The marriage failed, but the relationship is safe for now. Ferrari forgives Nigel Mansell: the Englishman will continue to race for the Maranello team until the end of the season, and he will have to look for another team if he wants to continue the activity in Formula 1, and thus renounce the intentions of abandonment that he had expressed clearly and with determination at the end of the race at Silverstone. The team frees Nigel Mansell from the option he had on him that was expiring on September 30. This concludes another of the tormented chapters of a World Championship without breath and full of controversy. After rumours of a possible departure of Mansell arose in the days following the Belgian Grand Prix (confirmed by the events) is Cesare Fiorio, arrived Wednesday, August 29, 1990, in the afternoon, in Monza, to follow the second day of free practice, to explain what happened and how this solution was arrived at.
"We called in Nigel Mansell Tuesday night in Maranello to clarify the situation within the team. We looked at each other, we talked, we discussed and we found points of agreement, with mutual satisfaction. We had previously examined the Belgian car without identifying anything irregular. Nigel probably didn’t like the set-up he had prepared for Prost. We confirm the highest estimate in the pilot, of great value, a sample. He repeated that he was willing to work for the team, eventually helping Prost in the title challenge. He also acknowledged that he had taken positions he shouldn’t have. He asked us to free him from the option we had for him. We have satisfied him".
It is clear that Mansell, who came to Maranello with two lawyers, gained confidence because his departure would have been problematic five races before the end of the World Championship. Ferrari has been, in a way, forced to make a good face to bad game with the hope of not tripping again in the whims of the fickle English.
"We will provide him with all the best material, like Prost, and we will also try to get him to win a race if we have the chance, as he wants to beat the Stirling Moss record. In return he offered us his commitment. We also exonerated him from the tests he finds so heavy. In any case, to respond to certain statements, we want to reiterate that we would be crazy not to put our driver in the best possible conditions to make a result. We will continue to alternate the reserve car between the English and the French, but at Monza we will bring four".
Cesare Fiorio also talks about the future:
"We are in contact with several drivers for 1991, Italian and foreign. We will try to make a decision as soon as possible, but it does not necessarily happen before the Italian Grand Prix, on 9 September. We will also try to favour Gianni Morbidelli, who has a three-year contract with us. We hope he will come in Formula 1, maybe with Minardi, even if the team from Romagna will decide with which men to face next season".
Ferrari, therefore, always focuses on Jean Alesi and must wait for the Frenchman to get rid of his many commitments, if he succeeds. The Frenchman, meanwhile, reiterates that he does not want to go to Williams:
"I’ll only do it if they put a gun to my head".
And the reason for this hostility is known: the young man of Sicilian origin did not like the (failed) attempt of the English manufacturer to take Ayrton Senna at all costs.
"If they had the Brazilian, they would have dumped me, despite the commitment they made. That is why I am free to choose my destiny".
Meanwhile, tests continue. Prost breaks an engine r in the afternoon (036), but overall he manages to try many solutions. Thursday will have many things, aerodynamics and engine 037, to test. A spectacular accident and a lot of fear, but no serious consequences, for Alain Prost on the last day of Formula 1 free practice in Monza, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix (9 September). On Thursday, August 30, 1990, the Ferrari driver left the track around 3:00 p.m. in the first corner of Lesmo, while racing at 230-240 km/h in fifth gear. The car hit with extreme violence against the guardrail with the front left: broken front axle, suspension demolished. The sudden throttle block. Prost reports a slight contraction of the paravertebral muscles of the cervical tract and a contusion in the area of the clavicle. The World Champion, back on foot to the box, is subjected by Dr Benigno Bartoletti to a short therapy to eliminate the contracture.
"What a fright. I tried to brake, but the car blew away and I found myself against the barrier. Too bad, because I wanted to complete the test program".
At the time of the accident Prost, who had already completed 39 laps, was trying the latest evolution of the new Ferrari 037 engine. The modifications should allow the car to accelerate better at the exit of the curves. For the Maranello team, the most important checks in view of the Italian Grand Prix are missing, those that had to match the more refined engine with the qualifying tyres (In any case, the old tires have been more efficient than those used in recent races). Prost’s best time is 1'25"08. Nigel Mansell does not try. Ayrton Senna, who completed 66 laps, is the fastest with McLaren: 1'24"20.
"All right, we had to get around a lot here to find the ideal set-up, a difficult task in this circuit, especially with a full tank of petrol".
Gerhard Berger, with the other McLaren, scored best time 1'29"23. In the day there is also a harmless exit of Martini (Minardi) in the parabolic and yet another failure of a Renault engine on the Williams of Boutsen. In three days, five have broken. Patrese, however, claims that this engine offers remarkable performance. In the margins of the evidence also happens a sad episode. A 50-year-old man, Salvatore Gianfranco, a close friend of the Eurobrun driver Claudio Langes, dies from a heart attack that hits him in the stable box. Gianfranco, a representative of Brescia, was an adviser to Langes. Very well known in the Formula 1 lap (everyone called him Franchino), just before they resumed testing, while he was chatting with Langes, he collapsed on the ground. Transported first to the emergency department of the circuit and then to the San Gerardo hospital in Monza, Gianfranco died in a few minutes. Langes was warned of his death only at the end of the trial. In Monza, during the test, just a few days after the renewal of the contract with McLaren, Ayrton Senna reveals a secret that he held in store for over a month:
"In July I was virtually in Ferrari, then the negotiations were over".
The negotiation dates back to a couple of months ago: Senna was not only in direct contact with the Maranello team, but even had made requests that Ferrari had examined and accepted. The Brazilian driver was also subjected to a contract hypothesis that he accepted. This means that Senna, in addition to having come up with a figure very close to 14.000.000.000 lire a season, had also managed to get the exclusion from the team of his arch-enemy, Alain Prost. One thing that could easily be achieved for the Italian team: it would have been enough not to renew the option for 1991 to the reigning World Champion. In fact, the agreement with the Frenchman allowed this way out. But then, why did it all fade away? Some of the blame is laid on the Brazilian himself:
"In July I asked for time to think. I realised that accepting at that time would be premature".
