During the summer, rumours of a future partnership between McLaren and Lamborghini to supply engines, replacing the Ford ones, begin to be insistent after the Silverstone circuit, Mika Hakkinen performs a test with the engines designed by Mauro Forghieri and, despite a sudden explosion, the Finnish driver turns 1.2 seconds faster than the times recorded with the Ford V8 at the Grand Prix of Great Britain:
"I remember clearly that test, it was exciting. The Ford engine was good overall, but we had high expectations and the Lamborghini could meet them. When you put your foot down, you are really strong. Anyway, there were some problems. First of all, it was very long, and that didn’t help the chassis much. Fuel consumption was also higher, then a bit heavier than the Ford and needed more cooling. But it was a really stimulating engine. I’ll never forget what I felt there. It was amazing, the power was always greater. It was great; it was as if we were flying. But in Hangar Straight, going to Stowe, the engine exploded. I mean, it really exploded. A gigantic explosion never seen, perhaps the biggest I remember. In those moments it was shocking. Pieces and pistons flying to the right, to my left, everywhere. You could see them from behind the helmet. A bang so strong it left a hole in the flat bottom. One of the most special moments of my career in Formula 1. And what an incredible sound...".
Giorgio Ascanelli, Ayrton Senna’s engineer, also works on the project, recalling all the nights spent inserting the 12-cylinder Lamborghini in a single-seater designed for the use of the Ford V8:
"It took three months of hard work, mid-season; launch control and chassis revised, gearbox, electronic control...a lot to do. Only a great team like McLaren could have done such a thing. And the result was something special: a bit longer and heavier than the V8, but more stable and smoother on the tyres. Obviously more powerful, needless to say".
After three weeks of rest (but not vacation) Formula 1 comes back on track. Sunday, August 15, 1993 will be held the Hungarian Grand Prix, eleventh round of the World Championship. Alain Prost is a great favourite for the victory, thanks to Williams-Renault that has allowed him to accumulate seven successes so far, in a season already full of records for him. But the Frenchman will also have to fight against a sort of curse that has so far prevented him from winning on the challenging track located thirty kilometres from Budapest. In the seven races held in succession since 1986 at the Hungaroring, the professor has never succeeded. Last year he was absent because he took a sabbatical after the traumatic departure from Ferrari. He had previously made his debut in the first race on the track, finishing third in 1987, second in 1988, beaten by 0.529 seconds at the sprint by Ayrton Senna. The following year he finished fourth, in 1990 and in 1991 he did not rank in the top six. A real curse for Alain that in practice, with his 51 claims, won in all circuits, except for Japan (Suzuka) and Hungary.
"But this time I have to and I can do it. Another first place would protect me from almost any surprise in the fight for the title. From here to the end of the championship, the Hungarian Grand Prix is for me the most difficult obstacle, as I hope not to get on the street track of Adelaide with the title still under discussion".
Prost knows very well that the Hungarian race will be the last real chance for Ayrton Senna to still hope to fight for the title. The Brazilian in Budapest has triumphed three times (two Piquet, one Boutsen and one Mansell in 1989, when he raced for Ferrari).
"I don’t think I’ll have a lot of trouble getting pole position or at least the first row in qualifying, but the start will be important. In the very narrow and winding Hungarian track, overtaking is almost impossible. That’s why I’m going to show up on the grid well trained not to miss the start".
The Professor’s speech is commendable. The Williams driver does not want to fuel further controversy but suggests that the penalty suffered at Monte-Carlo and that - truly unjustified - For cutting the first chicane in Hockenheim they gave him a lot of annoyance and in a sense gave him a kind of psychological block, for fear of being persecuted by the sports authorities. In any case, the Williams champion will have to suffer the attacks of his teammate Damon Hill, still looking for his first victory, as well as Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. The Brazilian and the German now on equal terms (Ford now gives Benetton and McLaren the same engines) are aware that the next race will be one of the few in which they will have a real chance of success, on a track to drive. A guarantee of show for the championship that has reserved so far very few reasons of interest. So much so that many teams think especially of the future. While Ferrari is still struggling with the problems of the tuning of the active suspension and the engine modified to 4 valves per cylinder (it is difficult to understand if the numerous tests carried out in recent weeks have given positive results), the market is actively moving drivers, preparing strategies for the future. It is almost certain that Benetton will have Renault engines in 1994. The friction with Ford and above all the superiority shown by the French engines convinced the Anglo-Italian team to review the programs. And, in this sense, a resounding operation is coming back to the fore, about which we had already spoken some time ago. The reason that would have driven Renault to supply engines to three teams next year (Williams, Ligier and Benetton) would be twofold. First of all, Benetton is sponsored by Elf gasoline, linked to Renault.
