there is the will to catch up".
In what areas have you tried to improve the cars?
"On the chassis side, our single-seaters are excellent. Unfortunately, to make up for the lack of engine power we had to reduce the aerodynamic pressure, i.e. reduce the size of the wings. This causes inconveniences in corners. At Monte-Carlo, however, the problem should be less. That is why the engine engineers have tried to achieve better acceleration".
The engine. It has always been Ferrari's strong point. Now the relationship with its rivals has changed, there is a lack of horsepower.
"We all know how much Honda has invested in research and development. It will not be easy for anyone to follow the development of the Japanese, who also have more efficient working methods. Unfortunately I have to say that in the winter we were under illusions, our engine manufacturers unintentionally misled us by providing us with engines for testing that were not in the right configuration, compared to the one we were then obliged to use in the races. It is now a matter of making amends and I think they are doing that, within the limits of the time available".
There has been talk of giving the go-ahead as soon as possible for Barnard's aspirated engine car.
"That is the future. The present, in my personal opinion, still lies in the turbo. We must be able to make the best use of it, otherwise we will have no chance of aiming for any success".
And Berger?
"He is a very strong man, he has proven it amply. With him now there are no problems. We are both looking forward to having a competitive car, we work together for Ferrari".
A Formula One world championship already a foregone conclusion? It would seem so: Thursday 12th May 1988 McLaren continues to dominate and the prospects are now for a resounding en plein. The British team seems set to achieve a series of exceptional results. The objective is to win all sixteen races of the season, something that has never happened so far and is probably unrepeatable. But that is not enough. In the team's planning there seems to be an even more ambitious design, aimed at the conquest of the third world title by Alain Prost and sixteen pole positions for Ayrton Senna, who would thus officially become the fastest driver of all time. Senna and then the gap. Almost two seconds to Prost, the same to Mansell, the others even further back, with Berger fourth and Alboreto tenth. Other than king of the rain, the Brazilian put everyone in line in the first qualifying session in Monte-Carlo with a perfectly dry asphalt, even if practice was tormented by a series of thunderstorms. Still McLaren domination, even on a slow circuit, for Ferrari some small progress, if you look beyond the chronometric result. But the gap between the English and Italian teams remains enormous. Always in good evidence Nannini (fifth).Anything goes: accidents (fortunately without consequences), troubles of various kinds, with mechanics forced to make frantic repairs under pouring water. McLaren camouflages itself in the morning during free practice, without taking any risks. The Honda brought a modified engine to Monte-Carlo and the Prost-Senna duo spent time fine-tuning, only to go wild when the stopwatch was running.
The Brazilian brushes the track, lapping in 1'26"464, averaging 138.564 km/h. It sounds ridiculous for Formula 1, but if you look at the top speeds, it can pale into insignificance. Piquet 261.070 km/h on the descent after the tunnel, and 240.290 km/h on the finish line. It can be seen from these figures that Ferrari will have a chance to make some headway in the second qualifying round. Berger is a little less fast (260.660 km/h) in terms of top speed, although in acceleration (i.e. from the Rascasse corner to the end of the pits) he has to give up 11 km/h to the Brazilian of Lotus. It is clear that the Maranello cars are fine on the chassis side but the engine is still the weak point. Berger and Alboreto encounter not a few problems. The Austrian is the protagonist of two accidents. The first in the morning, more serious and dangerous. The engine of his car goes out right in the tunnel. While the marshals are pushing the Ferrari to the side, off course, De Cesaris' Rial arrives. The Roman skids on the slippery asphalt, tries to brake, but hits Berger's car anyway.The marshals, alerted by the noise, are just in time to rush for cover. The Rial is destroyed on impact, the Ferrari's rear suspension breaks. A big scare for both drivers. In the afternoon, while trying to push to the maximum, Berger finds a car coming out of the pits wide, and he is forced to swerve, ending up on the still wet track: a small skid, a collision against the guardrail and another bent suspension, with the practice partially compromised. Alboreto is also haunted by the usual bad luck. After always being among the first three as the track dries, but still not perfect, he wears out the first set of tyres. When he comes into the pits to change the tyres, the nut holding the left rear wheel seizes and he loses those decisive 7-8 minutes that allow almost all rivals to improve, except Piquet (only P13) with problems with a turbine. Misadventures also for many others. Larini has an accident with the Osella, Warwick and Cheever go off the road with the Arrows, a blow also for Tarquini with the Coloni. The worst happens to Stefano Modena, who is excluded from the race for an impropriety. The young Italian did not stop in the pits to have his car weighed and the stewards applied to the letter the regulations that provide for immediate elimination in such cases.