At that point, it seems that Ferrari has withdrawn the offer. Probably someone within the team has suddenly changed his mind. But there are also those who claim that it was the same sponsor Marlboro, who has a role far from secondary in the choice of drivers, to force Ferrari not to subvert the delicate balance between the two teams. The truth about the whole issue is probably known only in two: the Ferrari sports director, Cesare Fiorio, and the same Ayrton Senna. And, in fact, a few years later Cesare Romiti will tell:
"Senna would have arrived in Maranello in 1991, the year I had to leave. At the time I was carrying out a secret negotiation to have it in Maranello. Prost was informed of this negotiation by the then president of Ferrari, Piero Fusaro, who was probably annoyed by my presence, by my role. Jealousy? I don’t know. Maybe he had inferiority issues. I just never understood what he had against me. Or simply the effects of internal political struggles. Not knowing how to eliminate me, he thought to ally himself with Prost. What better opportunity could Fusaro have to ally with the French driver, trusting Alain that his team manager was signing Ayrton? Prost and Senna didn’t have a good relationship. Hearing of this situation, Prost took a hostile attitude towards me, not realising that they were using him to put me on the spot. Senna’s failure to arrive at Maranello changed the history of Formula 1, Ayrton and mine. With him at the wheel of the Ferrari I would have stayed too".
But Piero Fusaro will explain that:
"Alain Prost, bypassing the hierarchies, asked for a private interview with Gianni Agnelli, who granted it to him. At the end of the interview, Prost officially declared that he had been confirmed in Ferrari for the 1991 season. At that moment I was caught off guard and, respecting the company hierarchies, I consulted with Romiti about the signature to be affixed to the contract of Ayrton Senna, also because the confirmation of Alain Prost in the team automatically excluded the presence of the Brazilian champion. Prost’s confirmation, since it could not be questioned, was a choice that, rightly or wrongly, was officially attributed to Gianni Agnelli".
And, in fact, at 5.30 p.m. on July 9, 1990, the Ferrari sports management fax in Maranello printed a document that could have changed the history of Formula 1. It was an agreement with the autograph of Ayrton Senna at the bottom. A pre-contract with which the Brazilian driver committed himself to racing with Ferrari as a minimum in 1991 and 1992 (but then he could prolong), which included a rich bonus in case of victory of the World Championship, a pair of Ferrari F40, the single-seater of 1991 and the promise to give him that of the following season.
"My negotiations with Senna were completely secret. I had met him secretly at his home, first in São Paulo and then in Monte-Carlo, we were never seen talking on the track. Personally conducted in great secrecy. Ayrton and I agreed on everything".
Cesare Fiorio adds. But, on the other hand, how can you sacrifice a champion like Prost? The agreement with Senna was thus rejected and Ferrari decided to hunt down Alesi, the emerging talent, leaving the Brazilian to hope for a place, but only for 1992, when Prost will leave the scene. The rest is the story of these days, with Senna increasingly indignant at the sudden change of ideas of Ferrari. This explains some of his Sibilline phrases a few days ago, when speaking of the Italian team he said:
"The day will come when I will go, rest assured".
Rather than a wish it seemed like a joke of resentment towards those who had denied him the chance to race with the most blasphemous team in the entire Formula 1 circus.
Meanwhile, one thing is certain: the Italian Grand Prix will not mathematically award the title of Formula 1 World Champion. There are five races left at the end of the championship and the situation is such that not even a success of Ayrton Senna, and Prost without any points won could decide the challenge for the world title. But it is clear that a victory by the Brazilian would put in serious difficulties the French rival, already detached by 13 points in the standings, with four first places against the five of the McLaren driver. The battle, however, is still centred on the head to head between the two champions, as if the others did not exist. Ayrton Senna, the fastest man, the 90’s champion against the professor, the driver who uses his brain more than his foot. However, while taking into account the ambitions of other teams (Williams and Benetton above all) the comparison this time is between the two teams that have dominated the season so far with nine wins out of eleven races. McLaren and Ferrari present themselves at the appointment in Monaco at the maximum of their technical and human possibilities. The British team has found the perfect balance in Belgium, where Ayrton Senna decided to renew the contract for 1991, putting an end to the controversies and discussions that had tormented his path in the central part of the championship. The Brazilian not only consolidated his position in the team, but he recovered the solidarity and help of his team-mate Berger. The Austrian, who is a smart guy, understood that for him there would be no escape of glory in the last races if Senna was in a position to give up some victory. So, at Spa, Gerhard Berger took on the thankless task of squire. Proof of this are the three starts made to the limit of correctness with the sole task of protecting the Brazilian’s flight. Ayrton Senna says:
"I felt Gerhard’s pressure behind me, and I was forced to force the pace by deteriorating the tyres".
But in fact, in the first 13 laps, the McLaren #28 had only thought of keeping behind Prost’s Ferrari, making him lose at every step precious tenths. A very important alliance that adds to the recovery of the competitiveness of the cars of Ron Dennis. If there had never been any doubts about Honda engines, McLaren had had problems because of the chassis that the drivers themselves accused of not being up to the task. Neal Oatley, designer of the Anglo-Japanese team, was put under pressure and thanks to an impressive series of tests the chassis and aerodynamics were substantially improved with the adoption of new ailerons, with minor changes to the suspension and with the recovery of a flat bottom that was used in 1988 and that bears the signature of Steve Nichols, current Ferrari technician. Now, McLaren is at Monza with the role of great favourite. But Ferrari does not stand still. The Maranello team solved the Mansell case, at least in theory. The Englishman has promised to close the season by doing his best, starting from Monza, to try to back Alain Prost. However, it is on the cars, the 641/2 that Ferrari must aim to beat the ruthless competition. And on this point it seems that the Maranello team is on the right track. Although it was not possible to complete the series of tests on the new 037 engine in Monza last week because of the accident that saw Prost finish off the track at 240 km/h for the accelerator blocked, Ferrari seems to have found new solutions for both the qualifying and the race. A rear wing without a central pylon that should guarantee a remarkable top speed without penalising grip, the twelve cylinders already revised and corrected with more thrust in acceleration and the old Goodyear tires should ensure maximum performance. The history of tyres is well known: Prost and Mansell noticed that the tyres used up to the British Grand Prix (slightly different in construction) offered a higher performance and the American company agreed to propose them again for the Italian Grand Prix. An open challenge therefore, with the two teams-rivals ready to offer a great show, an uncertain fight until the last metre of the 53 laps scheduled. The title is not up for grabs yet, but it will surely be the most fought race of the year. In the meantime, the finishing touches are made at the Monza circuit in view of the 61st edition of the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Starting from Thursday, September 6, 1990 will descend in Monza all the teams enrolled in the World Championship for technical checks before official testing. Tuesday, meanwhile, will be inaugurated the new futuristic boxes completed in these days for a total expenditure that is close to 20.000.000.000 lire. The new building occupies the entire front along the central grandstands, and develops for a length of 196.30 metres and a width of 12.90 metres for a total height of two floors above ground. The structure can host up to48 boxes.