Moreover, in 1994 Alain Prost will no longer have the chance to veto Ayrton Senna, if the latter is hired by Williams who has sought the São Paulo champion. The arrival of the Brazilian, however, would force the Frenchman to withdraw to avoid a confrontation that would be very difficult for him. Thus, Renault would also give the engines to Benetton which would offer a place to Ayrton Senna, to form a super-team with Michael Schumacher. By the way, there would be a major Japanese sponsor ready to finance the venture. Fantasy sports? No: the negotiation is ongoing. There would remain the obstacle represented by Riccardo Patrese who has a contract with his current team that will expire at the end of next season. But with 250 races to his credit and a rewarding career, it will not be difficult to convince the Formula 1 veteran to leave the races. Thursday, August 12, 1993, on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, black and menacing clouds cover the sky of Ferrari, although in Budapest, where Friday will kick off the eleventh race of the Formula 1 World Championship, a beautiful sun shines. Two events of the day that concern the Maranello team: the first concerns a public outburst of Jean Todt, from a month responsible for the sports management of the Italian house; the second is the possibility that Berger Sunday may not run due to the surgery to the left elbow for an infection. It was noticed that at Ferrari there was a climate of tension that was higher than normal. And it had become known that in recent days the management had sent to all the employees a memo in which they were abruptly invited not to talk more about issues concerning the team and, above all, projects and plans for the future. Todt, stopped by reporters after a technical meeting in the late afternoon, admits he had to intervene after the monthly Quattroruote had published a foreshadowing of the car for next year. In particular, to infuriate the manager would be the designs of a new gearbox built in sheet metal, instead of the usual alloy castings, which should offer significant advantages such as weight and the possibility of rapid interventions.
"We cannot accept disrespectful behaviour towards those who work, especially if rumours are leaked from within the company. For this reason I was forced to prepare a circular. From now on, those who want to know something can only contact me or the head of the press office Giancarlo Baccini. And then I don’t like at all that people talk about Williams as a phenomenon that already tests the car of the future, comparing it to a motionless Ferrari. We are not only working for 1994 but also for 1995 and beyond. But we would like to be able to operate in peace, without interference".
Hard impact, therefore, for Jean Todt with the Ferrari world and with the Italian press that is always the watchman in Maranello and does not miss anything.
But the leak from the inside, because certain information hardly comes from outside, is certainly serious.
"I would like to know why it is not published in advance the engine that will make Renault in the coming years".
With regard to Gerhard Berger, in recent days Ferrari had minimised the problem of the Austrian driver, operated in Innsbruck to the left elbow for an infection. The same Gerhard Wednesday evening had made about ten laps on the track in Fiorano to check his condition. On Thursday, however, when he showed up at the Hungaroring with his arm jammed, the Austrian made it clear that the difficulties were there. After trying to enter the cockpit, the Ferrari driver says:
"It is not a dramatic thing, but not a small thing. We will see tomorrow".
That is Friday, after the free practice scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and the qualifying round from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Gerhard Berger, who obviously suffers blows against the edge of the cockpit, will let you know if he will be able to drive on Sunday. In case of a negative response, Ferrari could also call Nicola Lanini to support Jean Alesi (due to force majeure). Last year here Ferrari celebrated their 500th Grand Prix. The Grand Prix. This time they will almost certainly record race number 45 with no wins. The prospects are not good: three weeks of testing have shown that active suspensions, as they are, continue to not work. They will have to wait until Sunday, August 29, 1993, at the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa, when in all likelihood stabiliser bars will be mounted to eliminate the roll of the cars that prevents drivers from pushing hard in the fast corners, to see if there will be real progress. Luckily the Hungaroring is narrow and winding, not fast. So the Ferrari weekend, which began in a stormy way, might not be so terrible. On Friday, 13 August 1993, in the first round of the Hungarian Grand Prix, on his last attempt Alain Prost laps in 1'15"488, 0.011 seconds from the track record, and settles in first position. This time, however, the leader of the Formula 1 World Championship finds a worthy opponent: his name is Michael Schumacher, he is 24 years old, a native of Kerpen, near Cologne.
