While the first tests of the new four-valve engine are underway at the Mugello circuit, which should allow a considerable improvement in performance compared to the current five valves, on Tuesday 13 July 1993 the news comes that Ferrari may be forced to give up the participation of the German Grand Prix. And probably they will also miss theGrands Prix scheduled in August and September. A serious decision that, however, does not depend on Ferrari, but on the judgement that the World Council of the FIA will make following the process that on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 July 1993 will take place in Paris. The subject of the dispute before the supreme organ of Formula 1 is known: twenty-four of the twenty-six cars on the grid were declared irregular in Canada, France and Great Britain, because they violate two articles of the sports regulations concerning vehicle limitations: the first states that the cars must be checked entirely by the driver, while the active suspension and other novelties elaborated by engineers are now largely controlled by a computer; the second states that the aerodynamic cannot be changed when the car is in motion, which instead regularly happens with the active suspension that gives different structures following the input from the usual computer. The letter notified in Canada was then punctually repeated in France and Great Britain. Now there will be the judgement of the World Council. If the active suspension is deemed irregular, the offending teams will not be able to run in Germany and for many subsequent Grands Prix, for the simple reason that the respective cars are designed and built around the active suspension. Williams has already announced that it would take at least two months to make a conventional car, so it could reappear on track in the Japanese and Australian Grand Prix that will close the 1993 World Championship, while Ferrari is cautious at the moment, but it is easy to imagine that for the Maranello team these times will perhaps be longer, certainly not shorter than those of Williams. Different is the situation of McLaren, which on the current car is able to remove the active suspension and reassemble the old ones. However, it is not easy to assume the verdict, because technical and legal reasons clash, pressure from some teams on one side and others with different interests on the other, and especially the shadow of sponsors who may even decide to leave the circus. A complicated process to which another is added, the one on petrol. Is it irregular or not? Everything revolves around a sentence of the regulation that reads: all the components must be found in commercial petrol, but because, as stated by Agip, a company that collaborates with Ferrari:
“Marketable means petrol that, by virtue of its characteristics, is suitable for use in normal cars, but does not mean that it must already be marketed, because in this case, you might as well go and buy gas at any station. In this case, the FIA should have written «commercial» petrol instead of «marketable». We, the suppliers, accepted this definition, because it allowed us to research and find new components that would be good for tomorrow’s petrol. Without a minimum of research we do not care to stay in F1".
On Thursday, July 15, 1993 the judgement comes: the World Council of the FIA, composed of 23 members including the Italian Marco Piccinini, declares seven irregular cars due to the use of active suspension. These are Williams, McLaren, Benetton, Ferrari, Minardi, Lotus and Tyrrell. The World Council, approving in full the report of the technical commissioners, ruled that the active suspension of the above-mentioned teams, allows to modify in the race the aerodynamic set-up of the cars and that this is contrary to art. 3.7 of the technical regulations:
"Therefore, from today they are prohibited. Cars that will continue to mount active suspension will not be allowed in the race".
Furthermore, after making the active suspension, which has been in use for a long time, illegal, the World Council also prohibits the use of another technical device, the electronic anti-slipping system of the rear wheels, since it deprives the driver of full traction control, and this is contrary to art. 1.3. The culprits are the seven teams already mentioned and five others: Ligier, Footwork, Jordan, Larrousse and Sauber. In practice, only the two Lola Scuderia Italia driven by Michele Alboreto and Luca Badoer, who should theoretically find themselves alone on the track in the next races, are excluded from this ruling.
