As announced, both Ferrari and McLaren held a day of testing at Imola, on Tuesday, May 15th, 1990. A series of qualifying tire tests is scheduled: Senna sets the best time, lapping in 1'24"37. Mansell laps in 1'25"21. The Brazilian reports that his new Goodyear tires seem less quick than their predecessors. McLaren and Ferrari have to deal with some engine problems, to the point where the day has already come to an end earlier than planned. The Goodyear engineers, however, make it clear. These tests were not to take as a reference for the following race, the Monaco Grand Prix, rather to take into consideration for the fifth round of the World Championship, the Canadian Grand Prix, which is set to go underway in June. Mansell reiterates his claim: he did not indulge into a mistake in trying to overtake Berger on Sunday.
"Ferrari has made progress, the car is competitive and the gearbox no longer gives any troubles. Hope I’ll make up for it in Monaco in 10 days, although it will be tough for us in qualifying".
Meanwhile, the FIA brings changes to some articles of the regulations. The new rules will go into effect right from the following Monaco Grand Prix. Two are the noteworthy ones: in case of accident, failure, if the drivers go off track, they will be able to get back into the race only by using their own means. Either they manage to restart the car to go on with the race or they just have to make it back into the pits. If the stewards intervene, in any case to move the car, the driver will automatically be disqualified. FISA wanted to get away from the unpleasant situation, which occurred last year at Suzuka. Senna resumed the race after a collision with Prost, thanks to the help of the marshals - he was then arbitrarily disqualified for cutting the track. The second innovation concerns the teams: from now on they will be able to switch engines during the season without losing out on salary funds - points in the constructors' standings will be taken away instead. Teams will be able to replace drivers twice without invoking force majeure as it was necessary before. This one innovation also has a backstory: during the course of the year, some teams have shamelessly fired drivers to make room for others, almost always driven by the flattery of some sponsor. From now on, they will no longer have to look for excuses to justify their actions. As for Friday pre-qualifying, each car will have three sets of tires instead of two, as it had been the case until now. On Thursday, May 17th, 1990, giving up lap times (best lap in 1'05"47) Prost tests the 641/2 at Fiorano. Also shelving the new hydrodrive system, the tests are finalised on the 037 evolution engine, set-ups and aerodynamics. A crankshaft gasket ring that failed both on Mansell's car and also on Prost's during his honourable lap, would be discovered to be the cause of the failures at Imola.
On Wednesday, May 23rd, 1990, the run-up to the Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious race of the year, begins - same old story as usual. This race sets the bar worldwide, albeit with its many contradictions. For example, the city track, narrow and winding, drawn between concrete barriers and steel belts. It is considered to be among the most dangerous circuits, although the F1 drivers’ skills and professionalism are faultless in every respect. This is the fourth round of the World Championship. Three different winners triumphed in the previous editions: Senna-McLaren in Phoenix, USA; Prost-Ferrari in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Patrese-Williams in Imola. Huge anticipation and considerable unpredictability awaits. The best combo to excite the fans' imagination. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to come, especially from Italy. The reasons to keep the interest alive are truly many. First - it should not be forgotten - Ayrton Senna, whose talent is enhanced on this twisty circuit: the Brazilian won in the Principality in 1987 and last year, missing out on a resounding success with the Toleman back in 1984. The race, then, was stopped in the final laps due to rain by race director Jacky Ickx, when Senna was then catching up on Alain Prost. Senna also got his revenge set for Imola. Fifteen days ago, due to a still-nowadays- mysterious failure (that of the rim of the right rear wheel), Ayrton was immediately forced to retire, wasting the opportunity to gain valuable points for the World Championship standings. Thus, his teammate Gerhard Berger and Alain Prost moved closer to the Brazilian in the standings, within one length from the leader. The McLaren driver knows full well that he can no longer concede anything to his rivals, who are particularly fierce and motivated this year.
"Berger gets the same car as I do. We saw in San Marino how the Williams progressed. Alesi can stand out thanks to the track characteristics, which also gives good chances to his eight- cylinder engine Tyrrell, equipped with Pirelli tires. They seem to be suited to this type of circuit. All the drivers go fast. And then there’s the usual Ferrari. The Maranello cars are weaker in qualifying and may face problems if they start in the back of the grid. In any case, don't pick on the Goodyear tires because they are the same for everyone. If they do not make the most out of them, it is because there is something wrong with the chassis".
Senna does not miss an opportunity to clap back at Prost’s complaints, his loathed enemy. One cannot help but grant the favours of the prediction to Riccardo Patrese (the only Italian to win in Monte-Carlo, in 1982) who’s in great form, and to his teammate, Thierry Boutsen. The elasticity characteristics of the Renault engine, mounted on their Williams stand out. The Paduan driver does not hide his ambitions:
"It is necessary to take advantage of the positive momentum, I will give my best".
