After a long break, the WDC restarts. The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix kicks off on Friday, 11 June 1993, with the first qualifying round on the Notre-Dame island circuit, which was the scene of the great feats of Gilles Villeneuve, the young Ferrari driver. The Grand Prix is the international event of the year in Québec. And, in fact, the seventh round of the World Championship promises well, with yet another challenge between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, who here, in a French-speaking country, has all the sympathy of the people. The Frenchman does not hide. And he proclaims his firm intention to win the fourth race after the tie in Monaco in the number of victories with his Brazilian rival. On the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix, Alain Prost, with a smirk of his, referring to the penalty suffered in the last race, says:
"Go ahead, write down that I'm a fool. Most people think so, but we'll see who laughs in the end".
It should be noted that Prost has never won here, while Senna has already climbed to the top step of the podium twice. The McLaren driver shows up in Montreal tanned, from Miami, with his girlfriend Adriana. A buxom girl who someone, with a little malice, defines as the Brazilian driver's tranquiliser. Senna replies to Prost, saying:
"Go ahead, it's all to be verified, I'll play my chances".
There is also anticipation for Benetton and Ferrari. Only on Saturday and Sunday will the Maranello team use the more flexible engines, the so-called TTs, due to the variable intake trumpets. Meanwhile, the unexpected news arrives from Paris that Max Mosley has been elected president of the FIA in place of Jean-Marie Balestre, who had not re-submitted his candidacy. It is the first act of a whole transformation of the FIA, which will no longer have two identities, as when there was still the FISA. But that does not mean that all the problems have been solved. The abolition of electronics for 1994, for example, is contested by McLaren, which threatens various types of action, including legal action. Waiting to see how this matter will evolve, on Friday, 11 June 1993, Alain Prost continues to fly with his Williams, as the others hunt him down. Going slower? It is not even taken into consideration. Already in the first qualifying round, the Canadian Grand Prix demonstrates that the 1993 single-seaters, despite the regulatory changes, are faster than the 1992 ones. Alain Prost sets the best time in 1'18"897, at an average speed of 201.907 km/h, almost a second below the track record set last year by Senna in 1'19"775. The Frenchman plays against his rivals, who fight hard on the track of the island of Notre Dame, but remain equally distant, apart from Damon Hill who with the same Williams is only 0.5 seconds away. In line behind are the two Benettons with Schumacher and Patrese, then the two Ferraris, quite optimistic (the new engines will be used on Saturday), with Berger and Alesi in that order. Ayrton Senna is only eighth, also preceded by Martin Brundle's Ligier. Luckily Ayrton Senna takes care of shaking up the atmosphere, at least off the track. The Brazilian driver - thanks to some journalists who don't think it's true that they can launch the bombshell of an imminent agreement between Senna and Ferrari, partially inflating the interviewee's speech - plays his usual game, which is to keep his foot more than one shoe to then choose the most comfortable one at the right time and snatch a millionaire salary. When asked specifically, the champion from Sao Paulo, who commutes with a racing contract for McLaren, replies:
"Ferrari is improving visibly and towards the end of the season you will see that it will be even stronger. It may not be able to win yet, but it will be competitive again. I often speak on the phone with John Barnard and have visited him several times in England. He showed me everything he is preparing and I was positively surprised. There are some technical innovations so interesting that I am surprised that nobody knows about them around. John is truly a brilliant man and he also has the advantage over the others of having started working on next year's car earlier. In other words, I want to say that the conditions of Ferrari today are very different from those of the Ferrari I knew, and with which I had some dialogue in the past. I see Ferrari well, yes, it's within my possibilities. It's true that I speak to Barnard".
And he adds:
"I know many things about the Italian team before they even happen. You cannot imagine what is going to happen, you have no idea. It is a story that no one knows. I'm very surprised that this has never been talked about. It's a very important, disruptive issue".