Modena is a valuable driver and his exit is regrettable. But since he had not even participated in the preliminary meeting in which the regulations were reminded, the punishment was a bit deserved. On the other hand, the Minardis did well with the Spaniards Sala and Carapos. finally without any problems. In trouble Caffi with the Dallara (gearbox breakage and then a broken wheel against a low wall) and Capelli, whose March stops on the track for an electrical system failure.Faced with this overwhelming supremacy, reaffirmed with Senna's best time in qualifying, followed by Prost, everyone else struggles to find alternative motivations. Ferrari tries with little success to get out of the crisis. Williams and Benetton, animated by the boiling spirits of Mansell and Nannini, dispute the platonic title of best car with naturally aspirated engine. But there are also little novelties at the back, surprises that make people talk. The case of the day, the revelation of this beginning of the championship, is represented by Ags, a small team from the South of France that is really behaving in an unexpected way. After a tenth place at Imola, the Ags driven by Philippe Streiff was eighth in practice, ahead of Warwick's turbocharged Arrows, Alboreto's Ferrari, the two Lotus-Hondas of Nakajima and Piquet and then the various teams with prestigious names like Lola, March, Tyrrell and Ligier. Strange story that of Ags, which has its headquarters in Gonfaron, about ten kilometres from the Le Castellet circuit. The owner's name is Henri Julien and he was a mechanic, with a great passion for racing, so much so that back in 1951 he decided to build a Formula 3 car. first with a 500 cc Sinica engine, then with a twin-cylinder BMW and then with a Panhard.And so it went on for many years, first piloting his own cars and then moving on to the role of manager, with racers of a certain name: Ragnotti, Dolhem (the brother of Didier Pironi's other father, who also perished a month ago in a plane crash), Dallest, Gaillard, up to the present day, passing, with a few victories, through Formula 2 and Formula 3000. Last year, the big leap. A little money, a few gifts from Renault (who passed him some material) and a perfectly bricolage car, with a chassis (Renault precisely) that was revised and not corrected. The car with Pascal Fabre struggled to qualify and it was only at the end of the season, passed into the capable hands of Roberto Moreno, that he achieved an unhoped-for sixth place in Australia. In the winter, important things happened at Gonfaron.
Financiers were found (nothing major, around 1.000.000 lire, little compared to the 40.000.000 lire employed by the top teams) and engineer Christian Vanderpleyn made a new bodywork. Engine: the classic Ford-Cosworth, which is 20 years old. At their debut in Rio, everyone looked at them like pilgrims. But they soon realised that the Ags was a reality, a beautiful reality of Formula One. The human side of a sport that has become ruthless and ultra-competitive, sophisticated and electronic. Friday will be rested, while Saturday will see the second day of qualifying. Senna hopes it will rain, but also says he will have no problem taking pole position if the weather is good. Prost promises to attack his teammate, Ferrari would be content to make a good impression if Berger and Alboreto can run regularly. These drivers are never happy. Neither is Ayrton Senna who, after having inflicted in the first qualifying session an abysmal detachment on everyone, including Alain Prost, fears losing pole position on the second day of practice. On Friday 13 May 1988, the Brazilian, during his rest day, takes a long break in the paddock while his team-mate plays a relaxing game of golf with some colleagues. He watches the mechanics work and keeps a close eye on his McLaren-Honda.
"We are the best, but I am still not completely satisfied with the engine response, which is too long in the slow corners".
Senna is a perfectionist, a driver who leaves nothing to chance.
"I like city circuits, but they are full of pitfalls and in Monte-Carlo there are too many of us on the track, with twenty-six cars. It's not true that you go slowly, because in the descent after the tunnel you touch 280 km/h and the ascent of the Casino is followed by a blind bend that you have to tackle full throttle. Many risks, therefore, and every detail has to be fine-tuned".
Ayrton does not make predictions. But the figures speak for him: a possible victory lost due to the decision of Jacky Ickx, then race director, to interrupt the race in 1984 when in the Toleman, in the pouring rain, he was about to catch up with Prost; a retirement the following year, while he was fighting with Alboreto's Ferrari in the lead, due to the failure of the Renault engine of his Lotus: in pole in 1986 and third place: success last year with the Lotus-Honda. Only half an admission:
"It is true that I normally drive well here, but the race is also a roulette bet, with only one token available".
Starting on pole position at Monte-Carlo is a big advantage, as overtaking, especially with the same car, is prohibitive. Even Prost, who is still bothered by the missed start at Imola, knows this very well.
"It won't be easy to overtake Ayrton, but a lot depends on the weather conditions. If there is no rain, if we get the car right, who knows...".
Alain Prost wants to do poker. After having won the most prestigious race in Formula 1 three times, consecutively, from 1984 to 1986, the Frenchman, always on the hunt for records, proposes himself as a candidate for success for tomorrow's race.
"I know perfectly well that it will be the most difficult and challenging Grand Prix in recent years. For the first time there will be twenty-six cars at the start. A crowd for a circuit as narrow and winding as this. Prohibitive overtaking, therefore, also in view of the fact that the average performance level of the single-seaters has risen".
The Frenchman goes no further. But it is obvious that for him the toughest obstacle to overcome will be team-mate Ayrton Senna. It would be no surprise if the experienced and astute Alain had devised some system to overtake his team-mate at the start, i.e. at the moment when he might be most vulnerable.