Theoretically, because against this sentence it is possible, within Thursday 22 July 1993, to appeal to the international court of appeal of the FIA, and it is enough that a single team makes appeal in order to suspend the provision, allowing all teams to race the German Grand Prix even with the famous irregular devices. How long it will take the Court of Appeal to issue a final judgement is clear to the president of the FIA, Max Mosley, referring to the Hungarian Grand Prix. Within a month, in short, everything will be definitely clear, although it seems strange to think of the Court of Appeal ruling against the FIA itself. So, it is a formality to save one or two races from the abyss. And after that, what? A championship without Williams and without Alain Prost would obviously be distorted, Mosley himself knows, adding that it is with pain, the regulations must be respected. It could also become a championship without Ferrari, and even this, if not especially this, would damage the image of the entire Formula 1. There remains therefore only one chance to put an end to this farce that would ruin everything, the one that all the teams, forgetting for a moment grudges and spite, bring to the FIA a document that unanimously asks to be able to run until the end of the year with active suspension, and then abolish them from 1 January 1994. Scuderia Ferrari expresses satisfaction because its arguments have been accepted. The Maranello team, however, had asked for changes for next year. Should action be taken immediately, they will find themselves in difficulty: John Barnard will go to Maranello on Friday morning to assess whether the cars can be modified in time. Also on Friday, July 16, 1993, the World Council did not take the dreaded disqualifications, suspensions and fines to Formula 1 teams for using irregular petrol. Listening to the defences of the technicians of Elf and Agip and of the teams supplied from the two oil companies, the World Council emits a very particular sentence. The fuel considered suspicious (rumours of fraud were not born of nothing) is in compliance. But if all is well, why set up some sort of trial and arouse suspicion? Evidently this was also a ploy to bring to their knees the teams that did not want to accept the regulatory changes for 1994. So the FIA only specifies that from now on those who change the type of gasoline - practically companies do it in every race - will have to ask for a permit and have the product analysed beforehand to obtain approval.
In addition, President Max Mosley says that if all teams entered in the championship, by the German Grand Prix, they will unanimously ask to maintain the current situation for electronic systems will be allowed not to change cars until the end of the season. Here the discourse becomes a little more difficult and it is not excluded that the discussions continue among the controversies. Who is going to stop Ken Tyrrell - for example - from not signing the agreement? He has nothing to lose by the immediate abolition of active suspension. The FOCA meeting scheduled for Thursday, 22 July 1993, could also bring to light other serious conflicts and force everyone to take cover immediately after the race in Hockenheim. Until then, the use of electronics to change the structure of the cars and for traction control will be allowed because Williams and McLaren have appealed to the Court of Appeal on the decision of the FIA that wanted the immediate abolition. What about Ferrari? The Maranello team (which in the meantime continues to test the active suspension at Fiorano with Berger, while Barnard urgently studies a possible modification of the cars in case the teams did not find the agreement) is aligned with the Federation. He agrees to continue with the current rules until the end of the championship, but from 1994 he will have to return to less robotic cars, driven only by man, with research on aerodynamics, mechanics and the engine. In this regard, Monday, July 19, 1993, there is a technical summit in Maranello: Jean Todt and John Barnard study a plan to modify the cars (with passive suspension) if necessary for the Hungarian Grand Prix. On Monday, Alesi and Berger test the cars that will race in Germany, while on Tuesday and Wednesday the Austrian will test in Fiorano the active one. The new four-valve engine could be used Saturday, 25 July 1993, in Hockenheim. A few days later, on the eve of the German Grand Prix, Thursday, July 22, 1993, it was decided that the notorious (at least for Ferrari that cannot make it work) active suspension will be used until the end of the season. The decision is made after all the Formula 1 teams gathered in a hotel find unanimity to ask FISA to maintain the sophisticated electronic systems that control the cars. It was a troubled assembly. But, in the end, logic prevails and the compromise is found to avoid dangerous situations that could have led to the withdrawal of Williams, leader of the standings, if the suspension were immediately banned as the Federation demanded.
At the end of the meeting Jean Todt, representing Ferrari, tells the press:
"In fact, it has been a very hard day with very long discussions. It was decided to maintain the status quo because it was the least traumatic solution. We hope that from now on we will travel on the level of stability, so the designers will prepare the cars well for 1994. We also talked about next year. But for now we can not say anything. Wait for the FIA releases".