At the same time in the village of the circuit were completed the new track direction and a computerised system of Digital, able to provide in real time a series of data on the behaviour of the cars both in the race and in the tests. For the public will be completed these days a series of facilities for the reception. There are 32.000 seats and seven giant screens on which the spectators can follow the race live. The pre-sale of grandstand tickets is already complete: only tickets for the lawn areas are now available (cost for three days: 60.000 lire). The last tickets can be purchased at the various locations of the Automobile Club of Milan and directly at the counters of the circuit. Wednesday, September 5, 1990 it is learned that Jean Alesi will not go to Ferrari next year, and the Maranello team opens the doors for an Italian driver. The tormented story of the Frenchman seems to have come to the conclusion, at least as of the possibility of joining Alain Prost in 1991. In a meeting of the Executive Committee for the Fiat Group’s sporting activities, in Corso Marconi, in the presence of the CEO Cesare Romiti, Piero Fusaro, President of Ferrari, the vice-president Piero Lardi and Cesare Fiorio (and maybe there was also Luca Montezemolo) all the difficulties to engage the twenty-six year old driver from Avignon would have emerged. The contracts previously signed by Alesi himself (first with Tyrrell and then with Williams-Renault, without forgetting that there was also an agreement with Eddie Jordan, the British manager who had launched him in Formula 3000) would have required a long and complicated legal battle. With the lawyers in the middle, Ferrari would have been forced to wait too long and would also have risked losing options on other drivers, in the short term. Another obstacle - as far as we know - would have been represented by the amount to be invested in the operation, disproportionate if we consider that, all in all, the talented Alesi has not yet had the opportunity to achieve great results, while revealing considerable potential for talent, courage and determination. If the figures circulating in the environment are true, in order to take Alesi it would have been necessary to pay about 2.000.000.000 lire to Ken Tyrrell and 6.500.000.000 lire to Frank Williams (who wanted precisely 3.000.000 pounds to free the Frenchman).
All this without considering the real wage of the driver, estimated another 4.800.0000.000 lire. The cost, more or less, of an Ayrton Senna. If the story, as it seems, is confirmed, Ferrari will turn to an Italian driver. The names in the ballot would be three, all well known: the Milanese Ivan Capelli, 27 years (currently at Leyton House); the Emilian Stefano Modena, 27 years (Brabham), and the Romagna Pier Luigi Martini, 29 years (Minardi). A decision appears imminent, although some details need to be defined. It is said that within the committee there are two trends, one for Capelli (the most winning), the second for one of the other two. By the way, Modena and Martini, being smaller in size, would have the advantage of being physically similar to Prost. A less trivial element than it may seem: it would allow them to prepare cars with similar adjustments avoiding problems of tuning as happened between Prost and Mansell when they had to swap cars. The announcement could be made in the next few days in Monza, respecting a tradition of Ferrari that often communicated the composition of the team for the following championship on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix. If there is a clarification of this kind, this will close a conversation that has been dragging on for months. And Alesi? Since he himself has repeatedly stated that he does not want to go to Williams because the English manufacturer would have discharged him if he had taken Senna, the Frenchman will theoretically remain at Tyrrell: next year he will have 10-cylinder Honda engines available. But the team, excellent, does not currently have great economic means. There should be no more surprises, except that Williams will not force Alesi to join their team. In this case, Riccardo Patrese could also be freed: there is a clause in the contract according to which he could leave if he was called by Ferrari. A competitor for Capelli, Modena and Martini? Waiting to understand how the future will develop, Ferrari brings four cars for Prost and Mansell, one race and one qualifying each, all the latest news prepared in two weeks of testing on the same track in Monzese and Fiorano will be fielded to try to snatch an important victory. Alain Prost is also convinced and determined:
"We need a complete win to continue fighting for the title, because the subsequent races in Portugal and Spain could score more points in our favour, given the characteristics of the tracks that will highlight the resilience of our cars".
The climate, however, is that of direct comparisons, because you no one sees who could fit in the head to head between McLaren and Ferrari, while taking into account the ambitions of Benetton and Williams and some Italian drivers such as Nannini and Patrese who have every intention of highlighting themselves. Thursday, September 6, 1990 one may wonder, arriving at the national circuit decked as a cruise ship that hoisted the dressing overall, what is the secret of the huge success of Formula 1. Thursday kicks off the 61 Italian Grand Prix and already in the previous days thousands of fans crowded the renovated facility located in the huge and beautiful park next to the Villa della Regina. Crowds at all gates, people gathered along the avenues, everyone waiting hours and hours just to see up close a driver and the most famous technicians. Even the passage of the mechanics arouses cries of wonder. Probably it is the mechanism of the World Championship, sixteen races a year, one per nation (only Italy organises two, thanks to the trick of the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, in May) to arouse so much interest. Fans have only one chance per season to see the real cars, the protagonists. There is no inflation of football type and therefore no one hesitates to spend 270.000 lire to go in the stands or 60.000 lire for the lawn, where, among other things, almost nothing can be seen, at most the roar of the cars passing at maximum speed can be heard. And then there is Ferrari. The car myth, the legend. It is the Maranello team that almost morbidly attracts a huge audience. For better or worse, whether they win or lose. So much so that the fans are not even too interested in the story about Jean Alesi. It is Ferrari that counts, the drivers have only one duty, to get a result.
"I don’t care if Lauda is at the wheel, rather than Prost. For us, the cars of Maranello count".
Yet the subject continues to be of public interest. Some are convinced that the Frenchman can still land in Maranello. Even the French driver, who is very sad about the death, a couple of days before, of the beloved grandmother Francesca, 79, says that the story is not closed:
"If the situation has become more complicated, difficult to resolve, it is not for me. Maybe others will have problems".
An obscure statement, difficult to interpret. On the other hand, Frank Williams, directly interested, seems to have no doubts:
"Alesi is mine and I keep him".
Officially, however, Ferrari has not yet abandoned the idea of hiring the Frenchman. Says Cesare Fiorio:
"We are still on this idea, we have our cards in hand and we think we can make them count".
A real rebus, but there is the impression that certain statements are also made to mislead investigators. Fortunately there are those who laugh at this catchphrase; for example Nicola Larini who, with typical Tuscan humour, asks and answers:
"Do you know why nobody signs? The reason is that the dollar, the official currency of Formula 1, is too low".
