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Little by little, the bitterness and disappointment are fading. Alessandro Nannini takes advantage of these days of relaxation before the Spanish Grand Prix to forget his misadventure with Ferrari, the missed engagement. During the day, on the beach under the palm trees, then in the evening dinner in typical restaurants with his wife Paola, almost always in the company of Riccardo Patrese and his partner. Hours spent in serenity with some small transgression, for example a glass of sangria or a Cuba libre, just to be more cheerful and do the small hours.
"I don't think about it anymore. I'm someone who gets angry for five minutes and then passes him by. We can consider it a beautiful dream from which I abruptly woke up. Now I'm thinking about the future".
No regrets, really?
"No, I'm a little sorry, but I feel good at Benetton".
The malignant claim that the Anglo-Italian team had not opposed the transfer because it found the designer Barnard consenting...
"I don't think so. With our technician I had some problems at the beginning of the season. But it was not a question of language, misunderstanding or incommunicability. I think he didn’t really like me too much because I didn't get results. In fact, in the first races I was a disaster. Then we found a way to fix the car and the results came. I think I had some good races. Now everything is ok with Barnard".
But, just in the last tests, Benetton has become less competitive.
"It's true. It depends a little on the type of tracks on which you race, a little on the fact that the others, and especially McLaren and Ferrari, have made further progress. We have limitations with the engine, which is great, but it only has 8 cylinders. In power we are behind. We are forced to aerodynamically unload the cars to be faster, which causes the detriment of road holding. And then we start far back. Just to try to overtake the Williams who are almost always ahead of us in qualifying we lose precious seconds. We are forced to chase".
Then what is in the future of Nannini and Benetton?
"At the end of the season, the designer Rory Byrne will leave. I'm sorry because he's good, but I have a lot of confidence in Barnard that he will have his car ready in January. I haven't seen anything yet but I think it will be interesting. And then we will also wait for the 12-cylinder Ford engine. The decision to go ahead with the programme has been taken, but it will not come until 1992. So we just have to put the knife between our teeth. As far as I'm concerned, I think I've matured. And I can still improve, both in the set-up of the car, my weak point, and in the performance in the race".
What do you think about what happened on Sunday in Portugal between Mansell and Prost?
"I haven't seen anything and I'm not interested. In general, these are things that can happen. But now it's enough to talk about Ferrari: for me, it's a closed chapter, I think forever. These days I will concentrate on having a good race. Before the end of the season I would be happy to give myself some decent placements, collect some points and maybe finish on the podium. Just to overtake my friend Patrese in the standings, for making him angry, becoming the first Italian in the World Championship".
And while Nannini aims at his goal, in Formula 1 there are other movements, which do not concern the drivers. According to radio-box, the biggest blow would be made by Ferrari, which seems to have concluded an agreement to bring aerodynamic specialist Jean-Claude Migeot back to Maranello. The Frenchman had gone to Tyrrell with Postlethwaite and contributed substantially to the creation of the 019, the gullwing car that allowed Alesi to stand out. Migeot would also have a good economic offer from Ligier, but seems oriented towards Ferrari. From Tyrrell, Jean Villadelprat, the chief mechanic, who became sporting director, former Ferrari himself, hired by Benetton, will also leave. These are the latest updates of a market that is still in continuous development and could still reserve big surprises before the end of the season. There is, however, no official news from Ferrari on the Prost case. While the French driver continues to speak against Fiorio through interviews on transalpine televisions, meanwhile nothing leaks from Maranello. Is it the calm that precedes the storm? Or have things been smoothed out, at least for the time being? This is what will be better understood on Thursday, September 27, 1990, with the arrival in Spain of Prost himself, Mansell, Fiorio and the other managers of the team. It is not excluded that a statement will not be issued in the morning to clarify the situation. Meanwhile, the news comes from London that Ivan Capelli, one of the drivers whose name had been among the most cited among the market rumours (there had been talk of him as a possible replacement for Mansell at Ferrari, before the hiring of Alesi and also of an interest of Williams and Minardi) has decided for his immediate future.
