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#544 1993 Belgian Grand Prix

2023-03-11 00:00

Osservatore Sportivo

#1993, Fulvio Conti, Translated by Nicola Carriero,

#544 1993 Belgian Grand Prix

To keep costs down, the FOCA tests have been cancelled and so on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 August 1993 the Monza circuit will host only three single-s

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To keep costs down, the FOCA tests have been cancelled and so on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 August 1993 the Monza circuit will host only three single-seaters for the Formula 1 tests : Ferrari, Bms Scuderia Italia and Sauber. Maranello’s team, also busy at Fiorano with Alesi who will have to  focus on active suspension, gives the F93/A to Larini for tests with the new 12 cylinder engine with 4 valves per cylinder, and tests with Goodyear tyres. On the Lombardy track the Italian driver carries out engine tests (4 valves) in the morning, but found a problem in the afternoon due to an oil leak. Best round in 1'24"04, against 1'24"26 set by J.J. Letho with the Sauber, and 1'27"10 set by Michele Alboreto with the Lola Bms. The team also works at Fiorano with Alesi (60 laps) on active suspensions. After finishing with some satisfaction the tests at Monza and Fiorano, on engines and active suspensions, Ferrari will be back on track from Monday 23 August 1993 at the Mugello circuit. For the tenth time since the beginning of the year, the Tuscan track will host the Maranello cars. Three days of testing, until Wednesday, with Jean Alesi, test driver Nicola Larini, and almost certainly Gerhard Berger. For the Austrian racer, convalescing from a second elbow operation, a decision will be taken at the last moment, but it is very likely that he will return to driving because these tests are considered very important in view of the final races of the season. The engineers are still under pressure, but it is not excluded that Ferrari will not be able to bring to Mugello at least one of the modified chassis intended to host the anti-roll bars, designed to overcome the defects of the active suspensions. With testing over, the teams move to Spa, Belgium, for the 12th round of the World Championship. At Spa, several journalists have the feeling that Ayrton Senna has become a lumbering object for Formula One. His whims, his impositions, his exorbitant demands are beginning to annoy. If it were not for the fact that he is - it must be acknowledged - a true champion, the absolute best driver of this last decade, one would probably feel like kicking him in the butt. Instead you put up with it, all together. On Thursday, 26 August 1993, the Brazilian is supposed to appear for a press conference at 3:30 p.m., but he shows up at 6:00 p.m., without apologising. 

 

"I arrived in Portugal on Wednesday from Brazil, so I am late for everything". 

 

In the days when Ayrton was in Sao Paulo to rest, some of his statements had arrived in Italy, according to which he had been in contact with Ferrari to discuss a signing for next year. On Thursday, Jean Todt, head of Scuderia Ferrari, officially declared: 

 

"I have never spoken to Senna. And I only dream at night, during the day I am a realist. We have already communicated once that Alesi and Berger will be Ferrari's drivers in 1994, then we affirmed it once again and I am reconfirming it on this occasion". 

 

Unofficially, the Maranello team also makes known the reasons why Ayrton Senna cannot be of interest at the moment. First of all, he is too expensive, as he asks for a sum close to 20.000.000 dollars; then he wants to take a four-month winter vacations and to take part as little as possible in testing; if a competitive car were certainly available, one could also make sacrifices, but for now one can only hope and work; and, finally, having such a demanding star in the team can be negative in a period of team reconstruction. So, for now, the marriage must be postponed. As Senna himself points out: 

 

"I have always spoken and thought well of Ferrari, even in Enzo Ferrari's time. I am convinced that before ending his career a driver should have an experience with Maranello. But that doesn't mean that I will move to Ferrari in 1994, two or five years from now. It's time to end it, to kill all the inferences. If there was talk in the air, I wouldn't make it public". 

 

About that, Jean Todt's response was not long in coming:

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"I also read Senna's statements and I have to be honest, he said some things that make me happy. It can't help but be pleased to hear that a three-time world champion wants so much to come to Ferrari and Ferrari would also like to have a driver like him. We are making considerable steps forward, Senna has noticed it, he has said it publicly and we are proud because this means that we have not been working in vain over these months. What I said is true but it doesn't mean at all that Senna is coming to Maranello. And do you know why? For two reasons. First, Senna is saying these things to others but he has never spoken about it with me or anyone else from Ferrari, so there is no open discussion between us. Secondly, for 1994 Ferrari already has two drivers, Alesi and Berger, and wouldn't really know where to put the third one. It's all here and it's all very simple and clear".