Ivan Capelli, 27, seems now the best candidate to drive the Ferrari next year, in place of Nigel Mansell. After Michele Alboreto, he should be the one to take over the baton of the relay between Italian drivers at the court of Maranello. The hypothesis seems the most probable, after the quotations of Jean Alesi appear to decrease.
The Maranello team decided this not for unwillingness, but for intrinsic difficulties to find a positive solution to the intricate story that sees the Tyrrell driver in the lead role. So he, Ivan Capelli, nicknamed “the Terrible”, now finds himself at the crossroads of a career that has seen him emerge among the young talents in evidence for some years.
"I don’t know anything. Nobody lets me know exactly what the situation is. I’m on a knife’s edge. On the one hand, Leyton House, my current team that does everything to keep me, on the other, the unknown. Some say I could go to Ferrari, but honestly I don’t have a contract yet. This is a hell of a situation, which could make even more experienced people lose their minds. The only sure thing is that I feel ready to make a qualitative leap, to obtain those results that up to now I have missed, not only for my fault, but for the problems I encountered with a car that was on some competitive occasion without allowing me to get to the bottom".
The fact remains that Capelli now has the obligation to stand out, provided that his Leyton House-Judd allows him to make a good race on Sunday.
"Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Benetton, there is very little space. Yet I would like to race in front of the home crowd, a race similar to those that allowed me to fight for the first places, such as Le Castellet and Silverstone. It is not easy to be appreciated when you fight in the last positions as this season happened to me too many times, with a non-competitive car. However, the dish is too greedy not to have any illusions, not to hope".
On Thursday, however, the words will count little. McLaren is still the team to beat (and Berger is rebelling against the role of wingman that we gave him after the race in Spa, saying that he is here to win), Ferrari is lurking. And Nigel Mansell, arrived in Monza with the toe of a crushed hand closing a drawer (never that one is good for the English), promises battle:
"Next year I will be a former driver. I have five races left to win at least one. I hope to hit the target on Sunday. In the meantime, I will try to take pole position, to put Senna behind. It would be the best way to help Prost. I intend to give a good hand to my teammate so that he can fight for the world title".
There are resolutions, we will see what the facts will be. It seems that the Maranello team has given up for the moment to use those technical innovations that had been mentioned, such as the fairings of the wheels for qualifying, but certainly something interesting will come out these days, especially from the engines. However, the climate is that of the great events, of those races that are worth the whole season. Prost seeks an affirmation to hang Senna in the standings, the Brazilian a first place that could be worth the title. There is a lot of talk about McLaren and Ferrari, about Senna and Prost. And that is not for everyone. Patrese, for example.
"With all due respect, we’re here too, there’s Benetton. We don’t give up before we play our cards. Our team, Williams, prepared the race well. In practice last week we got the second half. We may not be in pole position in qualifying, but the race could prove us right".
Richard is quite convinced that what he says is not far from the truth. And he has his reasons:
"Renault has prepared another version of its 10-cylinder. Even more powerful and progressive. And also in terms of aerodynamics we have some important news. I don’t see life so easy for Ferrari and McLaren".
Patrese, therefore (without forgetting his teammate Boutsen), is ready to overturn the predictions on the eve that would want him defeated even before starting. Already in the first round of qualifying of the Italian Grand Prix, Friday, September 7, 1990, McLaren and Ferrari face off without hesitation, squeezing the most cars and drivers. And if the English team with the usual superman Ayrton Senna wins the provisional pole position, the Maranello team responds by putting Nigel Mansell in the front row next to the Brazilian. The time standings see immediately behind another of the British cars, that of Berger and then the other car of Maranello, driven by Alain Prost. Small gaps, among other things, unusual especially for Ferrari that is often not competitive. While Senna pennella one of those fabulous laps, including among other things a masterful slide at the exit of the terrible parabolic curve because the front tires are already boiling (1'22"972, at an average speed of 251.651 km/h, new circuit record, previous Piquet with the turbocharged Williams-Honda in 1987 in 1'23"460), the newfound Mansell right in the final is very close, just 0.169 seconds from the leader of the World Championship. And, crossing the finish line, the English moustached driver cannot hold back a dramatic gesture, raising his arm with his fist closed, a gesture that obviously excites the Italian audience. Ayrton Senna recognizes that the positions are now very close, that here in Monza will need a very accurate adjustment of the cars, that the race will be hard and difficult. The usual speeches on the eve, accompanied by a good word about Mansell:
"He is fast, he was also unlucky, with Ferrari he has collected so far less than he deserved".
Pacifist statements, also interesting because the Brazilian would be fine if the English won. Who reiterates his intentions to help Prost win the World Championship. However, things did not turn out too well for Ferrari in the morning, when Mansell and Prost broke one engine each. There is the impression, however, that the two twelve cylinders charged were special, that they had something inside that was new and experimental. So much so that they are sent immediately to Maranello, to carry out a check. Explains Cesare Fiorio:
"We have an idea of what it is, we are not too worried".
There is the impression that these were engines to be used in qualifying, more powerful, confirmed by the fact that the Ferrari sports director admits that the rotation regime has been increased by 200-300 rpm. Alain Prost says that on Saturday, if there are no weather conditions, he can also attack the pole position. For the rest there is no big surprise, except an incredible sixth place for Jean Alesi with a Tyrrell equipped with an 8-cylinder engine (but the Frenchman risked a lot, driving to the limit with a rear wing of very small size, to gain in top speed) and a series of performances a little 'muted by Williams (Boutsen P5 and Patrese P7) and Benetton Piquet and Nannini with high times. Gerhard Berger is also disappointed, as he learns at his own expense that the new curbs at the chicanes are higher and he can no longer cut corners as easily as he used to. In the meantime, the creation of a new Italian team, the Lambo Formula, owned by Carlo Patrucco, vice-president of Confindustria, was officially announced. Scuderia Modenese also did this, with the total collaboration of Lamborghini for engines and chassis (with Mauro Forghieri). A serious program, but the debut will happen only next year. Italians still remember that legendary 9 September 1979, when Jody Scheckter, the South African, won the Italian Grand Prix, he brought to Ferrari the last of a series of drivers' world titles. Sunday will have been exactly eleven years since the fateful day of a triumph that drove the crowd crazy, causing an oceanic invasion of the track. The scene was then repeated in 1988 with Gerhard Berger first and Michele Alboreto second, but it was an isolated episode, as neither the Austrian nor the Italian were vying for the helmet. Now, however, the challenge is still open: a success of Alain Prost would put the Frenchman and the team of Maranello back in the race. But Ayrton Senna, who never won at Monza, wants to score the knock-out, increasing the margin of advantage (13 points) he has in the standings over his hated rival. These are the two highly anticipated protagonists of the twelfth championship race.