Ferrari has not scored a win in the Principality since 1981, when Gilles Villeneuve achieved one of his resounding successes. In theory, this will be the most difficult race for the Maranello cars, which come from the big missed opportunity in Imola. The newly evolved engine could bring some progress. Technicians in the Fiorano workshop have prepared a modified bodywork for Prost to eliminate the aerodynamic problems reported by the French driver. But it is still a hostile race. Not even the automatic gearbox, while facilitating the drivers' task on the physical level, happens to offer - apparently - noteworthy advantages. A difficult challenge, then, for the Prancing Horse. One always expects some kind of last-minute miracle to go down at Ferrari. A happy note concerns Pierluigi Martini, who had fractured his ankle two weeks earlier during the first day of practice at Imola: the Italian driver will make his comeback in the Monaco Grand Prix. The Minardi driver passed all the prescribed medical examinations and is allowed to compete in the fourth round of the Formula 1 World Championship. One piece of news, which remains somewhat mysterious for the time being, related to Life, the Modenese team that signed Bruno Giacomelli for the recent San Marino Grand Prix. It appears that Life has made a deal with Pile, a Leningrad-based mechanical industry, somewhat anticipating the Soviet Union's long-awaited entry into Formula 1. On Thursday, May 24th, 1990, before launching himself onto the track, Ayrton Senna went to the little church of St. Devote, the patron saint of the Principality, which is located just in front of the first chicane, after the pit straight. A prayer, perhaps a lit candle under the altar, and then off at full speed to mortify his opponents. Being religious, evidently, not only helps you believe in yourself, but also gives you the strength to keep your foot on the gas pedal when the walls of the houses seem to be coming down on you. And Ayrton Senna thus extinguishes all the ambitions of his opponents because, in all honesty, no one aims to remotely approach the extraordinary broken record by the McLaren driver. Senna always has the winning flick, the ability to set the fastest lap, even when someone thinks they can beat him. A natural talent, a skill, a concentration that certainly makes even Ferrari fans dream, who at this point would also like to see him in one of the Maranello's cars, perhaps as early as next year. In this regard, Ayrton Senna does nothing to dissuade the rumours, but simply states:
"Ferrari? It's every racer's dream. A racer who makes it to the top cannot disregard this legendary team, cannot disregard the thought, at least once in his career, of feeling the thrill that one certainly feels in getting into one of those much-loved red cars. Who knows, maybe. My contract with McLaren expires at the end of the year. The time has come to think about the future".
These are, certainly, diplomatic statements. Maybe just to raise quotations and claims, since by now, top-drivers tend to ask for hyperbolic figures (when it comes to salaries), almost reaching ten billion liras per year. Obviously the drivers do get all the money, not at all do teams. Rumours of a possible move concerning São Paulo- raised boy to Ferrari spread around the world. And they also got to the ears of both Mansell and Prost, who are rather alarmed. In this regard, Nigel Mansell says:
"I would like a team built around me. To be first driver, to have two cars at my disposal".
As good a way as any to send a message. If the Maranello team were to let him go at the end of the season he would not be short of opportunities. See Williams, a team with which the Englishman has been linked to for a long time, with which he flirts in his spare time… Williams would immediately take him back, dumping the albeit very good Patrese or Boutsen. Prost, on the other hand, is much clearer in this regard:
"I wish to stay at Ferrari. The Italian team has an option on me that expires at the end of July. If they tell me to stay, I will be overjoyed. Because I like the environment, we have worked hard and I am convinced that we will end up enjoying the fruits of so much effort. I certainly would not be happy to bequeath everything to someone else, I do not set conditions. But don't ask me to accept Senna again as a teammate. That is the only eventuality in which I would be forced to leave".
But Prost utters these sentences with a big smile on his lips. Is he about to renew his contract? Meanwhile, immediately after these statements have been said, Prost is called inside the Ferrari motorhome, where lawyer Henry Peter is standing. The very man in front of whom he had signed last year. Meanwhile, by the end of the first practice, it is clear that McLaren is still the car to beat and Jean Alesi (third behind Gerhard Berger) with the Pirelli-shod Tyrrell in second. ean Alesi, at the end of the first day of practice, says:
"Senna's time is fantastic, but I always found a big mess on the track and I did my best lap on scraped tires. However, I think I can get close to Ayrton on Saturday".
The Circus rests on Friday, according to the Monegasque tradition. On Saturday, Pirelli will provide Alesi with a new, or at least different, type of qualifying tire. There are those who hope that in the second round not much will change. Alain Prost is one of those. The Frenchman is delighted with his fourth classified time:
"I am almost surprised, because we know that on this track, as where we stand as Ferrari, should not have much of a chance for starting in the front. It went well, although I had to pass a car in the Rascasse corner".
And to say that Ferrari had started its day badly. After about twenty minutes, in the morning's free practice, Mansell had ended up against the barriers, wrecking the reserve car that mounted the new engine ("I went off track, I don't know why"; apparently the electronic gearbox had jammed). Mansell and Prost had to make do with the old 12-cylinder. Prost runs with the modified 641/2 bodywork, as does his teammate. The Frenchman, armed with his long experience, after a few laps changed the ratios to the gearbox, choosing the 6-geared solution, while Mansell continued with the 7-speed one. The Englishman complained about the traffic:
"I passed three cars in the Casino descent, one going as slow as a snail in the middle of the tunnel. You can never get a good lap here".
Several drivers criticised the circuit, while Senna stays silent:
"You have to acknowledge your limits and those of the car you drive".
Others say that in this narrow and winding track the dangers are considerable.
"Our single-seaters are faster every year. The organisers are good, but they can't widen the roads or tear down houses to build the necessary escape routes. It's crazy to race in a gut of asphalt and steel. Sooner or later a drastic decision will be necessary".
Of course, as is often the case, there is no shortage of comments against Ayrton's performance, whether out of envy or malice, coming from some colleagues of his:
"He was the only one who found a clean lap, a clean aired one, with no cars on the track to clutter the asphalt. He has managed his tires well and has found way too much performance".
To be fair, even Senna had his hard work to carry out while overtaking his slower colleagues on the track:
"And then I also got out of gear before approaching a turn".