"To be honest I will have my work cut out for me when the start is given, given what happened at Imola where I let myself be surprised. The Honda engine, in fact, has only one problem precisely at these junctures, as you have to keep it at a high and exacting rpm to avoid a sudden drop that can stop you on the grid. At the same time, I realise that if there is an opportunity to overtake Senna without great difficulty it will be at the start".
So there is a plan, but it is clear that Prost has no intention of revealing it. Not least because he would risk making a bad impression if the opposite were to happen at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix. It has to be said, however, that the problem of the start worries all competitors a little, front, middle and back in the grid, that is to say in whatever position they will find themselves. Everyone agrees that twenty-six cars are too many for this track. But the needs of sponsors, television, Balestre and Ecclestone are currently unavoidable. Returning to the race, with at least eight Italian drivers lined up and five or six cars in the race (the number also depends on the possibility of recovery for Capelli with the March and Larini with the Osella, who did not qualify on Thursday in the first timed practice session) it has to be said that the Italians have little hope of finally achieving success. The Ferrari, as already mentioned, could make some progress, but it is unthinkable that it could beat the McLarens, barring unforeseen troubles in the English team or technical recoveries that are unthinkable at the moment. A flicker of hope for Nannini and Patrese, who start in a good position and have two cars at their disposal, the Benetton Ford and the Williams Judd, competitive with naturally aspirated engines. The Paduan was the last Italian to win at Monte Carlo, in 1982, while Ferrari's last success dates back to 1981 with the unforgettable Gilles Villeneuve. Says Riccardo Patrese:
"Honestly, we don't have many illusions. Here the turbos are not penalised by consumption and I really don't see how we could overtake Prost and Senna".
However, there are those who do not have these problems and would just like to improve their line-up. Nelson Piquet, for example. The Brazilian cannot rely on regularity to repeat the third places of Rio de Janeiro and Imola, and will have to try to get off to a good start. And Ferrari? Some hope, in theory, is there. Harvey Postlethwaite is waiting for a phone call from Maranello to find out if something new will arrive for the engines. It seems that the Maranello team has identified Honda's secret, to increase power. But any modifications will then have to be concretised. The checks carried out on the cars of Michele Alboreto and Gerhard Berger also revealed that the brakes were badly used. Discs, calipers and pads in recent times have made such progress that it is no longer necessary to exaggerate in size and thickness. A tweak here, a tweak there, so you can file down the gaps. Ferrari's technical manager, turbo car sector, explains:
"Our single-seaters are basically good and the drivers, at least, are satisfied with the road holding. The problem, particularly on this track, concerns acceleration. And I must say that in a way I envy my colleagues at McLaren who don't have to worry about the engine. It arrives practically out of the box and the Japanese take care of it. Maybe the British don't even know what they put on their cars".
It is certain, however, that Jean Jacques His, the power unit boss, has something in development at Fiorano, both in terms of the engine's lung, that is, the supercharger, and the internal structure of the six cylinders. There will also be an attempt, perhaps, to increase the revs, as the Hondas seem to be revving above 14.000 rpm. But it is equally clear that with major changes there is a lot at risk in terms of reliability. Postlethwaite concludes:
"We have had two races, this is the third, and it is too early to call us defeated. After Imola I was bitter and disappointed, today I am, I won't say optimistic, but confident".
A restorative injection also for the morale of Berger and Alboreto. In the meantime, the opening of Formula 1 to Eastern Europe is widening. After two years of the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, it seems that this time it is the turn of the USSR. There has long been talk of a race to be held on a city circuit in Moscow, but now the possibility has become more concrete. Two days ago Bernie Ecclestone returned with positive news from a visit to the Russian leadership. A decision is expected to be made by November, as the Soviet Union is planning to enter the competition as organiser and manufacturer. So much for fear and risk. Saturday 14 May 1988 Ayrton Senna perhaps thinks about it when he is on foot: in the car he forgets everything and just presses on the accelerator. Otherwise one would not explain how, after raising a cry of alarm about the dangers of a street circuit crowded with twenty-six cars, he manages to humiliate his opponents. Very fast, the Brazilian inflicts the heaviest gap of the season on his team-mate, Alain Prost, and leaves all the others at abysmal chronometric distances.
"Sometimes I think I know some of the reasons why I do my job. Monte-Carlo 1988, qualifying session, Saturday afternoon: I was already in pole position, first by half a second, then by a second, and I was going, going, going faster and faster. In a short time I was two seconds faster than anyone else; I was driving instinctively, I was in another dimension, in a tunnel, far beyond my rational capacity. On that day I told myself: this is the maximum I can reach, there is no margin for anything more. I have never reached that feeling since".