However, one wonders if anyone else will be able to enter the head-to-head duel between the Brazilian and the French. In theory, apart from Williams men (Patrese and Boutsen), Benetton men (Nannini and Piquet) and the fearsome Jean Alesi, the most dangerous opponents for duelists seem to be their teammates, Berger and Mansell. The good Gerhard has been a page to Senna in Belgium, but he says that this time he will make his own race. The Englishman found form and motivation after the whims of Spa that made him risk his early divorce with Ferrari. The situation is strange, to say the least: what will happen if one of the number two is in the embarrassing position of being able to win by removing points from the team-mate? Ron Dennis has no doubt:
"If there are both McLarens in the lead, for me it will be an extraordinary result however, the drivers will be free to play their chances".
And even Fiorio is explicit:
"If something like this happened, I’d be very happy. A victorious Mansell would take away all the problems until the end of the season, since he wants to win for the fifteenth time the first place to overtake his compatriot Stirling Moss. Besides, he’ll still take points from Senna. We consider this race favourable to McLaren, so a one-two, in any case, would be positive, indeed extraordinary".
It is hard to believe that everything will be so easy. Because Senna and Prost would not be very happy. If it is true, as is true, that the South American intends to bring a deadly hit in the fight for the title, for him a second place would be a joke. And the same can be said, even more so for the small transalpine, which needs points like oxygen to breathe. If Mansell and Berger were to prove so disrespectful, the two teams could develop a climate of tension similar to what last year led Ayrton and Alain to a complete break. Forced to win, therefore, not to fall into dangerous pitfalls. Also because at the end of the season, in the final accounts, the result of Monza will end up having a considerable weight, like what a direct clash between aspiring to the Scudetto can have in football. And perhaps the only ones to worry are only the fans of Maranello: for the crowd it will already be a triumph if Ferrari wins, #1 (Prost) or #2 (Mansell), little matter. Meanwhile, 46-year-old builder and gentleman Frank Williams is expected to have an open conversation with Jean Alesi on a solution, and instead the meeting turns into a trial. Frank Williams, with his torso erected in a wheelchair to which he has been forced by an accident for four years, summarises the whole story, from the failed contacts with Al Unser jr, leader of Formula Indy, to the dream of capturing Senna.
"And we come to Alesi. I spoke to him already in November. On February 2 he signed a two-year contract plus the option on the third. Only one condition: that he get the legal release from Tyrrell. At Silverstone I learned that Alesi was in word with Ferrari. Then I informed engineer Fusaro of the deal, who was a bit surprised. Later Alesi asked me to let him go. I raised a higher bid and convinced him. But then he reconsidered again. I don’t know what to say".
Instead, Frank Williams knows it:
"It’s poker with too many bluffs. There’s someone at Ferrari who pretends to ignore the contract and pushes Alesi to break up with me. But I have been with them for twenty years and I know that they are serious people. Alesi prefers Ferrari? I too would prefer to walk... Alesi is ours".
It is the conclusion: Williams rejects every other final.
"The court? It won’t be necessary. An economic agreement with Ferrari? I race, I don’t aim for profits".
Some kind of exchange with Mansell, convinced to back out of abandonment?
"I respect Nigel very much, but this is another matter".
And what does Jean say? Alesi defends himself by posing as naïve, canny De Niro-like grit.
"I am only 26 years old and have little experience. I happen to be too aggressive in the race and too fast in signing a contract. What is certain is that I want to get to Ferrari anyway. Wrong is human".
Alesi concludes. But to make a mistake three times in a few months is a bit diabolical. Saturday 8 September 1990, the most spectacular and extraordinary day of practice in recent years kicks off the Italian Grand Prix. And, if the competitive expectations are met, the show will be great. Senna in pole position, as usual, but next to him this time there is his bitter rival, Alain Prost. McLaren against Ferrari, as it was thought. But the challenge that is also worth a good part of the world title is on this occasion very tight, with two cars and two drivers very close in performance. The Brazilian has surpassed himself, performing a real miracle, a lap-record (1'22"533, at an average speed of 252.990 km/h) ended with 50 seconds from the end of the qualifying. After appearing in trouble, because in the morning the engine of his car did not go and the Honda technicians were forced to change it. A couple of laps to fine-tune the car, then the shocking hit (for rivals). Everything had happened before. While Mansell (one slow lap, then another slowed by overtaking) failed to improve and slipped to P4, Prost and Berger gave rise to an incredible battle. First the Austrian settles behind Senna, who is the leader of the ranking thanks to the time on Friday. So the Frenchman reverses the situation by scoring an exceptional time of 1'22"935, going in the lead. Then McLaren sends back the brave Gerhard Berger. But after the launch the Tyrolean at the first chicane finds the Brabham of Modena and is forced to perform a terrible braking on the curbs. The trouble does not lead him to surrender. Another pass and this time, with the tires already used, stops the time in 1'22"936, 0.001 seconds behind Prost. And while the Frenchman gnaws his nails at the pits, he has to wait for the final rush of Senna to define the situation. For statistics lovers, the Brazilian’s pole position is number 49 (the seventh of the season), and his lead over Prost in distance is 28.251 metres. But the most striking data concerns the margin between Prost and Berger: those 0.001 seconds on the 5800 metres of the circuit are worth 7 centimetres. At the start of the race, Senna and Prost will look each other in the eye, as happened in Monte-Carlo, when they both started in the front row. A race open to all results. The Brazilian wants to win (he was never first at Monza), Prost and Ferrari (who will use old tires) are convinced they can do it, reliability permitting. The start will be super-fast, since everyone will also have to pay attention to Berger and Mansell. But is this just an internal matter between McLaren and Ferrari? What about Alesi, P5, very close to the best, with the French author of circus acts, always at the limits of the track and often out, ready to take even excessive risks? What will be his behaviour at the start? Big unknown. However, in the race Tyrrell should not be so competitive. Alesi, like the other outsiders (Boutsen and Patrese with Williams-Renault, Nannini and Piquet with Benetton-Ford), will have to hope that McLaren and Ferrari will get out of the way to get on the podium. But some places will certainly find him occupied. Certainly not Senna, who aspires to win for the first time in Monza:
"Because at Monza I never won and every time, on the eve, something negative happens. I had big problems tuning the car and I don’t know if I will be able to fix all the details for the race. I made the best time running instinctively, in the race it will be another thing. The best strategy is to run on Prost. After all, my goal is the world championship, not the victory of a day".