Senna does not add anything else, he does not explain what kind of event could change so many things, but it is possible that he was referring to technical innovations. The impression is that he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity with his mysterious statements. These are situations that are now repeated in all sports. And since he is one of the best, the story is sensational. But what is the truth? Is there really a possibility that Ayrton Senna will switch to Ferrari as early as 1994? John Barnard admits having discussed with Senna a few months ago, but denies having given him any particular revelations or talks about contracts, given that, among other things, the hiring of drivers is not part of his duties. In theory everything is possible, because who would ever refuse the best driver in the world? If Senna really wanted to go to Ferrari, it would be madness to say no, so it is not said that there really is not a negotiation in progress. There are, however, objective difficulties that must be taken into account. The first is that Senna costs a lot, a figure estimated at around 20 million dollars a season. Even if there is a sponsor willing to pay him, would the Maranello team do well to hire him immediately? Maybe not: not yet knowing what next year's car will be like, the presence of a demanding element like the Brazilian could be destabilising in the relationship with his teammate, in this case Gerhard Berger, who has a signed contract that gives him priorities. And then there is the speech given by Alesi, who turns 29 in Canada and receives a fax from Luca Montezemolo in which he basically writes:
"I wish you to grow old with us at Ferrari".
So, either the president of Ferrari is an impudent liar, or it is true that there is every intention of confirming him as a driver for next year. It is undeniable that the discussions have been dragging on for some time and that there is no signature; moreover, Alesi, in an attempt to put himself on a par with Berger, seems to have asked for a lot, that is, he has inserted clauses that only Jean Todt, who has been in charge of the racing team since 1st July, will be able to decide whether to accept or not. But most believe that 95% will reach an agreement between the two parties. Everything else is just talk. Like the one about the difficulties between Ferrari and the engine manager, engineer Claudio Lombardi. Someone claims that the technician has been placed on forced leave. Ferrari replies by stating that Lombardi is away to follow up on work at some suppliers. It is the same old story: in the absence of interesting topics, even a tiny fly becomes an impressive bumblebee. On Saturday 12 June 1993, Alain Prost in record format (seventh consecutive pole position, no one had ever achieved it) tries to make up for the points lost in Monaco and reduce Ayrton Senna's lead in the World Championship standings. The only real enemy of the French driver and his Williams-Renault in the Canadian Grand Prix appears to be the circuit, which is particularly difficult for him: Alain has never won on the Isle of Notre-Dame circuit. And here rarely more than ten cars reach the finish line, due to the walls surrounding the track and the characteristics of the circuit that put the engines in difficulty. However, Prost's task was facilitated by the fact that Senna, on a sunny day that reduces the performance of the cars by heating up the asphalt, obtained one of the worst placings in the grid of his career. The Brazilian remains nailed to eighth place. In addition to the Frenchman, drivers such as Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Riccardo Patrese, Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Martin Brundle will start ahead of him. Alain, however, will have to pay attention to the Benettons, which can be dangerous in race set-up. And Ferrari? A good opportunity to be exploited to confirm recent progress. As long as the new engines do not pay the price for their debut. The race will take place with the Formula 1 circus in shock, given that the violent arm of the law hits the teams. Max Mosley, the new president of the FIA, the powerful international federation, sends all the team managers a letter from the stewards in which he warns that twenty-four of the twenty-six cars present have been considered irregular.
After long studies and accurate tests, the federal technicians establish that some of the electronic solutions adopted on the single-seaters - in particular the active suspension and traction control - contravene the regulatory provisions. Two rules are examined: the first is the one that prohibits the use of mobile aerodynamic devices; the second concerns safety and the possibility for the driver to have complete control of the car. With active suspension - the FIA claims - the height of the racing cars on the ground is automatically modified according to the requirements, which causes great variations in the aerodynamic set-ups during each lap of the track. With electronic traction control, it is no longer the driver who doses the accelerator according to his sensitivity, but a computer. What does this warning from Canadian commissioners mean?
"In our opinion, these findings are well founded and involve the regularity of the entire championship. Consequently, we believe that the most appropriate thing is to send a report to that effect to the Federation, allowing in the meantime that for this Canadian Grand Prix the indicated cars are admitted to the competition".