The Brazilian will, once again, start on pole position in the classic Monaco Grand Prix. A considerable advantage on this track of prohibitive overtaking, a mortgage for a success that is unlikely to escape McLaren, given the performance of the British cars and Honda engines. Ferrari proposed itself as a possible outsider thanks to the third and fourth place conquered by Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto. Supported by an excellent chassis, the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers put in a fantastic effort. The figures speak for themselves. If in terms of top speed (downhill) the Maranello cars prove to be second only to the Honda-powered cars, the data transmitted by the Longines-Olivetti service highlight the engine's shortcomings in acceleration. On the finish line Senna passes at 241 km/h, just ahead of Prost and Piquet. But ahead of Berger (230 km/h) and Alboreto (229 km/h) even Ghinzani's Zakspeed and Larrauri's Eurobrun (which has a naturally aspirated Cosworth) settle in. However, Ferrari obtains an overall result that is even better than expected, since nothing has arrived from the Fiorano workshops: evidently the modifications being made to the engine are not yet ready and any further check to see if there is a real possibility of improvement in the use of the supercharging system is postponed until the next Mexican Grand Prix, in a fortnight' time. There are many dominant reasons for this.The Senna-Prost duel that is worth the supremacy in the team, the pursuit of Berger and Alboreto, lurking to seize possible opportunities in case of a crisis of the McLaren drivers (there are no tyre changes and therefore it will also be a tight race without stops) and the possibility of Mansell (P5) joining in. Nannini (P6) and Patrese (P8) with non-supercharged cars, to which it is worth adding the two Arrows of Warwick and Cheever who are doing well. The last qualifying session, finally without rain, is lived on the duel between Senna and Prost and the fight between the other drivers. The Brazilian immediately wins, taking 1'23"998 (third consecutive pole, nineteenth of his career) and leaving his team-mate, almost to the end of practice, about 3 seconds behind. For Ferrari it is a crescendo. Berger battles with Mansell for a long time, then gives the impression that he can even attack Prost to finish on the front row, so much so that the technicians warn him of the Frenchman's margin. Alboreto, unleashed, struggles hard to overtake the Englishman of Williams, but already when they are third and fifth Postlethwaite and colleagues at Maranello appear more than satisfied. Roaring tussle also in the queue to take part in the Grand Prix. And for the first time, all the Italians in contention (with the sole exception of Modena, who had been excluded on Thursday for not stopping at the pit lane entrance to check the weight of his car) entered the grid.
There are nine Italian drivers (in this order Alboreto, Nannini, Patrese, Caffi, De Cesaris, Capelli, Ghinzani, Tarquini and Larini) in the race and it is already a fine record, considering the meagre satisfactions of these times. A negative moment, on the other hand, for the Japanese Nakajima (a clear sign of the Lotus' lack of competitiveness, to the partial blame also of the World Champion Nelson Piquet, only in P11), for the acerbic German Schneider, for Campos (his team-mate Sala did well, in the Minardi) also eliminated by an accident with Palmer and for Bailey. The Englishman is paying for his novitiate in Monte-Carlo. And to say that Tarquini (also a novice on this track) runs only a few laps due to a broken differential, that Capelli crashes his March breaking a suspension and that Larini with his brand new Osella, still to be fine tuned, hits the qualifying goal with extreme difficulty. Austrian Gerhard Berger says the same sentence three times - German English Italian - immediately after the official practice that saw him third:
"I am the first of the second".
Then he returns to say, bouncing from one language to another and from one journalist to another, even more interesting, if less amusing, things about his and Ferrari's moment.
"I gave it my all. And I think the car also gave its best. We had more power than at Imola. I only suffered some problems at the end. At the Casino bend the car went away from me, there and then I thought it was a matter of tyres, it was a matter of water".
A broken radiator, water on the rear wheels, which held little, someone confuses, misinterprets, even speaks of water in the cockpit.
"But by then it was official practice time. Now we will work again, in Mexico we will improve, then we will improve and we will become World Champions. I joke, I dream. But I want to say that we are moving forward, in small, important steps".
Best wishes for Mexico, but here?
"Here Senna runs away".
And double the Ferrari?
"Not this time".
And Alboreto adds:
"Senna and Prost run away, we are now trained to see them at the start and then on the podium, but Monte-Carlo is always a strange race, there are more ambushes than elsewhere".
For Berger casino problems, for Alboreto he one accent less:
"Casino problems on the track, too much traffic. On the last lap I could make the time, even from the front row, but coming out of the tunnel I found a car, I don't know whose, that was going slowly, let's say 70 km/h less than mine. Anyway, great chassis, good engine. We're also ready to take advantage of any infighting at McLaren. Or a mistake. What was important was that Berger and I were at the start just behind those two".
In one of his free practice stops, Alboreto had spoken to Gianni Agnelli:
"He enquired about the car, how we fit in it, how it drives us around".
Some say that Alboreto told the Avvocato, dignified rather than sad:
"I just can't let you win I'm sorry...".