The rebound, from the pits to the grandstands, was echoed by the euphoria of Ferrari fans, a quick reaction to the small disappointment of pole position that vanished at the last minute.
Cesare Fiorio blesses the drums of the fans announcing the long-awaited overtaking in the race. And the Professor? He let himself slip around choirs and praises, admitting:
"The car is perfect. In practice the only problem was the tire train, but in the race I can count, for the first time from Silverstone, on the old tires".
Then he closes himself up in an endless meeting with the technicians, as always, on the vigils that count. And this counts more than all. Ferrari retired from the race to get the performance of Jean Alesi. And watch, in the hope (thin) that the skein unravels itself. This is more or less the summary of the most exciting episode in the history of the drivers market. He expected a clarification from the Maranello team after the precise and decisive reconstruction of the story provided by Williams. And, in this regard, the engineer Piero Fusaro, president of Ferrari, spoke:
"We had and have an interest in Alesi. Months ago, knowing he was still under contract, we met Ken Tyrrell to see if we could get him released. Tyrrell was willing to give up, it was just a matter of money. So we signed a contract with Alesi, who assured us that he had no other commitments. But when word got out that Alesi had been contacted by us, Williams phoned to inform me about his contract with Alesi".
The version, in essence, confirms that of Williams. Alesi tricked Ferrari, Williams and Tyrrell and now he is alone, prisoner of an embarrassing triangle. Ferrari, says Fusaro, will do nothing to free him:
"We have excellent relations with Frank Williams, we will certainly not make wars. Alesi still interests us, he has a contract with us. But he also has one with 47 other people. If he can free himself, we will welcome him with pleasure, but we have not provided him with money or lawyers, we will".
The door of the Ferrari is therefore not completely closed. If anything, reduced to a crack from which a pale light filters.
"I do not know how long we can wait. Certainly the moment will come when we will be forced to make a decision".
The most probable end of the plot looks like this: Alesi, who insists on rejecting Williams, remains at Tyrrell one year, waiting for the probable withdrawal of Prost, then crowns the dream of landing in Ferrari. In the meantime, Pierluigi Martini, who had surpassed the other Italian suitors on the waiting list, Capelli and Modena, was quoted.
"Fiorio had invited me to be patient, and I had interpreted it as advice to stay at Minardi. Now they say that an Italian will drive the second Ferrari, and so I return to hope".
But in the evening a new resounding voice arises: the possibility of an agreement between Ferrari and Benetton to bring Alessandro Nannini on the cars of Maranello. Sunday, September 9, 1990, the start of the Italian Grand Prix, as it happens now with too high frequency, is repeated twice because of the Warwick accident.
"I took an anomalous trail of another car, and my Lotus got out of gear. I put two wheels on the grass and I hit the guards".
Behind which four markers are saved with great readiness throwing backwards into the lawn. The starts are more or less similar: the two McLaren immediately in the lead, Alain Prost (who in the second resists with more determination, but to no avail, to the assault of Gerhard Berger) behind, Jean Alesi ready to jump Nigel Mansell and then put the Frenchman of Ferrari before the second chicane. The race of Alesi, very good but still a little immature and too busy to prove that the great talk that is made of him is justified, lasts little. On lap 5 his Tyrrell ends off the track just after the straight of the grandstands:
"My fault, I arrived too late and braked too late".
And the men of team Tyrrell do not like it, because they could have won points. Outside the Frenchman, struggling to a quarter of Mansell race with the accelerator, Alessandro Nannini is forced to stop to change the tires and with the clutch now not working (the Tuscan, however, got to be admired for his grit, he was fourth when he had to slow down), Nelson Piquet victim of a puncture, the Williams of Thierry Boutsen retired for a broken suspension, Riccardo Patrese forced to fight with his teeth because of the deteriorated tires up to the fifth place finish, the race lives only on the McLaren-Ferrari duel, indeed on the Senna-Prost challenge. The Frenchman is very good at taking advantage of the Austrian's only mistake, jamming with the brakes and leaving the second chicane slow, overtaking him abruptly. And then to resist the gusts of Gerhard Berger himself, intent on recovering. But every time Alain Prost tries the lunge performing a series of faster laps, Ayrton Senna responds accordingly. Thus, with winning overtakings, the Brazilian flies to triumph, followed by Alain Prost, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese, and Satoru Nakajima, with Tyrrell-Ford. The Ferrari fans, in the grandstands, remained silent when Ayrton Senna crossed the finish line of the 61 Italian Grand Prix. No whistles, no applause. Only disappointment, because everyone hoped to the end that Alain Prost could reach the Brazilian or that some problem stopped the McLaren #27. But no: the inspired São Paulo champion has won his number 26 victory in Formula 1, the second consecutive after Belgium, the sixth of the season, with the perfect average of 50%, i.e. a race out of two of the twelve disputed so far. An important statement in the balance of the World Championship. Senna has brought from 13 to 16 points of advantage over the French opponent and - as he himself points out - what is worth more are precisely the six first places against the four of Alain Prost.
Championship finished? Not mathematically. But from now on, the Ferrari driver will be forced to run with only one imperative: win and take risks to do so. As expected, the race was very tight, on the edge of a few seconds, but it must also be admitted that the success of Ayrton Senna has never been questioned. The cars of Maranello (indeed that of Prost because Nigel Mansell after ten laps drove with the accelerator spring that did not always turn the pedal back) showed a substantial parity of chronometric performance on the lap with McLaren. Just over 0.1 seconds difference between Senna’s best pass and Prost’s fastest. The difference, perhaps, was made by the skill of Ayrton both in phrenic choices (a cocktail of tires of new construction on the front wheels, harder and older on the rear ones) than in the decision in driving. But it must also be said that the Brazilian’s car seemed visually superior to the Ferraris in acceleration. Both at the start and overtaking. Probably a gift of the Honda engine or transmission. Indeed, one wonders, but there is no counter-test, if it is not the automatic transmission that subtracts horsepower from the engine produced in Maranello that, apparently, has plenty of power. During the post-race press conference of the Italian Grand Prix, the envoy of La Repubblica, Carlo Marincovich, tries to set up an improvised table of peace at which to seat both Senna and Prost, both present at that time. Who knows, perhaps the journalist rather than finding himself holding statements announcing the end of hostilities, hoped rather to create a case to write in the newspapers, and instead the effect is what you do not expect, and to the invitation of Carlo Marincovich, Alain Prost answers:
"I don’t like remembering the past, if Ayrton agrees too, let’s make peace".