It seems that the manufacturers have presented a series of technical (and perhaps sporting) proposals to be adopted in the future, after the end of the season. The more recalcitrant teams (Williams, McLaren and Footwork) also renounce recourse to civil courts as they had threatened if the abolition of active suspension had been confirmed since the Hungarian Grand Prix. On the eve of the German Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari’s Sports Director Jean Todt, after showing up a few weeks ago at Maranello, makes it clear that the behaviour of some of the Italian journalists can only cause difficulties for the sports sector of the team, which with so much effort is starting to fix:
"Gentlemen, I’ve been at Ferrari for 24 days and I’ve already read a lot of things that aren’t right. I read that Ferrari buys engines from Honda: zero percent truth. I read that Senna will come to Ferrari next year: zero percent of truth. I read that now Ferrari buys the active suspension, the good ones, from Benetton: zero percent of truth. This is not good, we all have to work for the reconstruction of Ferrari. We must work together with respect for this country, for the forces working in this country. Otherwise, if everyone goes on his own, nothing is built".
Leaving aside politics and controversy, the German Grand Prix, the tenth round of the World Championship, also offers some competitive and human cues. The presence of Michael Schumacher at the top of the ranking arouses enthusiasm. In Hockenheim it is said that tickets for over 200.000 people between practice and race have been sold. A record that shows how, with a little good will, Formula 1 could still have space in the hearts of people. And Sunday’s race will be a special event for Riccardo Patrese. The 39-year-old from Padua will celebrate his 250th race in Formula 1 on Saturday, April 17, 1993. The Italian driver has been racing for seventeen seasons, has changed teams seven times, scored six wins and eight pole positions. He never won the title but he is certainly one of the most continuous and determined drivers who have ever frequented the world of engines. And he always wants to fight, even if experience and natural prudence now advise him not to take too many risks, when it is not the case. Patrese had a difficult start to the season, moving from Williams to Benetton, but in the last two races, culminating in third place at Silverstone, he showed himself in a clear recovery. He seems ready to give his best, as always.
"Where do I want to go? If it were up to me, I wouldn’t give up until I was able to fight the first. My only regret: I could never really fight for the World Cup. Last year it would have been possible, but Mansell was on the team with me... anyway, I think I’ve always done my duty. I had a lot of fun, I had very difficult moments, but if I could I would start again".
Of course, also because Formula 1 gave him fame and wealth. Which does not hurt. Two side notes: Alessandro Zanardi, the promising Lotus driver from Bologna, shows up in Hockenheim with his left foot in a cast. On Fridayit will be seen if he can drive: he was a victim in Bologna of a car accident. He did not drive like a madman at full speed. He was on a bike and a car, coming out of a row without signalling the turn, threw him to the ground. Good news, however, from Imola, where the court ruled in favour of the City and the managers of the circuit Enzo and Dino Ferrari who had appealed against the decision of the judge who had prohibited the testing of cars without silencers, therefore to almost all racing cars, including Formula 1. The sentence will be final for two years and then the plant that risked having to close, for the moment is safe.
"Heil Schumacher".
The crowd shouts on Friday, July 23, 1993, waving national flags. And the German driver responds to the incitements with a perfect lap, at the limit of the possibilities of his Benetton. But it is not enough to break the superiority of Williams and Alain Prost, too strong in all conditions. So, the Frenchman sets the fastest time in the first qualifying round of the German Grand Prix: 1'39"046, at the considerable average speed of 248.539 km/h. At 0.6 seconds there is the young local idol. It is the only real thrill of the day, even if they run on a terrifying track. Damon Hill (always with Williams-Renault) touches on the straight 340.690 km/h of maximum speed, absolute record on track for a Formula 1 car with an aspirated engine. In 1986, in Monza, Teo Fabi on the Benetton-Bmw had passed 350 km/h, but it was a turbo engine that - it is said - had 1500 hp. During the tests there are also many road exits (even Alain Prost and Damon Hill are among the protagonists of these accidents), some accidents without damage, but in the end the game does not show great news.