Marco Piccinini explains more about Ferrari's current situation in Monaco:
"McLaren has a 10km/h margin on us, to make it round figures. But we are satisfied. Is Berger already thinking about the next Grand Prix in Mexico? I would say that the Monte-Carlo race is curious, we are there, just behind the McLarens, very ready. So far we've worked well here, starting to make up for some errors of judgement made in the recent past. And we have also chosen well the moment, in the last practice, to give our best, taking advantage of situations of less traffic, even if it is always heavy traffic".
Alessandro Nannini, in P6 with his Benetton, says:
"I did not expect the turbos to be so strong here. In acceleration I, with my naturally aspirated engine, noticed them more than expected. I had a stiff set-up, at the Hotel Loews corner the left front wheel lifted, a risk. I hope it can be remedied for the race".
Riccardo Patrese, in P8 with the Williams, admits:
"Bad day, various problems in free practice, which I didn't use much. And in practice the electrical system had something wrong with it. I set the eighth time with four minutes to go, my heart was in my throat, woe if I had to start too far back, it's an automatic end here".
Another world now, that is McLaren. Ayrton Senna declares:
"I had said in the morning that I would go down to 1'24"0, I did even better, they are thousandths of a second, but those count too. I only have one problem: the first corner. If at Santa Devota someone doesn't get into me, pushed from behind, from some bump, then the race is mine. Pole position is not enough for me, I would like to be beyond that corner already".
And Alain Prost underlines:
"Senna takes too many risks. I had brake problems, however in the end I came close to him in terms of time".
But witnesses scattered around the circuit say that, whether it was the brakes or something else, it was actually Prost who took more risks than Senna. We shall see in the race. Of course, if the two of them go off without a hitch, there will be nothing to see. There will only be to watch. Or rather, to watch. As anticipated, Giovanni Agnelli showed up in the pits of the Monaco Grand Prix. For the first time, perhaps, in the history of sport, the reporters do not have to sprinkle the words of the lawyer with fantasy, unearth meanings where perhaps he did not even think of creating any, but find themselves having to condense, summarise, cut. From the situation predicted by a current launched television anchorman ('one day, at the stadium, the lawyer will tell us that it's Sunday, and we will all be happy with the scoop'), we pass to the cornucopia overflowing with statements, and all of them good ones. Avvocato Agnelli, the stock market doesn't decide to go up and we have a lot of Fiat shares. What should I do? Lawyer Agnelli replies:
"I have more than her, console yourself. Let us suffer together".
Agnelli arrives in Monte-Carlo by helicopter, and enters the Ferrari pit at 10:40 a.m., while free practice is underway. Then he leaves by motorboat, after half an hour. Agnelli enters the pits without a pass, something that not even Prince Ranieri manages to do here. The pass with the Agnelli inscription is around the neck of the financier Carlo Bonomi, who works with him. Very fast, even athletic, followed by journalists and photographers in front of him, Agnelli answers questions. What did he say to Alboreto?
"What I was able to say in that noise. I inquired about the cockpit, so small, the dimensions. I saw the guy full of spirit again".
But the great Ferrari is more memory than actuality.
"True. But it is about beautiful memories".
Very true, but we are always here listening to you say that we must be patient.
"Patience is one of our virtues".
Lawyer, the idea is that Fiat with Ferrari is more consultant than partner.
"You know the relationship we have, the technical responsibility lies with Enzo Ferrari and his men. They work hard, we improve".
But on the other side is the whole of Japan.
"True. And well determined on one goal, this Formula 1 which is great showcase".
Showcase and Trojan horse?
"And yes. We realised that a long time ago, though. We have more scattered, diversified interests. They throw men, capital, energy into this venture. But in the world of technology, one is quick to move on, to catch up".
It takes almond-shaped eyes.
"I think it would take open eyes".
Insistence on Ferrari (before Berger's third half; ed.): is it a crisis?
"I would never use the word crisis, talking about Ferrari, the name it has, the efforts it is making".
No Indianapolis, despite certain signs at Ferrari?
"I wouldn't say that, it's a very special race, not ours a priori".
Does she like Prost?
"An excellent driver, but be careful: certain judgements must also take into account the car you are driving. I like our drivers, from Ferrari".