The answer takes everyone by surprise, including Ayrton Senna, but despite the latter’s deep reluctance to cooperate, it is clear that using diplomacy at that time is the best move to make, regardless of whether the apology is sincere or not. Moreover a refusal to make peace there has already been in Phoenix, following the attempt of Crossbows to reconcile them:
"Desire when it is sincere is always welcome. In Phoenix I did not think so, when I refused to shake Prost’s hand. It is easy to say: let’s forget what happened last year. People have short memory. Alain and I share a passion, our work, and perhaps nothing else. I will shake his hand when he will be able to express this desire sincerely and in front of everyone".
Prost answers:
"I don’t want to go back to last year. Everyone has their own idea. I for example have mine on what happened in Imola...".
At Imola, Senna attacked his teammate after the truce order. The Brazilian grimaces. But Prost continues:
"And you have yours, of course. Ayrton (we went to confidentiality, ed) is right: we have the same passion. And this world is beautiful. I’ve never had any problems with him in the race. If I start with Ayrton in the front row, I’m sure that at the first corner I won’t have any surprises. In short, it would be nice if we faced the last four grands prix shaking hands. I am willing to forget everything. I’ve had a lot of experiences this year. I’ve changed a lot. And finally, we don’t deserve the image we’re giving people".
After that, Alain Prost concludes:
"Ayrton is right, just remember the past. This is an important moment. He has his own opinion about what happened last year, but let’s forget about it. It would be interesting for this sport if we could play these last four races in a different climate. Personally, every time I’m next to Ayrton on the grid, I know there will be no problems on the track. This rivalry was something sad, because it provided images different from what we really are".
It takes a gesture, the gesture. And Prost gets up, reaches out his hand to Senna, who abandons his right, unconvinced, looking elsewhere. One hand extended and open, that of Alain Prost. The other, soft and reluctant, that of Ayrton Senna. Thus the armistice between the men against the most famous of Formula 1 is signed. An armed peace. Applause. Curtain. Senna leaves the scene quickly, which remains all to Prost. Prost was more generous or perhaps more interested in the oblivion of the events of the 1989 World Championship. The Brazilian in the hallways will make it clear that he didn’t close quotation marks on the whole story.
"It’s convenient to make peace in front of an audience by saying a few words. But now I expect Prost to change his attitude, really. Otherwise this handshake will have no meaning".
But the show was over. Good first. Also because the replay would be difficult. There are still four Grands Prix left at the end of the season and a thousand opportunities to argue. A forced peace, produced, hit by popular demand by the explicit request of a reporter who has crowned a recurring dream of the category: create the news where there was not. In times of embrace between Gorbachev and Bush, the event may not be upsetting. But, since the armistice comes after a year and a half of guerrillas, with Senna accusing Prost of having stolen the last world title, the handshake can be considered among the maximum events of the season finale. He wanted to win and he won.
He’s looking for the second world title and he’s so close to winning it. He did not wish to make peace with Prost but agrees to shake hands with the hated enemy, perhaps more as a sign of superiority than a genuine conviction. Ayrton Senna, 30, won the Italian Grand Prix, on the track where for three years he was looking for, without luck, a first place of which he had been deprived by an incredible series of accidents. And so the Brazilian equaled the bad luck and got the sixth success of the season, a success that put him towards the helmet. Another king for Monza, a circuit that has always graduated real champions. It is very difficult to think now that Ferrari and Alain Prost can recover, even if in theory the possibility still exists. Perhaps they will only manage to prolong the agony, while taking into account that the Maranello team still wants to win and that the Frenchman, beyond all appearances, is a tough driver, capable of reversing situations that seem desperate. This is what we will see, however, in two weeks in Portugal, in Estoril, where the next decisive race will be held, the last chance for the dreams of glory of the Italian team and the transalpine rider.
"All is not lost, because the performance of our cars improves from race to race and even reliability is now no longer a pipe dream. But you have to work harder than before. The Honda engine still has a noticeable superiority in acceleration. At this point I also realised that it is no longer enough to start in the front row, we must maintain it. Which I couldn’t do because Senna slipped right away and Berger passed me like he wanted. I perhaps made a mistake in the choice of tyres, I was too cautious. Now it will be necessary to risk everything for mourning".
Prost’s speech is very clear. Try until you can put behind the McLaren with some confidence. But the Frenchman will also have to rely on the support of teammate Mansell, who failed in the Italian race. The Englishman, forced to lift the throttle with his foot when he did not come back because of a spring that did not work, was only the shadow of the aggressive and capable driver that everyone knew. Hopefully, the fault is not an excuse, because otherwise Prost will have no escape. Meanwhile, Ferrari thinks about the future. After Jean Alesi’s appointment, due to the many difficulties involved, the Maranello team seems to have reached an agreement with Benetton to have Alessandro Nannini, the most brilliant of the Italian drivers in recent races, given the possibilities of his car. Alessandro Nannini, Formula 1 driver, thirty-one, is a special type. After all, it is a family habit: from Dad Danilo, a great pastry chef, to his sister Gianna, an established rockstar. A bit naive, one would say, but also extraordinarily simple, sincere, nice, lover of normal things. So, when you ask him, while in the van of Benetton, in his underwear, you change to leave for Budapest, where from Tuesday are scheduled free practice for some teams, f it is true that he will go to Ferrari, he becomes confused, blushes, almost stutters:
"Don’t let me talk, I don’t know anything, I just have to drive".
Then he calms down and continues:
"Honestly, I would love to. Who wouldn’t like that? But I think it’s difficult, very hard, I have a lot of contracts going on with at least eight sponsors. You want to make my life impossible?"
Yet the rumour of a negotiation between the team of Maranello and Benetton for the Sienese driver, released on Friday evening in Monza is getting consistent, so much so that in days, if not hours, an official confirmation could arrive. Ferrari itself, indeed, has admitted that Nannini has become one of the papabili for the substitution of Nigel Mansell next year, even if the other hypotheses have not fallen yet. Hair, Modena and Martini. Because the appointment of the Tuscan entails the resolution of bureaucratic problems, and could jump for some quibble. Someone will wonder why the choice fell on Nannini. Meanwhile the Tuscan, thanks to his results, has permanently joined the top-drivers. Faster than his team-mate Nelson Piquet, mature, aggressive, Alessandro showed especially in recent races that his natural talent has turned into a constant high-level performance.