Controversy aside, everyone will be at work on Saturday in order to prepare the cars and look for some set-ups improvement. Martini, back on track after the Imola accident, says that his Minardi lacks handling: meanwhile, however, he gets P6. Williams is struggling with plenty of minor issues: Boutsen is in P5, Patrese only in P8. Larini (P9) does well in the Ligier and Pirro (P12) in the Dallara. Benetton is the one to be in trouble, complaining about not having used the quali tires well enough, exactly as Ferrari did. John Barnard’s hand set the tone on these cars. Could this be the fault of the British designer? Finally, a note addressed to the poor Giacomelli, as it seems that Formula 1 wants no part of him anymore. The Brescian was eliminated in pre-qualifying. He has only managed to put together 8 laps, aboard his Life racing team car that mounts the 12-cylinder engine - designed by Franco Rocchi, a former Ferrari designer. But a brighter future lies ahead, at least in theory, for the Life team. A deal done with Pile, a Leningrad-based industry, is expected to provide an attractive technological input. The Soviets want to produce their own car within a few months and have already set up a workshop on their premises. Life will provide the engineers for the chassis, the Pile men will thus provide advanced materials, sourced from the USSR aviation and space industries. The big problem is looking for sponsors. The Russians do not want to spend much; Life is looking for backers for this new venture. After the day off, devoted to sun, golf and boats, everyone goes back on track on Saturday. It would be nice and interesting to know who, among the thirty drivers engaged in the second qualifying round, enjoyed the twenty-four hours of relaxation the most, who slept soundly… Perhaps Senna who starts 1.3 seconds ahead of his rivals. But even the Brazilian does not allow himself the favour of prediction:
"Here on Saturdays the track always improves. It is cleaner, there is rubber on the asphalt and normally the cars have a better grip on the track. Anything can happen".
Senna's concern should be limited to the attacks brought by teammate Berger and Alesi with Tyrrell. Ferrari, which also has Prost slotted in P4, does not allow itself dreams of glory. Says Cesare Fiorio:
"The second row would suit us very well, especially if we can get Mansell further ahead. We came to Monte-Carlo knowing that we are facing the most hostile circuit of the season for our cars. That is why the goal is to collect the best possible result without trying to overperform".
Ferrari mounts two evolution-type engines on the cars of Prost and Mansell on Saturday morning. This 12- cylinder should allow better progressions at the exit of the many corners. But it may not be used on Sunday, when reliability will also have to be considered. Work has been done on set-ups and aerodynamics, to refine performance, but it is difficult to think of mind-blowing improvements in such a short amount of time. An analysis shared by both of the drivers. Mansell says:
"Oddly enough, the automatic transmission on a narrow, twisty track offers no advantages when it comes to drivers being comfortable. In slow corners we struggle to pick up engine revs and come out significantly slower than the McLarens. I will race shrewdly to get into the points. In Imola I had attacked because I knew I was competitive. Here the driver’s mental strength will be making the difference, foot on the gas pedal and heart on the sleeve".
However, the Englishman feels that he has to give his best and that his future depends on these races:
"What do you know about Maranello's intentions? Will they want to keep me and Prost for 1991, or will they send me away? Will Senna arrive?"
Questions he may be able to answer better than anyone else. And then on with the usual story:
"Prost and I are good together in the sense that we each work on our own, since we fix the cars quite differently. Yes, there is an exchange of information, but limited to general data".
Mansell does not say so openly, but it seems that Steve Nichols' attention is mainly for Prost, and he must not like that very much. Brought into the matter, the Frenchman does not hold back:
"It is true that we work separately. But it is also natural. Ask Nigel's previous teammates if there has been any form of close cooperation with him ever before. That's what we do, each on his own. I have never demanded from any team to be their first driver. I have always been on par, at least on paper. Then the problem is to look for the best solutions for one's driving style on a very particular track. There are those who like the car steady, those who want it manoeuvrable, those who aim for certain details, those who aim for others. I am willing to prepare such a set-up to get to the end of the race smoothly, achieving a top-six finish, in the points zone. We have already wasted a valuable result achievable at Imola".
On Friday afternoon, the two drivers and Fiorio meet with the lawyer Agnelli, who sends a motor boat ashore to pick them up and take them aboard his yacht, anchored off the Monaco coast. On Saturday morning, then, it was back to business, with Ferrari determined to maintain Alain Prost's position and improve Nigel Mansell's. Jean Alesi, who many believe capable, both in practice and even in the race, of doing the Senna at the Monaco Grand Prix, is a fairly modest-looking fellow, and the modesty is reinforced by speaking, in Italian at least, with a cartoonish voice. The face is that of Robert De Niro, a face that always goes with so many roles. The things that he says are between the obvious and the unbelievable, but at the opposite end of the spectrum: it is obvious that one who is off to a great start in Formula 1 should say that he wants to be World Champion, unbelievable that one, already in the spotlight after eleven races, should contain his extra-race dreams, by not dreaming big… to his marriage to Laurence, blonde of France, to the worship of family joys, to the sometimes excruciating craving for spaghetti.
A Frenchman from Avignon, son of Sicilians and still tied to Alcamo, a town left in 1959 by his father, first a labourer then a coachbuilder, Alesi (June 11th, 1964 - same day as Stewart, who won two World Championships with Tyrrell) after the P2 at Phoenix is scrutinised as the driver of tomorrow, in the sense of the near future ahead, and even already of the Monaco Grand Prix. Alesi agrees. To those who tell him not to take risks by looking for an impossible pole position, he says:
"I have to try, I'm ready to pay the price if I'm wrong, but I have to give it a shot".
Italian journalists call him Giovanni, and call his siblings, Jose and Cathy, Giuseppe and Caterina. His father also goes Franco in French, while his mother, born in Provence to Italians, becomes Marcella for Italians, Marcelle for the registry office. Postlethwaite, who has been for years at Ferrari, is now a chassis expert at Tyrrell, speaks Italian with Alesi, and says:
"John is a tough German in perfectionism, an Italian in tantrums when it's rehearsal time, a Frenchman in ambition".