A guy who wants to dethrone all the best drivers of recent years, that is the rival of Williams and also Ayrton Senna. When it comes to driving, when he finds a track where man can prevail over the car, Schumacher goes wild. And in Hungary the German is 0.5 seconds away from Alain Prost, but ahead of all the others. While the same Senna (two outings and fifth time) remains entangled in the problems of active suspension, not working, while Hill pays the lack of knowledge of the circuit, the German with his Benetton shows himself as a real alternative to the pair Prost-Williams. The day offers good consolation prizes for a part of the ill-treated Italian patrol (Patrese P4, Pierluigi Martini incredibly in P6 with the Minardi) and the usual dose of bitterness at Ferrari. Berger, P8, tries to be heartened by saying that all in all the fact of being able to run, with a hurting elbow, is already positive; Alesi, very black in the face, hardly refrains from declaring that his car is unworkable. In fact, seen on the track, the cars of Maranello swell, are glimpsed, sway. They are scary. Meanwhile, Benetton heats the environment and not only with Schumacher. The Italian team based in England has the most competitive car after Williams. And if Prost and Hill’s cars did not have a Renault super-engine, it would probably be even better. But where does it go? Says Flavio Briatore, general manager of the team:
"We planned five years of work to get to the top. So far there has always been progress, so much so that we are now firmly ahead of McLaren. And we intend to give battle to Williams".
It has been said for some time that Benetton will have Renault engines in 1994 and that it is looking for either Senna or Mansell. Is this true?
"As for the engines, we would be fools if we didn’t focus on what’s better. So if there’s a chance, we’ll try to make a deal with Renault. I didn’t take the bait with Senna, but I don’t rule out the possibility that someone will use us to gain advantages. I talked to Mansell, who is our friend. But that doesn’t mean we need two stars on the team. We could also bet on a young man, if our contract with Patrese is not carried out. At the moment we and the Italian driver are free to choose. The driver’s is the last problem for us. We found a huge sponsor that we will announce in September".
The following day, at the end of practice, Alain Prost once again puts his nose ahead of rivals by winning the tenth pole position of the season (out of eleven races), the number 30 of his career, shattering the circuit record by turning in 1'14"631 (the previous record belonged to Patrese, who had shot in 1'15"476). But his frustrated teammate, Damon Hill, is really pawning him. The two, during the practice, perform in a spectacular series of five consecutive fastest laps, at the end of which the English is forced once again to raise the white flag. Schumacher’s attempt is also aborted, forced to settle for the third time. But the German of Benetton is satisfied because he is convinced that in the race he can be faster than the Williams and grab the first victory of the season. In the challenge there will also be Senna, although mortified in qualifying (the Brazilian scores the fourth time), and Patrese (fifth time) who has always done miracles here. In the first rows we also find Ferrari, with Berger in P6 and Alesi in P8, preceded by Pierluigi Martini with Minardi, fully confirmed among the best.
Jean Todt has foresight. He said on Friday that a third row was possible and nobody believed him. Instead a miracle almost happened: for the first time the active suspension of the Maranello cars worked. The new software, simpler and more direct, since Gerhard Berger improves by 2.507 seconds compared to Friday, allows the Austrian driver to say:
"It’s the first time I’ve been able to tune my car as I want".
Is this the right time? Jean Todt wisely points to the goal of reaching the points and underlines the progress achieved, saying he is satisfied but not happy. This will happen only when Ferrari will stop the fasting of victories, reaching a quota of 44. And Sunday, probably, the negative series will rise to 45. And meanwhile, Jean Todt says:
"Help us, for the morale of the fans and the team. If the results do not come in a few months, then shoot us".
At the same time, Alain Prost can solve everything in a moment, at the start. But the professor could also be forced to fight like crazy during the whole race, if he wants to win the Hungarian Grand Prix for the first time.
"On this track it is crucial to go straight ahead, because of the characteristics of the circuit that make overtaking prohibitive, or at least risky. However, it will not be enough to take a good shot at the green light: there is to take into account the terrible expected heat with temperatures close to 40 ºC; the estimated change of tires and then the pit stop; of dubbing; possible breakages; of the slippery track that could send someone into the meadow. And let’s not forget the unforeseen events of a race of 300 kilometres, including physical fatigue".