Disappointed by the Alesi case, which became a puzzle to solve which would have had to satisfy too many people, Ferrari sought a viable alternative solution. And he evidently found availability at Benetton. Several reasons that would push the Anglo-Italian team to leave his driver. Maybe there is an unhappy relationship between the driver and the technical manager of the team, John Barnard. Benetton also, in a relaunch plan that includes significant investments, would not disdain the deal by avoiding paying a substantial sum to Nannini, receiving in return the money needed to cancel the contract already signed for some time. At the same time, spending much less, he could raise at home a young man to launch for the future. Many, even among the insiders interested in the matter, have questioned themselves in these hours. They are curious to know how some journalists are almost always aware of speeches that should remain secret. Formula 1 is not a transparent showcase. But there is always someone who wants to talk, maybe to exploit the press. In this case, however, the news comes from the curiosity of the managers of a multinational that sponsors teams and drivers. From London comes a strange request:
"Do you know why Benetton wants to contact Stefano Modena right away?"
If a team that has already confirmed the two drivers (Nannini and Piquet) is looking for another one, this means that something is happening. And it was understood that the Tuscan could have interested Ferrari. And Alesi? Three possibilities: stay still for a year (very unlikely), stay at Tyrrell or go to Williams. The 1990 World Championship was probably over at Monza, with the McLaren name on it. And the 1991 World Championship of Ferrari almost certainly began. The show was less brilliant than the prologue. To want to look, as Cesare Fiorio says:
"Senna and Prost found at the finish line the same gap of the first laps".
And just in the first lap, so compelling as to be fatally replicated a second time after the Warwick accident, they burned all the emotions, around the crazy variable of Jean Alesi. After the Formula 1 showman is out and the hierarchy of powers is restored, the game is over. The pleasure of the race was mediated, technological, made of figures and records, played all on the hit and response to shots of fast laps between Senna and Prost. Says Cesare Fiorio:
A great challenge of champions at a crazy pace".
If one accelerated, the other slipped forward. It could have lasted, it’s the impression, another whole Grand Prix. Not another World Championship, the people of Ferrari hope. This, now, is undermined.
"Sixteen points are better than thirteen, six wins better than five".
He simply computes Ayrton Senna, in a self-evident style. And as far as Prost recites one of the many parts well when he assures:
"I will fight until I am condemned by mathematics".
The games seem to be over. In Senna, as it should, the world title. At Ferrari an iris of hope, given the progress that the cars of Maranello have achieved in a short time, up to now reach McLaren. Overtaking in Monza was feasible, it was almost possible. And maybe moved away from details.
"It always takes too much time to pass other competitors".
Denounces Cesare Fiorio, with not even a vague allusion to the obstructionism of de Cesaris against Prost. But even the Professor, so good at alibi search, admits that losing a few seconds less in the passage of de Cesaris would not change the history of this race, this World Championship.
"I was wrong to choose the tyre mix. Even at the start? I wouldn’t say. The first time yes, the second no. Yet the result was the same. McLaren's acceleration is better, it’s no mystery".
But the future opens up to other, more glorious scenarios for Ferrari.
"This wasn’t a Ferrari circuit, I said it. But we got very close. It means that the enormous work of these months is going to be rewarded".
The reference, if not explicit, is to the year to come. A year without Nigel Mansell, who failed to take his leave as he wanted from the Italian fans.
"I was enchanted by the accelerator spring. It never came back".
Formula 1 wants to race in Indianapolis and will make a twinning with the Olympics. The first idea, suggestive, because the 500 Miglia is one of the most famous races in the world, is presented by Jean-Marie Balestre, volcanic and unpredictable president of the FIA. Balestre says that contacts are underway with the owners of the American circuit to study the possibility of organising a test of the World Championship. The proposal is concrete, but knowing Balestre, anything but naive, it is also a political move to counter the ongoing expansion attempts by the American Formula Cart, which competes with cars like Indy. Cart executives, in fact, after having already announced several times the study of racing in Japan and Europe, have announced that they will organise a test at the Surfers Paradise circuit, in Australia, coinciding with the opening race of the next Formula 1 World Championship in Phoenix in spring 1991. Balestre says that the FISA and the FIA will do everything to prevent the race, being forbidden for a country to play a national championship outside its borders. Balestre threatens disqualifications for all: organisers, manufacturers, drivers and even sports stewards. And at the same time he attacks, presenting the program for a race in Indianapolis. Taking away the Americans' most important race is a knockout blow. But it’s not enough. The president of FISA also talks about a plan for a World Championship on oval circuits with four long-term tests (US, Europe, Japan and Australia) with single-seaters that could also be Formula 1. As for the Olympics, the head of FISA says that in 1992 the Spanish Grand Prix will take place in the brand new circuit of Barcelona. He’s been in contact with Samaranch, the president of the IOC, for this reason. Then Balestre devoted himself to topical issues with numerous regulatory proposals. These are the demands that will be made at the World Congress on October 4, 1990, in Paris. Changes to be made to cars before the San Marino Grand Prix, in Imola, in 1991: extension of the flat bottom to eliminate the ground effect. Reduction of the front and rear wings. New definition for the fuels. Increase minimum weight from 500 kg to 540 kg. All this to reduce speed. For safety reasons, the passenger compartment of cars will have to be enlarged by 1992. These measures will not fail to provoke controversy. Not everyone agrees on the solutions chosen and many teams have already set the cars. Finally, Jean-Marie Balestre illustrates in Monza, before the Italian Grand Prix, a series of proposals to enhance Formula 1 and presents some ideas to improve safety for the next championship. As for the circuits, these are the novelties: modification of the Budapest track to facilitate overtaking. Widening of the curve after the start at Spa. Study of other safety measures for all racetracks. Finally, Balestre takes aim at the drivers and relative improprieties, declaring to have communicated to the drivers, in the meeting before the Italian Grand Prix:
"Those who will irregularly obstruct especially the leading cars can be immediately excluded from the race".
There is also the intention to set up a committee of supervisors, three (possibly former pilots) for any sanctions. A kind of certificate of good conduct should also be established to mark the punishments that will become cumulative.