Do you dream of Ferrari?
"Yes, unfortunately. I say that because there are so many drivers like me who dream the impossible".
Jean Alesi, who is staying in a large hotel (Postlethwaite laughs, saying, "It's not true that he barely earns six million lire a month") on Friday wants to rest, escape the tension and pressure. The Frenchman puts on a helmet, takes a scooter and goes for a ride; but nevertheless, he is recognized, stopped and interviewed. Alesi repeats that he loves soccer and roots for Italy partly because France is not in the World Cup, and that he supports Napoli. That the stories about his desire for wind flushing in the face even as a child, at 12 years old driving the big boys' cars, and so many little old ladies in Alcamo and Avignon terrified by his ploughing through downtown on skateboards are all true. The basics of driver training. But it does not answer the last question: how come the sons of Italians abroad are great drivers (Fittipaldi, Andretti, Senna, Ragazzoni...), while the sons of Italians from Italy stop soon? This remains a mystery nowadays. On Saturday, May 26th, 1990, as expected, Ayrton Senna gets pole-position number 45 of his career. Surprisingly, Prost manages to set the second best time during the last free practice of the Monaco Grand Prix, thus bypassing Berger and Alesi who were ahead of him. Prost will start on the front row, alongside Senna. Mansell also manages to make a small step forward: he was in P10 but moved up to P7, advancing towards the fourth row. Hope - they say - is always the last one to die. That is why on Sunday, once again, the Principality of Monaco will be tinged with the red colour of the Ferrari flags for the whole day. If the hotels are complaining that they have not sold out (but the blame lies on the prices, which are increasingly high and therefore prohibitive), the fans of the Maranello team have not given up reaching the circuit that will host the 48th edition of the Monaco Grand Prix. So many Italians, many French people (for Prost, but also for the young Alesi), a nice group of Germans, wearing sandals on their feet and shorts, take advantage of the trip by combining sport, sea and sun. Here the anticipation spikes when it comes to Ferrari. According to some statements by Prost and Mansell themselves, the goal is to go for points. Indeed, it will not be easy at all to beat the McLarens of Senna and Berger, although Prost's second place in practice bodes well. One has to hope, perhaps, for a surprise victory by Jean Alesi, which would not bother anyone, since his car, the Tyrrell, apart from this kind of racing on slow circuits, will not have any other great chance in the other World Championship tests and will not be able to bother the pretenders up to the title, that is, the men of McLaren, Williams and Ferrari. The Frenchman from Avignon, originally from Alcamo in Sicily, gladly accepts this role of dangerous outsider:
"My problem now is to win a race. The rest doesn't matter. I have to prove that I am capable of taking every little opportunity that comes my way. Then we will see, the right time will also come when my car becomes competitive enough".
In fact, Tyrrell's plan is to fit Honda's ten-cylinder engines from next year on. But, should Alesi ever finish first and stand on the top step of the podium to receive the prestigious cup from Prince Rainier, it will perhaps be a defeat for the British manufacturer's team: McLaren is poised to steal the promising driver away from them, and it is not even ruled out that Ferrari also has its eye on Jean Alesi for the future. Much depends precisely on Sunday's race, which is one of the best showcases for Formula 1. In the meantime, however, his odds are soaring: from the five million lirae a month that constituted his first salary, he has gone to a theoretical value of five million dollars, even though he has not won a race just yet. Perhaps on Sunday they will stare into each other's eyes for the first time since they were no longer teammates. Or, perhaps, the two great enemies, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, will ignore each other and direct their eyes at the traffic light, waiting for the start. The Monaco Grand Prix had a fantastic prologue in the qualifying fight at the end of the second day of practice. If the Brazilian was once again great, taking his McLaren-Honda to pole position, number 45 in his career (the third consecutive in the Principality), the Frenchman responded in almost miraculous fashion, flanking him on the front row. After all, Senna's record (1'21"314, averaging 147.340 km/h) was expected, a certainty in the uncertainty of racing. Far more difficult, however, is to predict the professor’s exploit and especially Ferrari’s (1'21"776, just 0.4 seconds off). In recent days the men of the Maranello team had said:
"This is the toughest test of the World Championship for us".
Now Prost's masterpiece (a lap led with the mastery of the veteran and the eagerness of the novice) gives new hope. And many swear that the race will be all consumed at the start, in an astonishing moment. On the right Senna with an 8-metre lead, on the left Prost. The two play pretend. Says Ayrton Senna:
"They are ahead of us but off the trajectory line, in the dirty area of the track where the wheels can slide on the tarmac".
And Alain Prost replies:
My rival's lead is minimal, but there is a corner right away and I can't do anything crazy. In order to take the lead I would have to make a fantastic start".