Prudence is normal for the Williams champion. It would not be Prost if he did not complain every time. In any case, the Hungarian race is like a roulette wheel. Saturday, between free practice and timed they leave the track spinning, some more than once, Andretti (inevitable, someone mounts a large banner on the stands with the words: "Andretti go home", but maybe they were fans of Hakkinen who hopes to drive his McLaren), Alesi (This is also the reason for the not very fast time of the Frenchman), Comas, Alliot, Fittipaldi, de Cesaris, Blundell, even Prost and Senna. Just a second, a failed trajectory of a few inches and you’re out. Even the acrobat Senna could not avoid a hike in the meadow. It’s the McLaren active suspension that’s going from bad to worse.
So bad that in the pits he resumes murmuring: next year the Brazilian could go to Penske in Formula Indy, along with the returning Andretti. And Formula 1 would get Nigel Mansell back. On Sunday, August 15, 1993, the negative series of Alain Prost on the Hungarian circuit continues inexorably: the French driver stops during the warm-up and is forced to start from the back of the grid. At the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher was overtaken by Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger and Riccardo Patrese. Damon Hill holds the lead, ahead of Senna, Berger, Patrese, Schumacher and Alesi. The German driver of Benetton tries to overtake Gerhard Berger during lap 4, but exaggerates in the manoeuvre and his car is lost in a spin; the Benetton driver is thus forced to start from the P10. Both McLarens are experiencing throttle problems, and in particular Michael Andretti slows down suddenly during lap 16 surprising Michael Schumacher, who turns again and goes down in P14, just behind Alain Prost, engaged in his recovery from the back. After Michael Andretti, Ayrton Senna also retired on lap 18 due to throttle problems. In the following laps, as all the drivers stop at the pits to replace the tyres, except the Williams of Damon Hill and Alain Prost, and the Benetton of Michael Schumacher, the British driver remains in the lead, ahead of Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi. Around lap 20 Alain Prost was forced to return to the pits for problems with the rear wing: the French driver will return to the race with seven laps behind his teammate, Damon Hill.
On lap 23, the race of Jean Alesi ends. The Frenchman tries to put the Minardi of Christian Fittipaldi on the braking line of the box. The Brazilian, to avoid overtaking outside, moved sharply to the left, hitting Ferrari with violence. Result: while Fittipaldi is forced to stop with a bent suspension, Alesi ends at a speed of 200 km/h against a guardrail. A hard blow. The French driver, walking back to the pit, collapses semi-unconscious, sore from a blow to the neck and a bruise to the leg. Jean then confronts Christian Fittipaldi, shoving and threatening him: the French driver does not go to further physical contact because he is immediately removed from the audience. The anger of the Ferrari driver is understandable (but not justifiable), not so much for having lost a good result, as for the risk. The two drivers are then cautioned by the sports stewards. Meanwhile, Riccardo Patrese, second, loses his position in favour of his teammate, Michael Schumacher. However, the German driver retired three laps later due to problems with the fuel pump. A few laps later Gerhard Berger, third, came back to the pits to change the tyres and returned to the track in P5, but quickly overtook Martin Brundle and then Derek Warwick, bringing his Ferrari back to third place. Pierluigi Martini seems sure he can collect his first point, but during lap 59 the Minardi driver is the victim of an accident, fortunately without serious consequences. Nothing else happens until the end of the race, so Damon Hill manages - finally - to get his first victory ever, preceding the finish the Benetton-Ford of Riccardo Patrese, the Ferrari of Gerhard Berger, the Footwork-Mugen Honda of Derek Warwick, Martin Brundle’s Ligier-Renault and Karl Wendlinger’s Sauber-Ilmor.
"It was a Christmas present in the middle of summer".
It’s all about Damon Hill, a nice, modest guy. His first victory in Formula 1 came mainly thanks to the misfortunes of others and in particular those of his teammate, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. But this success was also a kind of compensation: the Englishman, 31, could win with full merit at Silverstone and Hockenheim, when he was stopped in the final stages of those races by the failure of the engine and the burst of a tire of his Williams. Damon, whom someone nicknames with a play on words and pronunciation Demon, thus enters the Formula 1 golden register as the first son of art able to take the baton from his parent. Graham Hill (who died on 29 November 1975 in a plane crash), in fact, was World Champion in 1962 and 1968, first with B.R.M. and then with Lotus. He won fourteen races, earning, among other things, the reputation of a gentleman and charming driver, a bit unlucky, as had his son until the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix. When Graham won his last race, Sunday, May 18, 1969, in Munich, Damon was six years old, having been born in London on September 17, 1962. In the family there was always and only talk of racing cars. But he, perhaps oppressed by his father’s stature, did not seem to want to follow the same path. Damon Hill approached the world of motor racing at the age of 22, debuting in trial and road racing. Then he switched to four wheels, doing all the work in promotional formulas (4 victories in Formula 3).