 

Why, then, is there so much talk of Senna at Ferrari? A little because the driver's words are often distorted or at least interpreted in the wrong way. And also for another reason: the drivers take advantage of certain situations. Mansell, in order to increase his odds in Formula Indy, keeps saying that he has contacts to return to Formula 1. Senna himself has often used the names of different teams to gain advantages. In 1990 and 1991, before re-signing for McLaren, he made it seem as if he was in contact with Williams, even though he knew he had no intention of changing. Now the matter should be definitively cleared up. Ayrton Senna also specifies that he has no ideas about his future, he does not want to talk about it. Some say he could take a year off, as there is no team able to offer him what he asks for in terms of money and guarantees of competitiveness. In any case, the latest rumour in the circus is the one that would have McLaren partnering with Chrysler next year to adopt Lamborghini engines, which by the way are owned by the American company. It could be the right move to convince the Brazilian to stay. And in the meantime Peugeot, if it actually decides to enter the competition, could start by supplying engines to Larrousse and Jordan. In the meantime, however, Friday 27 August 1993 sees the return to the track with the first practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix. The Williams are obviously the favourites for victory, but one cannot overlook the fact that here last year took place Michael Schumacher's first victory with Benetton and that Ayrton Senna on this fantastic track of Spa-Francorchamps has already asserted himself five times. There is also a lot of expectation around Ferrari, after Gerhard Berger's third place in Budapest. The Austrian driver, who will turn 34 on Friday, is still feeling pain in his injured elbow but says he is in good shape. There are no revolutionary technical innovations but small improvements on suspensions and engines. Just enough to hope for a repeat of the good performance seen in Hungary. Spa-Francorchamps is a very beautiful track but also a treacherous one. 

 

And because they keep very high average speeds, close to 230 km/h, the risks for the drivers are considerable. A small distraction, a mistake, a failure and you're in the barriers. At full speed. Fortunately, these days the cars are extraordinarily strong and the Formula 1 men have a few saints in heaven. It was a combination that saved Alessandro Zanardi on Friday 27 August 1993. The daring Italian racer, driving the legendary (but at this moment fallen) Lotus, escaped a terrible accident. A frightening collision, which occurred in the morning, during the first free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix. The 26-year-old driver from Bologna (whose younger sister, a promising swimming champion, died in a car accident several years ago) is one of those who is not afraid to keep his foot on the accelerator, even though his car is certainly not perfect in terms of road holding. Zanardi deals with one of the most demanding sections of the circuit: the Radillon climb, on which the single-seaters reach top speed after passing a kind of compression in the very fast Eau Rouge curve. What happens? The Lotus is seen losing grip and heading straight into the guardrails on the left of the track. A big bang is instantly accompanied by a blaze: two wheels off on the first impact, the other two in the next one. The bodyshell, by now stripped of most of its bodywork, flies into the air and ends up on the other side of the track. Immediately afterwards comes Michael Andretti in the McLaren: the American driver is forced to make a rash hard braking. Then, Ayrton Senna, who is on his way to the scene of the accident, runs off the track to avoid the obstacle. The Brazilian is also reprimanded by the stewards for not having slowed down earlier. Alessandro Zanardi remains unconscious for long minutes inside the cockpit of the Lotus. Meanwhile, first aid, doctors and nurses, an ambulance and a helicopter arrive on the scene. 

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The driver is transported first to the hospital in Verbier and then to the better-equipped university hospital of Liege. And here the medical staff were surprised: apart from a state of shock and confusion, a nose contusion and a great pain in the neck, the Bolognese driver was almost unhurt. The doctors subject the Italian to a CT scan that confirms the initial diagnosis: nothing serious. Zanardi is then kept under observation and if no complications arise, according to reports (the doctors forbid visiting the Italian driver) he could even be released on Saturday. It is almost excluded that he will be able to race. All's well that ends well, and the Formula 1 circus goes on with its show. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is beautiful. Laid down among the hills of the Ardennes, in the midst of evergreen forests. A ribbon of asphalt that winds its way up and down, with several very fast corners, some slower ones, a hairpin bend, a couple of chicanes, and three or four points where drivers have to apply the brakes like madmen. In short, an exciting track for those who love sporty driving. It is not for nothing that real or announced champions have always won here: from Juan Manuel Fangio in 1950 when the track was so long, through Alberto Ascari, Jack Brabham and Jim Clark, to - in more recent times and with the reduction of the track (now 6974 metres) and the resurfacing of some excessively tricky corners - Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher. In this edition of the Belgian Grand Prix, the show offered by the Spa circuit features Damon Hill as the leading actor, author of the best time of 1'48"716, at an average speed of 230.936 km/h: 0.078 seconds ahead of his team-mate Alain Prost. At the end of practice, the English driver declares: 

 

"The victory in Hungary did me good, unlocking me psychologically". 