However, the two enemies will not be alone on the track - even though in the last six years of racing in Monte-Carlo they have always won (four times Prost, twice Senna). Behind them there is a fierce field of contenders, who are disappointed from their qualifying results and want to avenge themselves. Alesi happens to be a real threat. Due to his car's limitations, he slots third and will resort to all his grit to advance. Then there is Patrese (P4), who, fuelled by his Imola victory, puts no limits on providence ("We can fight with McLaren and Ferrari"). Next on there is Berger, finished 1.3 seconds behind Senna and reportedly in a moment of strained relations with McLaren. Mansell (P7), who has not exploited the potential of his car just yet, so much so that he arose some criticism. Then Martini on his Minardi, the surprising Pirro, Piquet aboard Benetton. Honourable mention goes to David Brabham, who managed to qualify for the first time. Quite a scuffle - overtaking here will be prohibitive. It could be an advantage for Senna, who is more confident, unless Prost pulls out his sharp nails in lapping the cars. Ferrari has to face, unfortunately as always, the unknown variable of reliability. The gearbox has been giving some troubles by now: Mansell's accident on Thursday, a 360 spin from Prost, who touched the barriers in free practice. During the second practice session, times were set and obtained with the new, less powerful, but more progressive engines. The old ones will be available for the race. Prost will presumably use the 6-geared gearbox, Mansell the 7-geared one. The Englishman showed some uncertainties, so much so that engineer Pierguido Castelli pointed this out to the press:
"He wants to do his own thing and sometimes he makes mistakes. He changed the set-up at the last moment and he missed the opportunity to move up better in the grid".
But Nigel swears that he also did it in order to test the set-up for the race. It will soon be clear who was right. Ferrari, however, will take to the track driven by an euphoric rush. No one would have predicted Prost to slot on the front row (this is the first time since he has been racing with the Maranello team's cars). Cesare Fiorio at the end of free practice states:
"We work hard and results come little by little. We knew we were not so far behind McLaren and as soon as a free lap was possible to achieve we proved it".
Pierguido Castelli adds:
"The new engine comes into play, which is considered to be new only to a certain extent. It is indeed not new but it could become new, in short, you name it. The thing is: a car is good when all its components are good. Today obviously the engine went the way it was supposed to go and everything worked properly. In the race, however, we will not use this one engine, we are not ready yet, but that’s not a problem as of now. When it comes to both the engine and race set-ups, Ferrari is already going very well, better than many other competitors".
Nigel Mansell only qualified P7, with the same car and engine as Prost’s, except for the differences on the set-up desired by the driver himself, such as the distribution of gears - a mystery that puzzles even the Ferrari management. Nigel insists on using the seven-speed gearbox, while Prost chose the six-geared one. At Ferrari, the driver issue appears rather ambiguous. A few days earlier, Mansell publicly complained, claiming that Prost copied everything from him, sending his technicians to peek behind his back. The doubt had arisen, however, since Prost always does the opposite of the Briton. He then goes on to add:
"You'll see, they’ll send me away saying I'm always the slowest on track".
Senna, however, would have been uncatchable: on the last lap Foitek got in his way at Rascasse in the Onyx, otherwise his lap time would have been stratospheric. But the race is almost always something else. Meanwhile, however, Alain Prost firmly states:
"I'm optimistic, it's wonderful to start on the front row, to the left of Senna. Of course, the McLaren is 10 km/h faster than us".
In vain, a reporter tries to get him to say that The Lawyer Agnelli, receiving him on Friday, gave him the right motivation. The tire business, generally manically cured, becomes demented in Monte-Carlo, where qualifying - you know - is practically the real race. The tires therefore are pampered, loved, spoiled. They are taken to the pit area by people in white gloves, they are dressed in hot covers, used for a few laps, some are scraped - that is, cleaned of pebbles and tar and get used once more, and then sent to the splendid cemeteries of racing tires: normal tires die on the pyres, these cost one-million liras each in manufacturing, not counting the expense of design and experimentation. They are then put on anatomical tables and studied. How Alesi adores the Pirelli tires to the point where they get exploited by him, in his qualifying laps, egregiously, providing four kilometres of very high performance. So that the last decisive hour of practice is actually a time of extreme suffering frenzy in the pits, waiting for the tires to get in the right temperature, or for them to return from the scraping centres, and of relative calm on the circuit, when the driver is being the driver and not also the mix-addicted worshipper of these deities. The religion of tires also has its litanies, for example this is what Prost has to say about Goodyear tires:
"When they work properly, like this time, they are of use for everyone, when they don’t, they are still good for McLaren".
On Sunday, May 27th, 1990, at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna sprints into the lead, while Alain Prost tucks in behind him, followed by Jean Alesi in perfect harmony, according to the grid line-up. Gerhard Berger overtakes the Williams of Patrese and Boutsen. And at the Mirabeau corner, where Alesi passes Prost in style, taking advantage of a strange trajectory line of the rather slow Frenchman. Berger tries to take advantage of the opportunity too. The Austrian driver creeps inside the Ferrari, into a space where he just cannot pass. A glaring mistake. The McLaren crashes into the Ferrari: a big pileup follows, in which also Stefano Modena, in his Brabham, ends up. All is well for the drivers, precisely because they have just started and it is not a flying lap - the race is suspended. What does this incident entail? A decisive change. Alain Prost is forced to abandon his own car, the one he had prepared in three days with infinite patience and meticulousness, just to fall back on the reserve car that here is destined for Mansell. Hard luck. Ferrari's mechanics do wonders to fix the single-seater (with 7-speed gearbox and not 6, as the Frenchman had chosen) in a matter of minutes. Pedals to move, bodywork to fix. Prost's race then is immediately compromised, and little does it matter if the World Champion then manages well or badly, until his retirement, to keep himself in second position, taking shelter from an aggressive Jean Alesi. In theory, he can no longer win, barring unthinkable miracles. Then, by lap 32, he enters the pits, with the engine turned off. The blown battery is to blame. Meanwhile, since the same thing happens to Mansell on lap 65 (the Englishman had performed an exhilarating chase, after crashing into Boutsen's Williams on lap 21 and losing about a minute), it is worth reporting the explanation of engineer Castelli, Scuderia Ferrari's technical manager.
"The most likely hypothesis is that the alternator for some reason unknown to us overcharged the battery itself. The electrolyte overheated and the battery exploded".