The FIA informs that it is not possible to take immediate action for the Canadian Grand Prix. But it reserves the right to have the World Council meet in the coming days to change the regulations and possibly impose the abolition of active suspension and anti-skating wheels for the French Grand Prix, which will be held at Magny-Cours. In any case, the first seven races of the championship are considered sub-judice to all intents and purposes. Only the two cars of Scuderia Italia, the Bms-Lola of Alboreto and Badoer, not having the offending devices fitted, are considered regular. Absurdly, therefore, the Italian team and drivers, if disciplinary measures were taken against the other teams, would find themselves leading the World Championship. Total chaos, then. And just at a time when Formula 1 needs a clean and spectacular image. Max Mosley's action has an obvious purpose: to force the teams (especially McLaren and Williams) who oppose the abolition of electronics to give up their position. But, one wonders, was it appropriate to get to this point? Everyone knew by now that active suspension varied the aerodynamic arrangements. The reaction of the teams is varied: the small teams declare themselves ready to adapt immediately, the others adopt a wait-and-see tactic, that is, they wait for the decisions to be made. But there are also those, like Ferrari, who claim that they cannot quickly transform their cars to eliminate active suspension. A big problem from which it will be difficult to get out without damage. And Frank Williams reacts to the technical indication of the FIA by declaring:
"We consider the document compiled by the stewards unseemly and out of time. We sincerely believe that the world championships won last year with Mansell and with our cars are valid, and cannot be called into question by the decisions of the technical delegates. And since from the beginning of 1992 for 22 races we always used the same active suspension system that no one has ever considered irregular, we don't understand the dispute".
On Sunday, June 13, 1993, at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix, Alain Prost (perhaps mindful of the penalty suffered for the early departure in Monte-Carlo) lets himself be surprised by his teammate, Damon Hill. As lights go out, taking advantage of an uncertainty from Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna (who went from eighth to fourth in the first lap) and the two Ferrari drivers, Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi, also take advantage. But the pace imposed by the Brazilian was unmatchable for the cars from Maranello: in a few hundred metres, Ayrton very easily passed first the French, and then the Austrian. A more elastic engine, that of McLaren. But also the usual handicap of the Ferraris which at the start of the race with the 12-cylinder on certain tracks such as that of the island of Notre-Dame (due to prohibitive consumption) are heavier because they are forced to take on board a considerable quantity of petrol. Damon Hill's leadership lasted only five laps. On lap 6 Alain Prost slips him under braking at the hairpin before the pits, and takes the lead and start gaining several seconds ahead of all his rivals. The situation stabilised with the first four (Prost, Hill, Senna and Schumacher) in the break with margins equidistant from each other. Further back, the Ferraris try to defend fifth and sixth place.
Berger seems less fast and Alesi, without reverential fears, in a very narrow space, overtakes the cautious Gerhard. But the impression that the Frenchman might attempt a chase lasts a few minutes. During lap 23, car #27 was forced to slow down considerably and then stop definitively: the modified TT type engine (telescopic horns) exhaled its last breath. But good ol' Jean is generous, and as he returns to the pits, he says:
"It went badly but I'm happy because the engine was better than the previous version. We have gained experience, it will be useful for the future, together with the other innovations that will arrive for the next races, already in France, even".
Immediately afterwards, the series of pit stops to change tires began. Michael Schumacher enters first, gradually followed by the other drivers in the leading group. Disastrous - typical on certain occasions for Williams - the change for Damon Hill, who lost 16 seconds and two positions, finishing behind Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Meanwhile Alain Prost, who is now close to 30 seconds ahead, enters the pits last and resumes the track with a margin close to 10 seconds over Ayrton Senna. The Frenchman warms up the tires well and then begins his attack from a distance, one tenth after another, painstaking but inexorable, and again creates a safety distance on his eternal rival. Riccardo Patrese, who is in fifth position, was the victim of a spin during lap 45, and shortly after he retired - during lap 52 - due to leg cramps. The final twist comes on lap 63 of the 69 total, and has Ayrton Senna as its victim. An electronic failure blocks McLaren's engine, just as Ayrton suffers an overtaking attempt by Michael Schumacher. The Brazilian says bitterly, returning to the pits:
"I'm lucky because we didn't have an accident".