On Sunday 15 May 1988 the start of the Monaco Grand Prix is regular, fortunately, with the usual Santa Devote protecting the racers here. Senna, in pole position, takes the lead without problems. Behind him, however, Berger, very quick, takes advantage of an uncertainty of Prost (who makes a mistake in inserting the second gear) and slips past him, thus giving life to what was the dominant motif of the race itself. While Alboreto, in the tussle at the first corner, to avoid dangerous and useless accidents, lets go the unrestrained and always very good Nigel Mansell. In the first lap, meanwhile, several accidents occur, eliminating a World Championship protagonist (Piquet), and two drivers who could theoretically have achieved a good result. The Brazilian World Champion collides with Palmer's Tyrrell (such are the dangers when you are in the middle of the field) and is forced to retire for having broken the front wing attachment. Also eliminated were Alex Caffi (a collision with Capelli after about a hundred metres) and Streiff, who was stranded after the accelerator of his AGS broke. Thus a small group of cars formed, rather boring indeed, with Senna already far behind everyone and Berger busy containing the attacks of a cautious Prost. But experience teaches (and it was Prost himself who in the past had lost a race he had won by crashing) and the Frenchman is by now a master of competitive tactics. The most beautiful things, on an emotional level, however, are shown by the McLaren driver and the Ferrari's Austrian, within the limits of the car at his disposal, slower than the English one. Senna takes an unbridgeable lead, from 1 to 2 seconds per lap, imposing infernal rhythms that Prost cannot match, being stuck behind Berger with little chance of overtaking. First twist, however, on lap 33. Mansell in difficulty is attacked by Alboreto, who had been tailing him for eight laps. At the pool curve the Englishman goes wide, the Italian slides in and when the Williams comes back to close the corner the collision is inevitable. Luckily (for Alboreto) the English car has the most damage, after a spin, with the suspension out of action. From the rear emerges Riccardo Patrese, who takes Mansell's place, bringing Alboreto closer. But the Paduan runs into a difficult double, that of Alliot, a delightful character in everyday life, but an unpredictable driver on the track. The much slower Frenchman blatantly widens his trajectory, Patrese passes him, but the Lola driver suddenly closes. The bump sends the car first against the wall almost at full speed and then against the protections, destroyed, with no damage to the driver. Two laps later, as Berger's Ferrari seems to be in trouble, before the finish line Alain Prost overtakes the Austrian on the outside, without any problems. And so the grid pairs are recomposed, two McLarens in front, two Ferraris chasing. But Senna, in the meantime, seems to be running in a kind of competitive trance, lapping at an unnecessary speed, when his advantage is practically unbridgeable. With fifteen laps to go Ron Dennis shouts over the Brazilian driver's radio:
"Slow down, he'll never catch you. Slow down".
But there is no way the team principal can persuade Ayrton Senna to slow down. On lap 66, at the Portiere corner, the McLaren can be glimpsed squeezing too tightly to the right, then crashing straight into the guardrail on the left. The Brazilian driver, disappointed with himself, abandons the car and heads for his flat, located on Princess Grace Boulevard, not far from the Portier, where he will remain for hours locked in thought. It will indeed be some time before Ayrton decides to answer Jo Ramirez's countless phone calls, and between tears he will admit:
"I don't know how it happened. I barely grazed the inside of the curve or the barrier, and the car jumped, the steering wheel slipped from my hands and in a split second I was hitting the outside of the track. I must be the biggest idiot in the whole world".
And so, Alain Prost made poker. Fourth victory in the most prestigious race in Formula 1, 30th career success and a leap forward in the standings. It seemed a frozen and almost pointless race, with the first four on the grid in order until almost the end. Then Senna made an unforgivable mistake (which the Brazilian later admitted openly) by crashing into a guardrail. And this twist brought both Ferraris onto the podium, an all in all unexpected result, with Berger and Alboreto one in a row. Still a clear McLaren domination, but at least the Maranello stable confirmed that it was the only alternative to the supremacy of the British team.
On the performance level there was no history as Senna, if he had not thrown away the victory, could even have lapped at least Alboreto. However, in the end, the two Maranello cars were the only ones that did not suffer the shame of being lapped, as the fourth (Warwick in the Arrows), the fifth (Palmer driving the Tyrrell, first of the drivers on cars with naturally aspirated engines) and a very brave Patrese arrived at the finish line with a lap to spare. And only ten single-seaters finished the race, proving that this is always a very tough test. Alain Prost is wonderful in saying he is happy, without hurting Ayrton Senna:
"I won because Ayrton stopped, OK, but I was there, ready. And when I passed him I thought about my and McLaren's points and I was overjoyed. This is sport, this is competition: even between drivers of the same team. I don't know what happened to him, I want him to talk about it, every sentence I say could be misinterpreted. I raced for second place after I missed the transition from first to second at the start: I was well ahead, I got passed by Berger".
From there I started to think about the second place I absolutely had to take and keep. Berger's car was leaking oil and water, and every now and then I would pull three to four seconds off to not risk it and also to clean my visor with my gloves. I had decided to try to pass him in the second half of the race, I did so. Maybe he even made a mistake when I passed him. Up to that point I was satisfied with me, as a man, then I switched to childish happiness: yes, when at a certain point I found myself first. I had problems with the rear brakes, not a serious thing, but still a boring thing. It's possible that Senna had them too, and more serious, until the accident. But I'll say no more about Senna's misfortune. A few days earlier, however, Prost had said of Senna in pole position:
"He takes too many risks".
For Senna, from Prost, not even the flowers of the winner, only the good work of leaving the explanation of the madness to him. On McLaren, from Prost, a clarification to an English journalist who tells him how long he and Ayrton, count on remaining the strongest:
"Until the end of the year. But we are not the strongest, we are the very strongest. With Senna there are no problems because he has so far shown himself to be a respectful colleague. I think I also have respect for him, as he has for me. But honestly I was worried. If he had won another victory, if he had accumulated nine points, he would have at least disturbed me at the top of the classification. Instead he remained at zero, and now things are getting difficult for him, not least because the team, at this point, has to rely mainly on one man".