 

But on Saturday Alain Prost will present him the bill. Everything is fine then at Williams. Only complaints instead on the other fronts. Michael Schumacher (P3) is not happy with his Benetton; Ayrton Senna (P4) talks about McLaren being bad ('I am discouraged'). At Ferrari there is a certain optimism, even if there is nothing to be cheerful about: during practice Gerhard Berger's car almost catches fire due to a broken fuel line. In addition, the Austrian, suffering due to the elbow operation, makes it known that his car is undriveable. Jean Alesi breaks an engine and tries very little. In the end, P7 for the Frenchman, P10 for Gerhard Berger. Yet both hope to do better on Saturday, and most of all to get a good result in the race. They say that fortune favours the bold... and in fact, on Saturday, 28 August 1993, Ferrari gradually makes its way to the front rows. After Gerhard Berger's P3 in Hungary, here is Jean Alesi in P4 on the starting grid of the Belgian Grand Prix. Nothing exceptional, perhaps, but it is the best performance since the start of the World Championship. Another sign of the positive trend of the Maranello team. The inclusion at the top of Ferrari (at least of one Ferrari, as Gerhard Berger remains far behind) brings some interest to the Grand Prix that Formula 1 should, at least in theory, see Williams-Renault win or even dominate. Not for nothing do Alain Prost and Damon Hill start ahead of everyone. For the Frenchman it is pole position number 11 of the season, and number 31 in his career. During the second practice session Alain Prost suffers a little, but in the end, with the engine hissing at 15,000 rpm, he scores a time of 1'47"571, at an average speed of 233.394 km/h. A time that extinguishes all the ambitions of his team-mate. New absolute circuit record. Behind the impregnable duo is the usual Michael Schumacher. And Alesi? The Frenchman, in the very last minutes, performs an act of bravery, overtaking Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian had already changed and was talking to journalists. He was furious, Ayrton, because McLaren could not overcome an aerodynamic problem that had been present on the car since the beginning of the year. So he refused to make one more attempt with two sets of mixed tyres, because he considered it absolutely useless. 

 

"I knew Ferrari would catch up with us sooner or later. Bravo to Alesi, who is a very fast driver, but credit also to the car and the engine that have improved, while we are standing still. In the race, however, it could be something else. I think I can overtake the Ferrari in the first few laps". 

 

In fact, when starting with a full tank of petrol, the Maranello single-seaters are a bit more awkward.

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"That is why it is better to start at the front. That way we consume less tyres to stay with the chasing pack of Williams. However, I consider this race a foreshadowing of what we will be able to do at Monza, when we should have all the new things they are preparing in the workshop. I think I did my best as always, but this first result is also largely due to the improvement of the car. On Friday we were taking around 3.5 seconds off the Williams in the middle and mixed parts of the circuit, now we have reduced the margin to 2.2 seconds on the complete lap. We are still a long way off but it is the right way". 

 

Scuderia Ferrari manager Jean Todt says progress was made with further improvement of the software that manages the suspension, and adds that he is happy with the result and sorry for Berger, alone in P16. The Austrian, slowed down by a thousand problems and technical glitches, was hardly able to fine-tune his car. So much so that Berger should take the start with the adjustments studied by Alesi. In any case, these cars have become so sophisticated that anything can happen every time. Niki Lauda has his own interpretation of the secret that allowed Alesi to make progress in the second practice session:

 

"Jean complained on Friday about the excessive understeer his single-seater had. Normally in these cases you try to harden the car at the backside. It was done and it was worse. So it was softened. It was much better. I don't understand it any more". 

 

Much of Saturday's result will be at stake at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. This is a track that causes quite a few problems for the drivers at the start: the grid is slightly uphill and immediately afterwards there is a hairpin bend. In 1990 the start was repeated three times due to accidents. And there is always the threat of rain. And, in this respect, Alain Prost admits:

 

"This time I hope I don't mess up. Every night I dream of many departures. And they always go well... hopefully the reality won't be different".