Luca Badoer, 22, from Treviso, a Scuderia Italia driver, is a guy who does not know fear, and maybe for this reason he goes off the track every now and then. During the tests, after taking the wake of the McLaren of Ayrton Senna, the Italian driver’s car skids and ends up against the guardrails. A front suspension arm enters the body and causes a severe knee contusion. Badoer, however, returned to the pits. The Italian driver does not complain, but asks that he has the spare car immediately prepared. Ligier confirms the progress, fourth with Mark Blundell and sixth with Martin Brundle, with two cars that are replicas of Williams (same engine, rear suspension and wings), still some difficulties for Ayrton Senna - only fifth - and the usual problems of Ferrari, in P9 with Gerhard Berger and in P10 with Jean Alesi. The engine of the Austrian’s car exploded during the second fast lap attempt.
"I could have improved a few tenths. And placed on third row. But the drawbacks for the moment remain".
Alesi knows something about this, and he cannot fix the set-up of his car, with the active suspension. So he jumped abruptly in the slowest parts of the track. In short, nothing moves on the horizon of Maranello. The new four-valve engine per cylinder could be tried on Saturday, but the results of this test - if so - are still full of questions. Not even the roar of the single-seaters launched on the circuit and the competitive tension, however, cover the chatter and controversy that continue to rage in the motor circus. After the agreement reached in extremis between the teams to avoid eliminating immediately the active suspension, on Friday, with a cool mind, new criticisms are raised and it is not certain that the discussions are really over. The impromptu press conference by Bernie Ecclestone, president of the manufacturers, on the contrary, contributes to the confusion.
"It was a very useful and positive meeting. Now we will present our proposal to the Federation, to maintain until the end of the season the cars as they are from the beginning of the year. I’m sure the FIA will accept the program. Do not ask me about the regulations we have planned for the future because we cannot make them public until they have been officially examined by the competent bodies".
A real tease. Ridiculous statements, since in Formula 1 no one does anything that Ecclestone does not want. However, something leaks. The active suspension will definitely be abolished from 1994, along with ABS and traction control. But the automatic transmission and telemetry will remain, while it will be possible to mount the power steering. It is already known that technicians have to study hydro-pneumatic or mechanical suspensions that will act as active electronic ones, so nothing will change. There will perhaps be mandatory refuelling and teams will not be able to use more than 64 engines during the season. It would be interesting to see what happens if a car like Senna’s one were to remain without engines two races before the end of the championship... In addition, the threat of the appeal to the Court of Appeal presented by Williams, McLaren and Footwork still hangs over the whole story.
The sports judges agree with the FIA. But what if the three teams go ahead and go to civil court, maybe at the end of the year, suing the Federation for damages? In short, these people, all together, do not realise that it is damaging the image of Formula 1. To round off the day of Friday, the race stewards realise that the official length of the German circuit is not the one indicated for years in all official documents of the FIA, but it is shorter. Saturday, July 24, 1993, Michael Schumacher gets in the headlines. Unable to attack the Williams, still too fast, the German driver takes it out on Ayrton Senna. Without reverential fears, the Benetton driver beats the Brazilian champion in the challenge for third place on the starting grid of the German Grand Prix. At the last qualifying lap German, with few prejudices and even less language ("Sex is good before and during the races. But don’t tell me about my most famous countrymen: Steffi Graf erotically doesn’t tell me anything, while Katrin Krabbe herself is not beautiful"), using used tires, he manages to fit behind Alain Prost and Damon Hill. And the crowd is delirious. Clearly, Alain Prost will start on pole position. Now it is taken for granted and every time the figures have to be reviewed: pole position number 29 of the Frenchman, the ninth of the season out of ten races. But as usual the Professor remains cautious:
"The asphalt is bumpy, the car is nervous on jumps, anything can happen. I have to deal with Hill, plus Schumacher and Senna are less distant than usual. In the race, with less gasoline, it will be very fast at the beginning, it will be a hard battle".
If Prost complains, what can Ferrari say? There is no defence for the Maranello team that is inP9 with Gerhard Berger and in P10 with Jean Alesi. In front, in addition to the usual well-known, there are also Ligier drivers, namely Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle, the centenary (by Grand Prix number: 250) Riccardo Patrese and Aguri Suzuki. An atypical tall and thin Japanese, always smiling, who lives in Paris and drives the Footwork that has a Honda engine disguised as Mugen and McLaren active suspension, paid $ 1.500.000. By the way, during practice Gerhard Berger comes out at a speed very close to 260 km/h at the third chicane, on his fourth qualifying lap. A big bang, car half destroyed, driver unharmed but a little shock:
"What a fright. But it was my fault, I arrived too strong. I took the curb with the rear wheels and lost control of the car. The thing is, with these active suspensions, you never know what to do, it’s different every time. I was pushing hard and I felt like I could score a good time from the third row. Instead I ended up into a bunch of tires. Anyway, it went well".