Clearer than that, Alain Prost could not be. The transalpine criticised, quite harshly, the mistake of his rival, who preferred to rest a few minutes at home before admitting he had made a very important mistake:
"I don't know exactly what happened. But our cars were perfect. We had some problems with the rear brakes, but only overheating. All we had to do was rest now and then, i.e. not to force to the maximum, and everything was fine. He must have brushed the track a bit too much. He closed the corner to the right, touched the front wheel and lost control of the car. So he crashed on the other side and the race ended miserably for him as the nine points were right in his grasp".
After the accident Senna left the car at the circuit and fled on foot to his home, which is in Monte-Carlo, not Brazil. He put himself to bed. To a friend he left saying:
"I don't know what to think, I want the car to be examined well before deciding if it was my mistake or a fault in the brakes".
Three hours later he woke up, or said he had woken up, and explained everything to a Brazilian journalist:
"My fault. I already knew the car was innocent, I wanted to think about it, take my time. I was happy, in the lead, I knew Berger had passed Prost, I was dreaming of World Champion. Then Prost became second, he did some very fast laps, I answered him. I re-established my big lead again, and I lost my concentration. I had lost my rhythm. When you lack concentration everything becomes more difficult. I had already risked finishing outside two or three laps before, and unfortunately it happened again and I couldn't stay in the race. I delayed braking, hit one side, lost control of the steering, hit the other, and it was all over. I'm very sorry because I wanted to win in Monte-Carlo, and I really wanted to recover points in the classification. Prost says that the championship is now downhill for him. I answer that the season is still very long and anything can happen".
Someone said that Senna wanted to lap everyone: he had revealed this to a friend. He wrecked a car and perhaps undermined his own ranking. At Monte-Carlo on Sunday night, some people praised him as brave, others condemned him as insane. As mentioned, two other brutal incidents have in some way determined the outcome of the race, at least as far as the finishing positions are concerned. The first concerned the Alboreto-Mansell duo. The collision between the Ferrari and the Williams worried the Maranello team, who feared an intervention by the stewards. The incident took place at the Piscina curve. A rather dry right-hand bend. In this regard, Michele Alboreto recounts:
"I was faster, and I had been behind for eight laps. Mansell was slowing me down noticeably. I saw the Williams come off the racing line, widen to the left and I slipped in. Mansell maybe didn't see me properly, closed in and there was nothing I could do. These are things that happen here at Monte-Carlo where there is no place where you can overtake with any peace of mind. After the race I saw the Englishman and we shook hands, he understood that I hadn't done it on purpose".
Nigel Mansell, on the other hand, accuses Alboreto of being unfair. But he does so in a very civilised manner, without protesting too much.
"I was in front, I decided the lines. He shouldn't have entered. In any case I expected an intervention from the stewards. They summoned us to the race direction, we watched the film of the accident several times together and in the end they decided it was OK. And then they said I was too impetuous".
The collision between Patrese and Alliot was also quite dramatic. The Paduan, overjoyed at the point won, puts all the blame on the Frenchman.
"He is reckless, he was lapped, he was holding me back for two laps. Then he went wide, I put myself on the right to pass and he also went back to the line. It could have been a disaster. Luckily he didn't do anything and didn't damage me too much".
Disappointment for Alessandro Nannini, who was eagerly awaiting the Monte-Carlo test after the Grand Prix run at Imola. The Tuscan driver did not really have a chance to get into the fight.
"After about ten laps I ran out of clutch. A serious handicap on this circuit that requires you to change gear every few seconds. Then the gearbox started to suffer, it jammed and at the St. Devote corner I was stuck in sixth. I had to slip down the escape route and say goodbye to the race".
The battle between Prost and Senna, therefore, continued. But will it always be a lonely family fight? Will no one be able to get in between the McLarens? Ferrari came close to a resounding blow with Berger's second place and Alboreto's third. Honestly, the Maranello team could never have won unless the two British cars had both retired. The performances were too different, one, two seconds a lap each time, at least as far as the comparison with Senna was concerned. Berger tried, he overtook Prost at the start and then kept him behind for three quarters of the race. But more could not be done by the Austrian, who, by the way, had problems with his own car that was leaking a bit of oil and also water, although in the end he managed to finish and bring home six precious points. At the end of the Grand Prix, Michele Alboreto clarifies:
"When I talk about our good competitiveness, I am referring to the rest of the world, not McLaren".
Having paid this debt to realism, everything else is well framed and framed. Full satisfaction, but it could go even better in Mexico. Alboreto continues:
"There are important new features coming to the engine and there will also be improvements to the chassis".