Alain Prost's Williams-Renault, on the other hand, had no such problems and crossed the finish line first, ahead of Michael Schumacher's Benetton-Ford, and Damon Hill's second Williams-Renault. Followed by Gerhard Berger's Ferrari, Martin Brundle's Ligier-Renault and Karl Wendlinger's Sauber-Mercedes, in the points for the first time this season. Alain Prost continues his series of victories: the number 48 of his career. And, by winning the Canadian Grand Prix for the first time since he has been racing in Formula 1, the Frenchman takes the lead again in the World Championship: 5 points ahead of Ayrton Senna, who was forced to retire while defending second position from Michael Schumacher’s attack. The balance, in favour of Alain Prost, after seven races is now four to three. All quite easy for the Williams driver who only had to manage the race in the best possible way, and a bad setback for the ambitions of Ayrton Senna, who returns home with a heavy zero to add to the standings. On the podium are the tenacious Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill. For Ferrari, another consolation prize with Gerhard Berger's fourth place and the satisfaction of climbing up the Constructors' Championship standings, ahead of Minardi. But once again timing and performance give no room for illusions. On lap 53 the Austrian was already lapped. And Jean Alesi had to retire (he was fifth) due to a water leak from the radiator which compromised the engine. Formula 1 is experiencing a moment of controversy after the FIA's decision to change the rules of the game and abolish the most advanced technological systems used by cars (active suspension and traction control). Sub-judice competitions and disqualifications for all teams. Frank Williams (real FIA target) reacts:
"We consider the document compiled by the sports stewards unseemly and out of time. We sincerely believe that the world championships won last year with Mansell and with our cars are valid and cannot be called into question by the decisions of the technical delegates. And since the beginning of 1992 for twenty-two races we have always used the same active suspension system that nobody has ever considered irregular, we don't understand the dispute".
There is a shadow on the successes of Alain Prost and Williams-Renault, winners of the Canadian Grand Prix. Another whodunit is ready to keep interest in the Formula 1 World Championship aroused.
It is not a second-rate character who excites spirits, but one of the protagonists of the World Championship. Even Ayrton Senna who on Sunday evening, before leaving Montreal, launched an accusation against the French enemy. The Brazilian, when asked about some rumours circulating in Formula 1, said:
"It is true. I understand that the fuel used by Prost's Williams in Spain has been deemed non-compliant with the regulations based on some analyses".
The Brazilian is referring to one of the routine checks carried out after the Barcelona match.
"There were two tests, in independent laboratories. And, in both cases, they revealed the presence of prohibited substances. This is not a question that interests me directly. However, if Williams were forced to use a different petrol, it could allow us to recover a bit of a disadvantage. It is clear that the English team has a much better engine, but we must also consider that Elf, the fuel supplier, does more refined research and uses products that involve greater risks".
The technical managers of the French oil company deny all wrongdoing. However, it is known that a third exam would be underway at another specialised institute. However, it seems that the casus belli lies above all in the interpretation of a not too clear provision of the regulation. It concerns the use of components that should also be present in the petrols marketed by Elf itself. Basically, the company (which also supplies fuel to Ford for Benetton, Sauber and Ligier) could avoid any problem by distributing the offending product to the normal network. Yet another starting point to raise controversy. But the suspicion arises that what is happening is the result of the current technical and sporting impasse in Formula 1: if races were exciting and hard-fought, none of this would happen. Not knowing where to attack anymore, drivers and company go out freely. They move forward in jolts, between one trouble or presumed trouble and the next. Meanwhile, Prost has resumed the race towards his fourth title and the others are watching. However, the Frenchman still complains:
"The race was very difficult. The track is very physically demanding and I had to pay attention to the brakes, fuel consumption and lapping. Nobody ever gives anything away for free. However, I really enjoyed winning here in a French-speaking country. And I'll enjoy it even more if I can repeat it in three weeks at Magny-Cours".
While an embittered Ayrton Senna says:
"A second place would have guaranteed me to keep the lead in the championship, and I really dreamed of it. But in Formula 1, even to be able to dream, you need to have the right equipment, and mine left me stranded today".
Among the spectators there was also Ferrari, which was satisfied with the fourth place of Gerhard Berger. Jean Alesi was stopped by a trivial but decisive breakdown, a water leak from an engine cooling circuit fitting. However, the Canadian trip was not without positive notes for the Maranello team, considering the situation in the medium term. In the coming days, first at Fiorano and then from 22 to 24 June at Monza, a new, less sophisticated active suspension and some new aerodynamics should be tested. In short, something to make further progress in the second half of the season. But the resolution of all the problems can only come with a new engine and car in 1994. In the meantime, another sensational piece of news arrives, which in a certain sense would also explain the tough attitude taken by the FIA:
"On the Silverstone circuit, in January, a single-seater capable of running without a driver on board was successfully tested".