 

Also lurking in the wings are new rivals to the Williams: the two Footwork cars of Suzuki and Warwick, in P6 and P7. Whoever wants to go on the podium will also have to fight with the Japanese team drivers. And speaking of the Rising Sun: next year Lotus should have Mugen engines, those manufactured by Mr Honda's son. And it seems that in the middle of the year, the strong Japanese company could then make a comeback. Sunday 29 August 1993, at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix Alain Prost is the quickest to start, while Michael Schumacher encounters problems using the clutch and the wheel anti-skid system, in fact remaining stationary: on the first lap the German driver is in P9, while Ayrton Senna, who is very good, gets in behind the Frenchman. But Ayrton immediately had to reckon with the Williams-Renault and on the second lap he was overtaken by Damon Hill on the climb towards the Raidillon. With Jean Alesi gone, who retires due to a less than perfect set-up of his Ferrari on lap 4, Michael Schumacher's show begins. Like a fury in a few minutes the German, thanks to a very fast Benetton, swallows up those ahead of him: first J.J. Lehto, then Aguri Suzuki and Derek Warwick. In an instant he is in the shadow of Ayrton Senna. At the end of the subsequent tyre changes the situation remained unchanged, with Alain Prost and Damon Hill in order in P1 and P2. But between Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher there is a near clash. The German performs the tyre change operation first, and reaches his rival's McLaren like a fury when the São Paulo champion comes out of the pits without a thought. The Benetton and McLaren touch each other, but fortunately the two drivers manage to avoid impact. However, Michael Schumacher passes his great rival. It seems - at this point - that the positions are now stable, but the drivers are forced to make a second pit-stop to replace their newly deteriorated tyres. Michael Schumacher is again the quickest, Damon Hill has no problems, while Alain Prost is slowed in the changeover and comes out 3 seconds behind. This is enough for Damon Hill to take the lead and for the German to pass - before the second chicane with a big braking move that causes the brakes to smoke - the Frenchman, who is proceeding more slowly as his tyres are still cold. In short, it was a real mockery for the professor, who found himself third after dominating until lap 30 of the race's 44.

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Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost continue their challenge, but only with the stopwatch, taking it in turns to set the fastest laps. However, in essence, nothing else changes and 31-year-old Damon Hill plays the English anthem on the podium, while a tear appears on Frank Williams' face. At his teammate's side, Alain Prost holds back his anger, letting off some champagne spray, while Michael Schumacher cheerfully greets the 20.000 German fans who have come to Spa just for him. Below the podium remain Ayrton Senna, who arrives fourth at the finish line detached and alone, with a McLaren in the grip of annoying vibrations, Johnny Herbert, fifth with the Lotus-Ford, and Riccardo Patrese, sixth with the Benetton-Ford. In the pits, meanwhile, the Ferrari men scrambled to understand what had happened to Jean Alesi's car and anxiously awaited the arrival of Gerhard Berger, who did not cross the finish line after his accident with Mark Blundell. Damon Hill, the unfaithful squire, has taken a liking to it. The sweet taste of victory in Budapest launched the son of art who repeated himself two weeks later in the Belgian Grand Prix. A nice spite to Alain Prost, who missed two important opportunities to add more records to his roll of honour. It was in fact the Englishman who gave Williams their sixth constructors' title, mathematically won in the Belgian race. In addition, Hill also inscribed his name on Renault's claim number 50 in the Formula One World Championship. In short, a gross disrespect for the superior. The Professor was left with third place, behind Michael Schumacher, and the chance to win his fourth World Championship in Monza in a fortnight' time anyway, as Ayrton Senna only picked up fourth place, ahead of Johnny Herbert and Riccardo Patrese at the finish line. Actually, given the performance of the McLaren, it is safe to say that, with a 28-point lead over the Brazilian, Alain Prost might even be content to take a few points. 

 

"It's great to win a Grand Prix, but to come first a second time is fantastic. I am over the moon. I pushed as hard as I could, but I have to admit that five laps of the Budapest circuit lasts as long as the whole race here. It was like a flash. At the beginning I really thought I couldn't beat Alain. But in the end my car was incredibly perfect and fast. I tried once to overtake Prost but he attacked back. Then at the tyre change everything happened. Luck continues to repay me for what it had taken from me before". 