His companion of misfortune, Jean Alesi, does not go further: three laps and then the Frenchman must return to the pits for a gearbox failure. Ferrari had fitted the new engines with 4 valves per cylinder in the morning. Berger, unsure, had preferred to return to the standard engine in the afternoon, Alesi had continued the test. But it is difficult to talk about results, the tests are limited and not very indicative. The Scuderia Ferrari sports director, Jean Todt, admits:
"We go forward in steps, and you can’t work miracles. We will have something new, maybe for the Spa race at the end of the month, more probably for Monza".
Todt denies the fact that Maranello’s team has turned to Benetton for a technological supply of suspensions, a solution announced as very likely by some newspapers looking for scoops:
"Zero chance, our technicians think about it".
For the moment with poor results. The FIA, meanwhile, announces that starting from the German Grand Prix there will again be twenty-six cars on track. Perhaps to help the Scuderia Italia that qualified only one car.
But for bad luck Luca Badoer crashes another chassis and risks not being able to run. In Hockenheim, at the end of the tests, the 250th Grand Prix will be celebrated by Riccardo Patrese, who for the occasion is sprinkled with champagne by Briatore; at the party for the200th Grand Prix, Michele Alboreto and Alessandro Nannini gave him a frozen surprise with a water balloon, three years before. Bernie Ecclestone, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna are also present at the party, speaking with Riccardo who says:
"Two and fifty. If I get to two and fifty like you, I’m happy. Because I don’t believe I get to two and fifty like you".
Briatore, close to him, asks Ayrton:
"How many do you have?"
Ayrton replies as follows:
"I don’t know...".
Then they tell him that he might have 150, so Patrese replies, joking:
"Ah, well, come on, it’s only seven or eight years, what do you want it to be".
Ayrton turns to Briatore, then says:
"With this job, seven years is long".
On Sunday, July 25, 1993, at the start of the German Grand Prix, Alain Prost is the author of a bad start and is overtaken by Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. A few moments later Alain Prost goes back to third place taking it from Ayrton Senna after having joined the Brazilian driver in the middle of the straight, until the first chicane, which both drivers enter side by side. Leaving the chicane, Senna is the victim of a spin and is forced to wait for the passage of the entire group before being able to return. Brundle, in P4, is also the victim of a spin at the second chicane, forcing Alain Prost to make an evasive action and bypass part of the track. Both would be handed a 10-seconds stop-and-go penalty for this later in the race. At the end of the first lap, Damon Hill leads Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Mark Blundell, Riccardo Patrese, Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi. On lap 6, Alain Prost overtook Michael Schumacher, and joined team-mate Damon Hill three laps later. Behind, during lap 10, Gerhard Berger tries to overtake Aguri Suzuki’s Footwork-Mugen Honda but the two drivers come into contact, forcing the Japanese to spin. The race marshals wave the yellow flags, to signal the danger to the drivers who arrive, and in particular Damon Hill slows down in the next lap. So, Alain Prost takes the opportunity and overtakes his teammate, leading the race, before serving the controversial penalty imposed by the race director, in the next lap, and goes down in P6 behind Riccardo Patrese. Michael Schumacher is the first of the leaders to return to the pits to change tires, and returns to the track in P4, behind Alain Prost and Mark Blundell, ahead of his team-mate (Riccardo Patrese). During the lap after returning to the track, the German driver overtook Mark Blundell at the first chicane and took third place, while Martin Brundle returned to the centre of the group due to the penalty on lap 12. Meanwhile, Ayrton Senna made his way to the P7 but in the end he was unable to overtake Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari and opted for an early pit stop to change tyres, as previously done by Riccardo Patrese and Mark Blundell. Damon Hill led the race, followed by Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Gerhard Berger, Mark Blundell, Riccardo Patrese and Ayrton Senna.