The odd thing is, the same failure occurred on both cars. The race, after the thrill of the first start, is almost dull and only lights up at the end. On lap 35, Piquet is the first victim of the new regulations which prevent drivers from rejoining the race in the event of an accident, unless they manage to take use of their own means. Spinning out, the Brazilian smashes the nose of his Benetton. In order to get him out of the way, the stewards push him back to the track - a manoeuvre that results in disqualification. It must be said, however, that the sporting authorities make a mistake with Piquet: they leave him free to return to the pits, change the wing and then restart to catch on lap times. Then they show him the black flag. Senna, having taken a decisive lead (about 20 seconds), continues quietly toward the finish line. Alesi battles Berger for a long time but he eventually manages not to be overtaken. Indeed, he even risks catching up to Senna, who slows down worryingly in the final laps, arriving at the finish line with just a one-second margin. The Brazilian will say that the engine lost power earlier in the race: no one can explain the two lap records set on Lap 57 and Lap 59. Ayrton and McLaren also have their secrets. Behind Senna and Alesi everyone struggles, especially the Italians, as if struck by a curse. Pirro (who could not even start), Modena, Martini, Larini, Capelli, Nannini (a broken engine on the formation lap and a broken one running in the reserve car – he retires. Later, Patrese, who was doing his best to maintain the fourth position on a Williams that was not very competitive (due to an electrical problem). Barilla, betrayed by the gearbox, also retired. Disaster. Boutsen is a reliable driver, a great Alex Caffi (despite his Arrows not being competitive) and the French Bernard, who on the last lap literally throws the Swiss Foitek off the track, just to take the last available point, get a decent performance but get lapped by Senna, Alesi and Berger. Paolo Barilla, one of the tallest drivers in Formula 1 (1.85 metres) was having a beautiful race. He had to retire due to gearbox failure, but back in the pits, it was like a liberation for him. The Italian driver almost fainted from the pain caused by a sore right leg brushing against the cockpit of the Minardi. Those who suddenly found themselves passing through Monte-Carlo, just before 6:00 p.m., would have noticed tricolour flags waving, by unmistakably Italian fans, and red flags with the Ferrari printed on them and prints of various trophies and chequered patterns typical of motor racing.
Noting that the Monaco Grand Prix was ending at that moment, and that the only Italian left in the race was Alex Caffi, in P5, the bystanders would have thought that the party was for Caffi. But no, all wrong. Tricolour flags and banners were waved for Ferrari, because yes, Ferrari is Ferrari and, no matter if none of its drivers finish the race, no matter if McLarens take P1 and P3, taking very important points, no matter if Jean Alesi slots in P2, behind Senna and ahead of Berger. Son of Sicilians, neglected by the Italian working industry just like his father, who in order to make money went up from the island to Avignon, France. Ferrari's glorious sentimental mystery continues, in the sense that its people resist out of love, put good money on it for these trips, and end up applauding Mansell who leaves the circuit without answering the journalists’ questions, not even the British ones. However, he waves to the crowd, who greet him with love. He even stops for autographs. This is a far greater and even more interesting mystery than that of the two batteries failing. First Prost, then Mansell. Senna won. The eagerly awaited Alesi came second. The rain remained suspended fifty metres above the ground until the race was over. The World Championship standings found their leader, but the vast majority of the people gathered in Monte-Carlo don't give a damn about all these exquisitely sporting matters. Monte-Carlo theatre is mostly Ferrari theatre: this place holds tight on the Ferrari fans’ minds; the race sits below their expectations, the finishing order is almost disappointing compared to their hopes. And in short, it is not about Ferrari missing Monte-Carlo, it is Ferrari missing out on Monte-Carlo. And there was also a dramatic prologue, which saw Prost rear-ended by Berger on lap 1. Prost again and Berger again, as in Imola (on Mansell though). The incident is not emphasised by the protagonists; Prost does not accuse Berger harshly. However, Cesare Fiorio rightly points out that:
"It's always Berger. He always hits one of our guys and always knocks his car out. Alain started again on Mansell's car, different set-up, different adjustments, seven gears instead of six".
But then there was this battery business, wiping out everything else. And Alain Prost says:
"At one point the electronic gearbox kind of hardened, almost locked up. Then the engine lost power. Then the battery kind of exploded. I arrived at the pit with the engine off".
And Cesare Fiorio adds:
"Impossible to get a diagnosis on the fly. When you lose five minutes stopping in the pits, amen".
Prost adds on:
"I had gotten battery acid on my hands, brought them to my eyes to wipe off drops of sweat and felt some burning, the doctor immediately ordered me to wash them".
Battery also for Mansell. Boutsen had slowed too much at the pool turn, the Englishman had rear-ended him. He stops in order to have the car nose repaired, rejoins the race and puts on a fabulous chase.
"And then battery failure for me too: first power crisis on the gearbox, then on the engine, I stopped".
And Cesare Fiorio repeats:
"This is a new one for us, unrelated to our usual work. There is no precedent for it, so we don't know what to say for now. We’ve worked well, our conscience is clear. We feel surprised rather than dejected".
The day prior to the Grand Prix, the Maranello team had warned everyone:
"This will be the most difficult race for us".
The next race will take place on the island of Notre Dame, in Montreal - the Canadian Grand Prix. A track that, in theory, could allow for a recovery, assuming Prost and Berger's cars do not make further progress in the meantime. Meanwhile, says Alain Prost:
"I am convinced that Ferrari can still aim to achieve great results. That is why I am not giving up, I will continue to work hard as is part of my habit. Sooner or later the bad luck that haunts us will eventually leave us alone".