The revelation was made by the lawyer Roberto Causo, representative of the Italian Federation in the Canadian Grand Prix.
"This proves that we are right to want to abolish many electronic components. Too much space for technologies, so much so that the presence of the driver at the wheel is almost useless".
The robot-car, which according to unconfirmed rumours should be a McLaren, has a computer on board which, among other things, has entered the characteristics of the circuit, the trajectories to follow, the gear change and braking. In place of the driver,a power assist that moves the steering wheel operates and acts on the brake-accelerator. The ghost car does everything by itself and, according to what has been learned, even with lap times worthy of a Grand Prix. At the moment McLaren, which has an advanced electronics department employing 150 specialists, appears to be the only team capable of creating and testing such a car. The only thing this racing robot cannot do is navigate a circuit where other cars are racing. Therefore, for the moment, overtaking, lapping, sudden changes of trajectory are impossible. The car tested at Silverstone in these conditions would be a danger to everyone. To solve the problem it would be necessary to mount an intelligent reading computer, i.e. capable of recognizing sudden obstacles and changing programs. However, the experiment shows that, with what already exists today in Formula 1, it is possible to build a car that is not controlled by the driver. The exclusion of man from the cockpit would not be impossible in the not too distant future. Speaking of men and machines, anyone who had noticed James Hunt's absence in Montreal must have thought: lucky him, he's on vacation. In fact James Hunt no longer followed all the races. At times, in his work as a television commentator for the BBC, he would simply lend his voice from studios in London. He retired from racing in 1979, at just 31 years old. And he probably would not have shown up again except for the need to earn some money by talking about an activity that he knew well, but that he no longer loved. Things have not been going well for him lately: the various matrimonial misadventures, wrong investments, had brought him to the fore in recent months because in an interview he had declared that he was in a financial crisis, so much so that he could not even pay the checks to his ex-wife and being forced to take their children to school in an old van. Probably he had exaggerated, the situation was not so tragic, but it certainly was not good. But that too was part of the character.
Because James Hunt was more of a hero, a myth of Formula 1 than a true champion. Let's be clear: a very good driver, but all genius and recklessness, fast but not always consistent. All different from Niki Lauda, Alain Prost or Ayrton Senna. More similar to Clay Regazzoni or Carlos Reutemann. But, unlike the Swiss and the Argentine, James had also managed to win a World Championship in 1976. It was the year in which Lauda had the terrible accident at the Nurburgring. Niki was out of racing for over a month and when he returned he gave the Englishman a gift, refusing to participate in the last race, in Japan, because the track was flooded with pouring rain. Hunt captured the title by just one point and was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame. But, as has been said, the English driver was above all a character who enlivened the circus of engines in the 1970s, helping to create the myth of the heartthrob, light-hearted, courageous driver. The girls liked him very much: tall, slim and handsome physique, long blond hair. He loved walking barefoot, they called him a gypsy. Thus, on the sidelines of racing, he also became a protagonist of jet-society. Supermodels, actresses, girls looking for adventures: James Hunt's photos appeared in all the magazines. And he smiled, in a tuxedo or a torn T-shirt, indifferently holding a bottle of beer, a glass of champagne, a glass of whiskey. It was a time of adventures and wildness. There was even talk of him as a friend of the heart of Lord Hesketh, the nobleman who set up the homonymous team. Then the sudden decision to leave, when the results were not so brilliant anymore. He said that too much technology bored him, that to run you needed brain, foot and heart, an engine, a chassis and four wheels. In this sense he was a forerunner of the present moment, as Formula 1 realised that it had gone too far with sophistication. Hunt was not a funny guy (among other things, even as a television commentator he has always heavily criticised the Italians) but he was in a certain sense a pure person. With him disappears the last slice of an era that will never return, a little naive, but certainly very genuine and sporty. Tuesday, 15 June 1993, James Hunt died of a heart attack in his home in Wimbledon at the age of 45, despite having never had a heart condition.