Then Mark Blundell, with new tyres, managed to overtake Gerhard Berger, winning the fourth place, but the Austrian managed to recover the position, overtaking the British driver on the next straight using the Ligier’s trail. Blundell eventually managed to overtake Berger by entering the stadium section and, soon after, both Riccardo Patrese and Ayrton Senna managed to get close to the Austrian. In the minutes that follow, Ayrton Senna wins the P5, overtaking both Riccardo Patrese and Gerhard Berger in the next lap, while the Italian manages to pass in the wake of the Austrian driver’s Ferrari, who suffers more and more from excessive tyre wear. Towards the end of the race Michael Schumacher stops again in the pits to mount a third set of tires, returning to the track with a noticeable gap from the Williams, but with half a minute behind Mark Blundell, in P4, who in turn maintains a slight gap from the McLaren of Ayrton Senna. In the last few laps, Alain Prost managed to reduce the gap that separated him from his teammate, Damon Hill, while Michael Schumacher set a series of fastest lap times, reaching almost 17 seconds from Alain Prost. Meanwhile Ayrton Senna - still unable to pass Mark Blundell - returns to the pits to make an unscheduled tyre change on lap 41, and returns to the track ahead of Riccardo Patrese. In the last few laps, Damon Hill’s advantage over his teammate is reduced to 8 seconds. Despite the recovery of the Frenchman, at the start of the penultimate lap it seems that Damon Hill is headed towards the first victory in his career but leaving the Ostkurve the rear left tire deflates, forcing the British driver to retire. Alain Prost won the German Grand Prix, ahead of Michael Schumacher, Mark Blundell’s Ligier-Renault, Ayrton Senna, Riccardo Patrese’s second Benetton-Ford and Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari. No one can stop Alain Prost. Not even the sports stewards who for the second time since the beginning of the season have penalised the Frenchman in the race, forcing him to a forced pit stop. Thus, accomplice also to the misfortune that persecutes Damon Hill (blocked by the burst of a tire on the third last lap, while he was largely in the lead and started to the first success of his career), the Professor caught in the German Grand Prix his success number 51, the seventh victory of the season, out of ten races played. The Williams driver now has 27 points in the world standings over Ayrton Senna, only fourth at the finish line, preceded not only by the great rival also by Michael Schumacher and Mark Blundell.
In front of 148.000 paying spectators (absolute record for the circuit) the race was certainly one of the most eventful since the beginning of the championship, full of intriguing episodes and even controversy. The most important involved Alain Prost who this time paid blamelessly (although then he was pardoned by good luck) an absolutely licit manoeuvre. This happened at the second chicane, during the first lap. Alain Prost started badly, overtaken by Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. On the first straight Ayrton Senna was almost paired outside. The Brazilian, regardless, tried to tighten the trajectory to intimidate the opponent. But, this time, Prost - also strong of a Williams clearly superior as road holding - has not yielded to the pressure. He held on and at the exit of the first variant he forced Ayrton to break. And McLaren spun. For the Sao Paulo driver the race started uphill: he had to wait for all the competitors to pass and he returned to the track in the very last position. His was a test in pursuit and it went well for him, all in all, if he came fourth, since he had to take many risks. But back to Prost. Second chicane: the transalpine is already trying to recover. Strength at best. He arrives with brakes almost blocked and realises, with terror, that behind him the Ligier of Martin Brundle is out of control, for a spin. To avoid a probable impact, the Professor slips the escape route, cutting a small stretch of track, and passes unscathed. The manoeuvre does not escape the commissioners who warn the race director, the Belgian Roland Bruynseraede. Who, in the general amazement, inflicts to the two drivers a stop-and-go, that is a forced stop at the pits of 10 seconds. Obviously this episode changes the whole appearance of the race. Although he left late, Prost had given the impression of being able to quickly catch up with those who had preceded him. Instead the stop forces him to recover, entangles him in overtaking and the Frenchman can no longer make contact with Hill. The latter seems to have finally started to triumph, already missed at Silverstone for the engine failure, when three laps from the end the left rear tire of his Williams sags. Farewell dreams of glory. Thus, Alain Prost wins without difficulty, before Michael Schumacher is exalted by the crowd and Mark Blundell. Then Ayrton Senna and Riccardo Patrese celebrated his Grand Prix number 250 with the conquest of 2 points, in full average with his reputation as a prudent and reliable driver. Understandably, Alain Prost at the end of the race is overwhelmed by fatigue and tension:
"It’s a scandal. When they radioed me that I had to pit for the penalty, I didn’t know what to think. Did the advance start like in Monte Carlo, or did I do something wrong? It is clear that at that point I could only race for second or third place. But you tell me how I should behave".