Italians, tens of thousands of them, leave Monte-Carlo waving Ferrari flags. Evidently there must be a sub- championship of which they are aware of, those in charge at Maranello are not instead. Ferrari is winning a special classification, perceptible only to the pure of heart. Ayrton Senna immediately took back what he had left on the track two weeks ago at Imola. Third success in the Principality, increased lead in the World Championship standings, opponents - demolished. It matters little if Ferrari can make up some contingent excuse: in Formula 1 and in motor racing in general, those who do not succeed, and those who do not make it to the finish line are always wrong. Prost and Mansell retired, so the result for the Maranello team is similar to that of the first race in Phoenix: negative in absolute terms. In a race that once again proved to be prohibitive for men and cars (only seven took the finish line, nineteen retired). The only ones who met the expectations were Senna himself, Jean Alesi with his splendid second place, and Gerhard Berger, third on the podium but debated protagonist and perhaps key man of the day in several respects. It was the Austrian at the start, in fact, who changed every perspective, especially for Ferrari. Rarely has Ayrton Senna been seen as radiant as he has appeared to be on the podium, together with the Ranieri princes. Everything went very well for the Brazilian: Prost's retirement, the two very good starts, the narrow escape when Warwick got sideways as he was about to pass. At the end his engine was losing power - which did not prevent him, however, from achieving his 22nd success.
"Yes, I am happy. This one was a good victory. MonacoGrand Prix pays off when it comes to a driver's ambition. Every race is a tough one - the commitment that a circuit requires, lapping cars, full focus".
Which bits of the race stick out?
"The two starts, first of all. I managed to squeeze into the part of the track that was not slippery. As soon as I saw the red flag waving, I almost had a stroke. I had to do everything again. Fortunately, it went well. Then the missed collision with Warwick's Lotus. It happened at the Pool. I saw a flagman as if he was telling me to tighten the trajectory. I went by intuition and went wide. I passed by an inch. I respect people who do this job, but that guy there made a big mistake, I yelled all my anger at him. He could have ruined my race. The Lotus was across the road, it would have been a terrible collision, and behind me there were Alesi and Berger…".
What about the ending?
"There was a drop in engine power. I slowed down, but I was safe. I had set the race on pace and continued to drive with mode economy on until I crossed the finish line. Now the championship is looking pretty good, although there is still a long way to go".
Dripping with joy and simplicity Jean Alesi, for the second time in the runner-up spot this year, after Phoenix.
"A fantastic race, I don't think I could have done more. Senna was unassailable, Berger put a lot of pressure on me and I had to defend myself with my teeth. Overtaking Prost on the first start? He was almost stalling, went wide and opened the gap for me. I passed without taking risks. Then I tried again at the restart, but this time Alain left me no gap. Too bad - Tyrrells are limited to slow circuits".
Gerhard Berger, placed under indictment for rear-ending Alain Prost, tries to prove a point:
"We had just started, and he went wide and then closed on me. I tried to pass on the inside, but when I realised I was on him I couldn't brake anymore. In addition, the car was too heavy, as the tank was still full of gasoline. I certainly didn't do it on purpose because then I also had to race with a McLaren that wasn't mine and was set-up at the last moment. I am very happy with the finish, I am going through a hard time".
How come he could not get past Alesi?
"In the final lap the first gear broke. He was coming out of the tight corners faster and picking up more speed in the straights. I tried, but it was impossible for me, also because Jean is not one to be impressed".
Also in the happy round was Alex Caffi from Brescia, fifth on Arrows:
"I was not hoping for this placement. It actually saves our team from pre-qualification. At most I could have aimed for an eighth place. The car wasn't bad in race conditions, and so I was able to give it a shot thanks in part to the retirements. But I ended up with sore hands from fatigue, between the gearbox and steering wheel it was as if I was turning a truck".
There is, however, tussle again at McLaren. Not like last year, when the controversy between Senna and Prost raged. But current events also involve the two drivers, who are acting tough with the team. The Brazilian champion is in the process of renewing his contract. Ron Dennis, manager-master of the British team would like an immediate sign-up, before the deadline, scheduled for the end of July. Ayrton, on the other hand, is resisting. Perhaps not so much because he is thinking about the many other possible offers that have certainly rained down on him, but to wrest a convenient deal in every aspect, imposing his own law on the other party. More money, more political power, and probably even a short-term (one-year) contract to think peacefully about the future. This does not appeal to Dennis who struggles, thinks of traps, betrayals, and so there’s no such peaceful atmosphere between the two of them. As for Berger, it is not a matter of contract, since the Austrian's will expire only in 1992. Gerhard is not happy with the car. He has been begging the engineers to adapt it to his stature since the beginning of the season, and even before, because he cannot drive one hundred percent, with his elbows touching the cockpit walls, his legs constricted in a cramped space, and so much more. There was even a fight on Saturday.