 

Damon Hill continues to be modest. He knows very well that these statements have the same meaning for him as a day off has for a soldier. Soon he will have to return to the ranks. Frank Williams himself says so: 

 

"I am delighted to have won the Constructors' World Championship. But now we have to think about Prost's title. In the coming races the team will work above all to put the Frenchman in the ideal condition to achieve this goal". 

 

Alain Prost is fully aware of the situation: 

 

"I would like to win the rainbow helmet at Monza, so in the next three races we can all have fun. The race? For once I got a good start.... Then I had a lot of problems with traffic and some problems with the car. The suspension was not working as it should have. However, I am satisfied for the team and to have at least finished on the podium, even if it was on the lowest step, which I like less than the others". 

 

There were also some regrets for Michael Schumacher, who took his fifth second place of the season: 

 

"This time I could have won, maybe. My Benetton was very fast in the straights and very good in the corners. Unfortunately the start was a disaster. We have an automatic start system which I tried several times and it always went well. I stood on the pole like a fool, it felt like starting with a normal car in fifth gear. But I'll make up for it". 

 

Those who come out badly from the battle of the Ardennes are Ferrari. A very bad result for the Maranello team. 

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Jean Alesi retired due to suspension problems (he was afraid to go on) and Berger arrived in P10 after an excursion in the sand and a collision with Mark Blundell. And to think that Jean Alesi's fourth time in practice had raised many hopes. In truth, when you are forced to put one patch after another in order to solve problems, you also have to accept that you are moving in an alternating current. The team, every time it takes a small step forward, discovers new wrinkles and fails to take corrective action. It's like a short blanket: it's always cold and you can't sleep peacefully. And, on the other hand, a bad day dawns in the morning: for the Maranello team, the Belgian race was compromised shortly after 9:30 a.m., at the start of the warm-up, the half-hour practice session that allows the teams to fine-tune the cars for the race. Alesi had completed just four laps when he was forced to pit with a problem at the rear of his single-seater. A careful examination by the technicians had revealed that the push-rod, a metal strut that allows the suspension kinematics to work, had bent. Dismay, questions. Phone calls to Maranello and to Shalford, where John Barnard works. Then frantic work. For safety reasons, according to the official version, it was decided not only to reinforce the offending part (material defect?) but also to modify the whole set-up of the car. It was a crazy job to rebuild the two Ferraris because the same modifications were also being made on Berger's car - which found the Maranello team's men struggling before the race. Jean Alesi entered the track only five minutes before the deadline to line up, Gerhard Berger was not ready and had to start, last, from the pits. Then the Grand Prix with the Frenchman voluntarily retiring on the fourth lap and the Austrian tenth at the finish, after a long excursion off the track and a collision on the last lap with Mark Blundell's Ligier that sent both cars into the meadows. A disastrous result. Says Jean Alesi, on his return to the pits:

 

"I couldn't continue, it was madness. The car behind was touching the asphalt and I was in danger of crashing with 200 litres of petrol on board. This is a very fast track, you can end up at 280 km/h against a guardrail. I decided to stop myself, because I was afraid. It went badly, very badly, but I still have faith. People have to believe in us, I'll meet them at Monza in a fortnight' time". 

 

Berger escaped immediately after the race on his way to the hospital in Innsbruck, because in the accident with Blundell he hit his newly operated left elbow. 

 

"It hurts me a lot, I don't know if I will be able to take part in the trials this week. The Englishman wanted to overtake me at a point where it was not possible and he flew over me. Mark made a mistake, but these things happen, I don't make a drama out of it. The race? Starting from the pits I managed to climb up to sixth position before stopping to change the tyres. Then I made a mistake, got my foot stuck on the accelerator and ended up outside. I recovered, fought for seventh place, and Blundell came in. It was not a day. Despite everything I am convinced that for the Italian Grand Prix Ferrari has a chance to do better because of the characteristics of the circuit. At least, I hope so". 

 

Dark in the face, but very determined, Jean Todt is not looking for excuses: 

 

"We don't have much to say, you have seen what happened. The only news concerns Alesi's car. We checked it now and discovered that the left rear shock absorber was leaking oil. This was the cause that made the car unrideable, the modified suspension had not yet given any problems". 

 

From Tuesday, 31 August 1993, Ferrari will be at Monza and will carry out parallel tests at Fiorano. Two new chassis and a different suspension system with anti-roll bars will be tested, while yet another version of the 4-valve engine will be tested. With the hope of continued improvement.


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