The French use harsh words. But having won he only asks for explanations, to clarify facts:
"When I saw in the rearview mirrors that the Ligier of Brundle could come at me, I did the only thing that could be decided in a split second. I went straight. If there was a collision it would be a disaster. And then, do you remember that last year, to overtake Senna, the good Mansell cut the chicane voluntarily at full speed? And the Englishman was punished? I, by the way, having slowed down noticeably did not even have an advantage from the manoeuvre, only to avoid the accident. We talked in the morning briefing about the second chicane. And I remembered that episode. I think it’s stupid what happened".
Referring then to the brief duel with Senna, the professor is limited to a couple of jokes:
"That’s Ayrton’s style. But I wasn’t willing to accept intimidation. The championship? I feel more relaxed, but I’m also very tired. Now I take a couple of weeks off. If I win in Hungary too, the story will be different. I’m sorry about Damon Hill, but it’s not my fault he’s being stalked. However, I can assure you that, if they didn’t stop me, at the end of the race I would still be in charge".
Ayrton Senna replies:
"It’s easy to talk when you have a far superior car. When we got to the first chicane neither of us wanted to brake first. So we arrived at the exit of the paired variant and I, who was really at the limit, lost control of my McLaren. Then, leaving last, after the tail-end, I had fun overtaking. But, honestly, I expected to rank at least third".
For Michael Schumacher, who closes the lap of honour waving a German flag, the second place is a prize:
"I was hoping to get to Prost. That’s why I switched tires twice. But in the final my car, which was the reserve one, having had to change it after the reconnaissance lap due to a problem on the race one, was no longer perfect. And I settled. This was not the ideal track to win. I’ll try again in Budapest".
Benetton, which also places Riccardo Patrese in P5, lives moments of apprehension after the race, when McLaren makes an official complaint against the Anglo-Italian team for an oil cooler that - in his opinion - would be irregular. But the protest is rejected and the story ends with nothing. Mr. Roland Bruynseraede is a Belgian gentleman in his 40s who was a race director in Formula 1. But now a car enthusiast and on weekends he had an intense activity as a sports commissioner. In 1988 Bernie Ecclestone, president of the constructors, called him to put an end to a series of controversies that had involved various managers of the races, from the old starter Derek Ongaro, accused of sleeping at the start, to get to Jacky Ickx. The former driver in 1984 was suspected of having favoured Prost by blocking the Monaco Grand Prix when Senna was about to overtake the Frenchman in the rain-flooded circuit. Sunday afternoon, after the German Grand Prix, Mr Bruynseraede, with great honesty, goes to Martin Brunelle and apologises for having unfairly penalised him by 10 seconds, after the Englishman had cut the chicane in the first lap.
"I hadn’t seen Ligier spin. I thought she did it on purpose, along with Prost".