As for the Brazilian, since his contract expires and he is not signing for the time being, the usual market rumours, more or less fanciful, are unleashed. In the crosshairs, of course, is Ferrari: according to some Italian newspapers, Senna would commit to race with the Maranello cars for the modest sum of twenty billion liras. This transfer would trigger a series of drivers switching from one team to another. For, with Senna at Ferrari, neither Alain Prost nor Nigel Mansell could stay. The Englishman would return to Williams, which would turn Riccardo Patrese (or Thierry Boutsen) over to the Italian team. As for Jean Alesi, although tied to Tyrrell for three seasons, he’ll be headed for sure to Williams, at the behest of Renault, which supplies engines to the British team. Alesi, however, would have to pay a hefty penalty stipulated in his contract. Some say that the young Sicilian-French talent might also be of interest to Ferrari. The best of all, however, among these inferences or rumours, involves Prost. According to radio-box, the Frenchman, should he win the world title, might quit to be a team manager. Which one? But Ferrari, of course. Pure fantasy? Who knows. A promotional campaign for Prost? Possibly. Supporters of this thesis are convinced that Alain with his experience, with his determination would make an excellent sports director. Meanwhile, the Japanese spared no expense. Do you know how much it cost Honda engineers to send live telemetry data from the engines during the two days of practice and the race to the research centre in Wako? Via satellite, around 95 million liras. On Monday morning Ayrton Senna got out of bed late. The Brazilian has been for a long time at the traditional Ranieri Gala, where he was treated to grand celebrations. Shorts and a dark T-shirt, Ayrton looks out from the terrace of his beautiful apartment on the top floor of the Avenue de la Princesse Grace condominium and gazes out into a 180-degree panorama, the rock, the waterfront, a part of the circuit where he won for the third time.
"A beautiful victory. A tough one. The two difficult starts, both carried out perfectly, the focus put on driving, the risky overtaking, the risk of the accident with Warwick, the shuddering finale with the engine dropping in power, with Alesi and Berger coming dangerously close. I had to administer the lead, driving the way I don't like, holding back. In the end, I couldn't contain my joy as I crossed the finish line. It was a wonderful day".
Six championship points over Berger, nine over Alesi, ten over Prost. Is this the launch to a second world
title?
"For goodness’ sake, let's not even talk about it. Right now my goal is to win as many races as possible. In Phoenix and Monte Carlo I managed to beat the competitors. But I have no illusions: when it comes to engines, I am convinced that the ten-cylinder Renault and the twelve-cylinder Ferrari are now superior to the Honda".
A surprising statement, especially after a race in which McLaren took first and third place. Ayrton Senna, however, is tough and goes his own way, in no uncertain terms.
"The Japanese will have to tell me why the engine was not working well in the final stages of the race. I am convinced that the extreme limit of exploitation was reached. And our rivals still have room for improvement".
What will happen then?
"In July at Silverstone I will test Honda's new 12-cylinder engine. There were no plans to use this engine during the season. However, I think we may have to make an effort, try to prepare for a quick change before the end of the championship if we don't want to deal with disappointments".
Clearer than this the São Paulo champion could not have been. In recent days, interviewed by the French sports newspaper L'Equipe, Senna had said:
"I have already decided which team I would like to race for next year. It's about the best team, the one that will allow me to win so many races. I don't know if I am the highest paid driver in Formula 1. But the salary figure is like a barometer in consideration to my value, like the stopwatch measures performance on the track".
Warnings and messages: are they aimed only at McLaren or also at some other teams? While Ayrton Senna enjoys his victory, based on the inspections carried out at Fiorano on the cars returned from Monte-Carlo, Ferrari confirms the failure of the batteries (of Japanese construction) at the origin of Prost and Mansell’s retirements. Tests to see if the electrical system had caused the failure yielded negative results. On Tuesday, the Formula 1 teams conduct tests at Le Castellet, interrupted by some rain showers in the afternoon. The best time is set by Donnelly (Lotus), 1'05"86, ahead of Prost (Ferrari) 1'06"28 and Senna (McLaren) 1'06"36. The Maranello team left for the Le Castellet circuit (located near Toulon) on Tuesday morning. But already on Monday morning at Fiorano, Ferrari technicians were hard at work to discover, on the parts sent to the workshop, the causes that forced Prost and Mansell's cars to retire from the Monaco Grand Prix. Under accusation was the electrical system and in particular the small batteries, placed under the drivers' seats, which - by exploding - silenced the engines and blocked the electronic gearboxes. It is not an easy task for the experts, because several may be the origins of the failure: a cable, the current stabiliser, the alternator and so on. In today's single-seaters there is also a mind-boggling tangle of wires and ECUs. In Monte-Carlo, Cesare Fiorio, dark in the face had said:
"This is an inconvenience that has never happened before. We can't understand how it could happen. The only thing we know for sure is that between Berger's collision with Prost and the subsequent trouble, we missed another good opportunity to get good results".
Disappointment, bitterness dwells in the Maranello team after the missed victory at Imola. For the men of the Italian team it is like being in front of a mirage: there is the finish line just a few metres away that disappears when trying to pass it. But there is, it must be said, within the team the confidence in the work done so far, the hope that the setbacks (and bad luck) within a short time can be overcome. The first to believe in the team's chances and the competitiveness of the car (and may be the most disappointed instead) is Alain Prost. The Frenchman is explicit:
"My single-seater was great. During free practice in the morning I felt that success was within my grasp. And, especially in light of what happened later in the race, with the problems Senna had in the finale, I don't think Alesi and Berger could have caught up with me. Unfortunately, what you all saw happened: I had to run with the reserve car that was adapted for Mansell and just tweaked it in a few minutes. I managed in spite of that to firmly maintain the second position. Nigel ran into an accident, lost over a minute, went from fourth to sixteenth and was already up to fourth place. This means that the performance is there, that we are competitive".
Prost seems to be untroubled.
"I am strongly convinced that we are on the right track. Maybe we will still run into a few bumps along the way, but Ferrari is now on a par with McLaren. This is the time when we have to grit our teeth, keep working and discover the last little flaws. Then we will get some big satisfactions. I have been in Formula 1 for a long time and I know when the time comes, when it is possible to win. We lost precious points, but the road to the championship is long and Senna has not won the world championship yet".
Said by Prost, this phrase appears like a promise and at the same time an incitement. The date is set for Sunday, June 10th, 1990, in Canada.