Ten seasons during which the long driver (he is 1.83 metres tall, for 70 kilograms) married Georgie and had two children, Oliver and Joshua. Little money and a shy character had slowed him down. His luck was to be called by Williams as a test driver. In 1992 a painful debut with a Brabham and then the hit of Goddess Blindfolded with the renunciation of Mansell who wanted to race in Formula Indy. The champion team needed a practical driver of the car to accompany Alain Prost, a luxury test driver ready to be the professor’s squire. Hill accepted the task with humility, dignity and the awareness of having the road blocked. But he never gave up fighting. Fast driver, determined, even if still little experienced, he worked seriously, without ever complaining. Between a glass of milk and the other (his favourite drink), playing guitar in his free moments (he loves the songs of Elvis Presley and Otis Redding), resting with a few shots at golf, the Englishman has won above all a great esteem in the environment of Formula 1. Will Damon Hill be a champion in the future? Hard to answer. In Budapest he won with the Williams-Renault, a car that at this moment would bring everyone to the podium. He still lacks experience, although he is no longer very young, and above all he has to confront Alain Prost.
If he still gets better and matures, the best prize for him could be a reconfirmation in the team for next year. In the meantime, perhaps the Hungarian Grand Prix also marks a turning point in the long illness that troubles the Maranello team. Not so much for the third place of Gerhard Berger as for the performance of the car, which has clearly improved. Williams' victory could almost be taken for granted, only the order of factors was reversed. Alain Prost crashed into one of those days when everything goes wrong: first a drop in the engine forced him to start in last position, then a prolonged pit stop because of the rear wing that was coming off. So the Frenchman finished in P12 with seven laps behind, leaving the doors open to the delight of Damon Hill. On the podium, next to the English driver, Riccardo Patrese and the Austrian driver drive the #28 car. But they are neither Ayrton Senna, nor Michael Schumacher, the detractors say. It’s true: the German could also have won and the Brazilian gave the impression of being able to play a good race. The first broke the engine of his Benetton, after an incredible overtaking on the outside against Gerhard Berger and a couple of subsequent spin that filled the radiators with sand. The second was stopped by a failure of the McLaren accelerator, the wireless one, an electronic devilry that obviously has weaknesses. But motor racing is done this way. Meanwhile, Gerhard Berger rightly points out:
"When we break or go wrong, nobody pities us. It is a very hard law of this sport. So I don’t want to know what happened to others. Ours was a real and important result. Authentic for the performance of the car, heavy in a positive sense for me, for the team, for the fans. Progress comes after hard work".
On Friday, the Austrian driver was still not sure if he could drive because of the small left elbow surgery he had last week.
"But I didn’t realise it, I didn’t have time to think about it, to feel the pain, beating against the cockpit. It was a hell of a race. I made a beautiful start thanks to the characteristics of the Ferrari engine. Then I tried to manage the forces, knowing that I would have to stop twice to change the tires. I had to sweat seven shirts. Every time I got back on track I was back. After the last stop I was forced to make three desperate overtakings. Martini and Warwick were corrected, with Brundle I was touched because I could only overcome him by risking braking. It went well".
But what happened to change the performance of Ferrari in a few hours? It was enough to find a new solution for the active suspension. An electronic control program (but there is something new also in mechanics) developed with the Magneti Marelli men has partially reversed the situation. When the car responds well, the results arrive. Now Jean Todt, head of Sports Management, still tries to accelerate the time. He put pressure on the designer John Barnard, who doesn’t just have to deal with next year’s car, and has developed an intensive test program.
"On Tuesday and Wednesday we will be in Monza to try some news about the engines. Friday in Fiorano we will test other solutions. At Spa we should arrive with the modified frames and anti-roll bars. Small steps, we do not delude ourselves, but we are on the right track. Our three drivers will be involved: Berger, Alesi and Larini".
Other technicians will also arrive at Ferrari in the next few days. An Italian and perhaps a French driver for another sector. Joints in the mosaic complex that should allow for further recovery. Meanwhile, Prost got rid of a nightmare. Hill is now satisfied and should not give him more hassles, until the title. But the Frenchman must postpone the appointment with the World Championship: to be safe he will have to win in two weeks in Belgium, and wait for the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. All in all, it is better for the championship and for the show.