The 27-year-old from Milan has agreed to be confirmed for a year by Leyton House, the Anglo-Japanese team that took over the old March for which he currently races. Leyton House will have in 1991 the new 10-cylinder Ilmor engine in an advanced stage of construction in England. Alongside Capelli, Brazilian Mauricio Gugelmin's contract should also be renewed. But while for the Italian the final agreement has already been reached, for the South American there are still small doubts and his place could also be taken by the Englishman Dereck Warwick. With the Operation Capelli , another chapter of this tormented season of Formula 1 closes. The cadres of the teams for 1991, as far as the most prominent drivers are concerned, are now almost complete. On Thursday, 27 September 1990, in Jerez, the temperature is 32.5°C and there is an African-type wind that blocks the breath. In this scorching climate, the Formula 1 Circus presents itself for the Spanish Grand Prix, the race that will most likely have a say in the end of the fight for the world title. Ayrton Senna's lead is too big for Alain Prost to continue to reasonably hope to turn the situation around and cancel out the match ball available to the Brazilian. But above all, what is the most worrisome is the situation of Ferrari, not at all quiet, still torn by the internal controversies triggered by the French driver. Piero Fusaro, president of Ferrari, also moves to try to calm the rumours. The president arrives in Jerez in the early afternoon, accompanied by Fiorio. In the circuit he finds Nigel Mansell, but Prost is not present; he shows up later, directly at the hotel. Engineer Fusaro, after closing himself in the Ferrari garage with the only driver present and the men of the team (applause is heard outside), surrounded by journalists curious to know, says:
"I don't want to hold a press conference, but clarifications are necessary. In the last two weeks we have read and heard a lot about Ferrari. And a lot actually happened. We took two cars to the front row in the race in Portugal, we won with Mansell and got third place with Prost. The results were positive. Unfortunately, the possibility of winning the world championship has been moved away. It's clear that Ron Dennis at McLaren is better off than us. However, we will try again, for what little remains to be done. The bitterness over what happened in Estoril shook Prost, who in his statements went even a little further than allowed. We understand the driver who was damaged at the start by Mansell. But Alain himself in the various talks we have had in recent days has reiterated to me that he will carry out his task with the utmost commitment. Talking to me, he was not so lapidary and never asked me for anyone's head. In fact, I do not think he would have had the courage. Mistakes and statements, however, have led to discontent within the team. But now these discontent are waning, even if they have not yet completely disappeared. I trust that everyone will resume their role: drivers and team manager, to end the season in the best way according to Ferrari tradition. I hope that from today we will return to talking about engines, performances and results".
In the evening, Fusaro tracks Prost down at the hotel, and the two argue for a long time. It should be noted that the French driver and Mansell had found themselves causally in the lobby and had candidly ignored each other. Fiorio had previously answered some questions, reiterating some concepts:
"The drivers know that they also have to race for the team, for Ferrari. But we cannot force a driver to give up a victory. In any case, in order to give Prost the maximum of possibilities, we have decided to provide him with the reserve car until the classification gives hope and the chance of winning the title is mathematically cancelled. The Englishman took note of this decision and did not oppose it".
But it must be said that Mansell, who refuses to comment all day, is rather sarcastic about the reserve car:
"Ferrari says so? Then it's good for me too".
Ayrton Senna also intervenes for the first time on the matter, who assumes, to say the least surprising, a role as Mansell's defence lawyer:
"Mansell made a mistake at the start, but I also made a lot of mistakes in the starts. He had a difficult and turbulent season. Nigel has been put in a position where he cannot say no to certain requests in the last two months. But that was not the case. For me as a driver, victory is the only real motivation to keep racing. You ask me if Prost didn't make too much of a fuss? I have my ideas, I keep them".
One last question: when will the second title arrive?
"As soon as possible".