Erring is human. However, Alain Prost is right in saying that the punishment he suffered was a scandal. Not so much for the evaluation out of measure, as because the measure leaves strong suspicions of combine against the Williams driver. Alain had already suffered - rightly - a similar sanction for having anticipated the departure to Monte-Carlo. This time he was targeted without fault. This may not be a real conspiracy, but it is certainly a special attention. The Professor is in the crosshairs for two reasons: the first concerns some of his heavy statements against the Federation, officially forgiven, but certainly remained in the minds of the FIA executives; the second is to be found in the superiority that the Frenchman is showing this year. To improve the show and make racing more exciting, the fastest means is to put a handicap to those who kill the championship. And indeed, if this is the ultimate goal, they also succeeded because the race was one of the most beautiful and vibrant of the season. But let’s be serious: the law must be the same for everyone. If there are rules to be respected, all competitors must do so. It is not enough, sometimes, to give an example, as a deterrent. And to hit a protagonist, leaving out episodes from the criminal code that happen maybe in the background. In this sense the Federation has great faults. It has always used double standards depending on the moment and the mood. Nobody had the courage to disqualify Ayrton Senna in the fall of 1990 when he threw off the track at the first corner, with obvious intention, the Prost Ferrari. On that occasion the Brazilian hit in a single hit not only the rival’s car, but also the conquest of his second world title and a personal revenge for being penalised the previous year in the same race, after he and Prost had gone off the track and had returned with an irregular manoeuvre. Senna then had the impudence, two years later, to admit publicly that he hit Prost on purpose. And he went unpunished because he threatened to withdraw. A driver of his worth, an absolute protagonist, has the right to be respected, but not when he puts himself on the wrong side.
Now we are working to restore a certain balance in Formula 1, to make cars more cars and less robots, to give value to the human factor with new technical rules. But if you fall into a political trap, everything can be undone. Justice in Formula 1 should be administered through certain procedures. Reporting of the commissioners, meeting of international delegates, decisions taken collectively and then communicated by the race director. One gets the impression, instead, that everything is handled from above, with orders to be respected, whatever happens. The show is fine, but not at all costs. In the points zone there are also the Ferrari with Gerhard Berger in P6, while Jean Alesi was ranked in P7. A result certainly not exciting, but better than those of the two previous tests. At least the Frenchman was able to recover from the P18 in which he had finished to be forced to stop at the pits. The Frenchman was sixth when the mechanics had to intervene to close the body that was opening due to the breakage of a screw. The Austrian has created two beautiful duels with Senna and Blundell. Gerhard resisted the McLaren of the Brazilian, proving that the engine produced in Maranello is improving, and made it hard for the English to overtake, in a series of thrilling exchanges. Ultimately, for the fifth time since the beginning of the year, Ferrari has entered the points zone. It is certainly not the result that fans expect. However, there are some signs that can be interpreted positively. In qualifying, the cars of Maranello suffered the least gap from Williams, apart from the one recorded on the anomalous city track of Monte-Carlo. In Germany the reliability was good and the competitiveness higher than in the last races. Normally, the McLaren of Senna passed the Italian cars very easily: this time Berger was able to keep up with the Brazilian, before being overtaken in the final moments, when Ayrton had changed tires. And he was also able to replicate Blundell’s attacks for a few laps, a bit because the car was not bad, a bit because the Austrian was in a state of grace, inspired as few other times in recent times.
"Don’t think it was easy anyway. I was on the edge. Suspension problems persist, in the slow corners I seemed to float. On the tenth lap I touched with Andretti and I got a good fear. Then, let’s say, I made an active resistance".
The same goes for Jean Alesi, who among other things could have finished in the top six if he had not been forced to stop to put the engine dome in place; immediately after the start, on lap three, he had managed to overtake his team-mate.
"Seventh? It is not a great result. For Ferrari it continues to be little, too little".
Jean Todt, Scuderia Ferrari’s Sports Director, thanks the drivers for their commitment. Then he calmly analyses the situation:
"For us, it’s just an encouragement prize. We haven’t solved our problems, although I honestly didn’t expect more. Now we have a very intense plan of tests to work thoroughly: during these weeks we will go on track in Fiorano, Monza, Mugello, Imola and Reggio Emilia airport. We will leave no stone unturned to improve before the end of the season".
In the meantime, John Barnard will be working on the car for 1994. In terms of engines, the modified 12-cylinder with four valves per cylinder could not be tested for various problems on Saturday, including Berger’s off-track. But engineer Claudio Lombardi, head of the engine sector, says:
"I’m pretty satisfied, though. We have achieved good reliability and above all we have obtained interesting data for further developments. I would say that we are on the right path to make some progress in the next races, even if our goal is focused on the future".