This is the logical, sensible end to Ferrari's day. Earlier there had been a perhaps excessive frenzy for second and third place. Throughout the race, there was providential calm at the Ferrari box, physiological serenity, not even sought. In the morning, in the forefront of the tuning tests, there had been a visit from Cesare Romiti, the second big Fiat presence after that of Agnelli.
"It is a world, this one, full of work and professionalism, it arouses enthusiasm and generates esteem".
Then the almost two hours of the Grand Prix passed in relative calm, in the sense that the animation of the pit was regulated by let's say usual presences, without even the usual crowding. A calm day, as Gerhard Berger also confirms:
"I have an ugly face because I am tired. But the race went well, and the next ones will be better. I could have kept Prost behind even to the end, with a few zig-zags, but that wouldn't have been right: when I realised he was really on my tail with ease, I backed off. I'm second in the standings, which is great, but nothing changes from before: in the sense that we have to keep working. We also have some aerodynamic problems, in addition to the known engine problems. I confirm that in Mexico, barring any bad luck, we will still be the strongest behind the McLarens".
The good start?
"A mistake by Prost, who missed the pass in second gear: so I overtook him".
Michele Alboreto adds:
"I made my run, getting the most out of the car, which needs a lot of work on the engine, still, and some chassis work".
The Ferrari drivers were satisfied, but still lost a second a lap to the McLaren.
"When I am satisfied, I think about the rest of the world, not McLaren. McLaren is everyone's problem, not just Ferrari's".
Says Marco Piccinini, Scuderia Ferrari's sporting director, who continues:
"50% good day, let's stay calm. Berger splendid, he even made us dream of first place".
And Harvey Postlethwaite concludes by saying:
"On Wednesday, coming here, I would have signed this ranking and worse. It was supposed to be our bad day, it was Lotus' bad day. The podium is important, the two cars at the finish are important: this is called reliability, even if the performance is what it is, compared to the McLaren".
It is the weight of wisdom, the French newspapers emphasised on Monday morning, that allowed Alain Prost to score his 30th Formula 1 victory on Sunday and to pull away from team-mate Ayrton Senna in the World Championship standings. The Brazilian admitted candidly that he had made an incredible mistake, crashing into a guardrail while well ahead of the race. Senna spoke of a lack of concentration. Prost, therefore, beat him on the tactical level, on that of an experience matured over the years and sometimes paid dearly for. This, on a human level, was the moral of the third round of the World Championship. On the technical side, however, the race lends itself to two evaluations: first, confirmation of McLaren's overwhelming power (third consecutive success); second, a small step forward for Ferrari, which returns to Maranello with a second place conquered by a superlative Gerhard Berger and a third obtained by the tenacious Michele Alboreto. But for the team of Maranello the recovery phase is not yet over, indeed it has not even begun, the chronometric gap with the McLaren-Honda of Prost and Senna is still very high, quantifiable at Monte-Carlo in 2-3 seconds per lap. Too much to think in this way of being able to put up a valid resistance in the fight for the title.While at Fiorano (and above all at Guildford, where John Barnard works) the programme concerning the new car equipped with a naturally aspirated engine is proceeding in forced stages (says Harvey Postlethwaite: "We are already late, because if it doesn't go well there won't be the material time to revise the plans"), the Maranello team's technicians are working hard to line up a deeply modified turbocharged Ferrari for the next race, the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday 29 May 1988. The most important problem concerns, as is widely known, the engine. More power is needed.
It is understood that Honda, ductile and elastic, endowed with enormous means, has developed avant-garde solutions. It seems that the Japanese six-cylinder, thanks to a high number of revolutions (we speak of 13.700 rpm), was able to achieve 720 hp in the race with a vast and above all rapid utilisation. This is why Jean Jacques His, with his collaborators, is preparing a substantially new engine. They are working on the revs, and for this purpose the crankshafts, probably the valves and other details have been revised. A careful study concerns the supercharging system and the turbines. In simple terms, so as not to fall into difficult technical arguments, we will say that at present the Ferrari engine cannot control the pressure well, which is limited by the pop-off valve to 2.5 bar, as per the regulations. The lung of the engine, i.e. the intake box, is equipped with a throttle, i.e. a bulkhead that opens and closes for each cylinder. But in cases where the supercharger pumps too violently, the pop-off opens, putting the apparatus into crisis for a few moments with pressures that drop and obviously reduce performance. To overcome this handicap, Ferrari has developed another throttle placed upstream of the box. The solution would allow a constant pressure at all times. All the material, together with some aerodynamic modifications and minor set-up tweaks, should be ready for Mexico. It is clear that this is a risk, as so many changes could compromise reliability. But this is also the only viable route. In essence, it is an almost desperate attempt, given the time allowed by a championship that is always pressing. An attempt on which Ferrari's future and the decisions that will be taken should it fail depend. And Barnard is watching, while for Postlethwaite, the operation is a kind of final exam. Ferrari's second Englishman (also very attached affectively to the Scuderia Ferrari) could hardly accept a new demotion, in favour of his compatriot.