The situation in the standings leaves no doubt: Ferrari's Frenchman must win to try a desperate hang-up because of the 18 points that separate him from the Brazilian. Another result would not be of much use, except for an unthinkable retirement of the McLaren driver or his placement beyond second place. But it is useless to do the math, at the moment. Black clouds are gathering over the test of the Maranello team, which does not yet know at this moment to which extent its two drivers will commit themselves. Mansell basically has nothing to lose, he can only try to make a good impression. But Prost is going through difficult days, of identity crisis with the team. The attempt by Piero Fusaro, president of Ferrari, to enforce peace between the drivers, has served, at least for the moment, only to calm the team. But it is not said that the open hole in Portugal will not end up dropping every good intention. What can be expected, in fact, from two teammates who do not esteem each other and no longer speak to each other? The Brazilian knew that, with Prost in the team, sooner or later Ferrari would have big management problems.
"Certainly, the situation for the Italian team is delicate. Especially for the characters who are involved. No driver with a competitive car can be asked to give up winning. Mansell had a difficult and tormented season: he was put in a position where he couldn’t say no to any requests, but then things turned out differently. Do you want to know why the Frenchman started this drama? I have my ideas and I keep them to myself".
And we would have to continue for a long time, demonstrating that the gesture of reconciliation (a skimpy handshake) provoked in Monza had been only a concession to the public, so as not to make a bad impression. The hate between the two, Senna and Prost, remains unchanged and now the McLaren driver, rightly from his point of view, takes advantage of the situation to mock his great opponent. It is not an uplifting time for Formula 1. After the squalid manoeuvres of the drivers’ market, now there is this absurd stance of the Ferrari drivers. On Friday, September 28, 1990, once again the tragedy in Formula 1 is touched. If all goes well, Martin Donnelly, a 26-year-old Northern Irishman, will be able to tell his grandchildren about his frightening adventure. Once again a driver is saved from a terrible accident and the credit - it must be emphasised on this occasion - goes to the efforts that the FIA, under the pressure of the drivers and with the collaboration of all the teams, has made in recent years to improve the active safety of the cars, equipped with those survival cells that allow, in most cases, the pilot to save himself. The case of Warwick, off the track at Monza and unharmed from the car, is the story of a few weeks ago. The episode, more dramatic than you can tell, takes place at 1:51 p.m., nine minutes before the end of the first qualifying session of the Spanish Grand Prix. Under a merciless sun, in the atmosphere overheated by the suffocating climate and for a particularly tense competitive moment, the drivers complete the last laps, those that in the environment are defined macabrely, but also with a bit of sarcasm, at lost life. Maximum concentration, eyes fixed on the nose of the car, hands closed on the steering wheel and gear lever, foot pressed all the way to the accelerator.
Witnesses (there are few in that part of the circuit without grandstands, behind the pit straight: two fast curves to the right, the second named after Enzo Ferrari) tell that a yellow car, a Lotus, ended up on the curb, that small sidewalk that delimits the curves. Two wheels, those on the left, on the over-elevation, then a desperate attempt to correct the trajectory and then at full speed against the guardrails placed a few metres from the track. A terrifying crash, a horrible din, a dark blow and the car practically crumbled, splitting into three trunks. The front wing in pieces, the engine and the gearbox literally detached from the cockpit. And the driver? Motionless in the middle of the track, about thirty metres ahead. The body is bent in an unnatural position, the can of survival air supply in case of fire is still attached to the helmet. Just from the colours of the helmet, blue and orange, it was clear that it was Martin Donnelly. Silence falls on the pits. Everyone sees the images, on television, of that unconscious driver on the asphalt, with a kind of slab attached to his shoulders, a piece of the rear bulkhead of the cockpit, with the seat in the middle. And the frames of that tragic May 1982 inevitably come back to mind, when Gilles Villeneuve died in Belgium, in Zolder, in a similar accident, after a collision with Mass's March, flying out of the cockpit of his destroyed Ferrari. Long minutes follow before rescue arrives on the scene. No one, not even the doctors, dare to touch the lifeless body of the driver. Then the arrival of the ambulance, the frenetic activity as always in these cases. In the paddock a general conviction: he is dead, it is not possible that he was saved from the impact at a speed that telemetry (i.e. the instantaneous transmission of data between the car in the race and the pits) has calculated with the usual terrible precision: 225 km/h. And instead, after fear, hope. While Senna and the Irish driver's teammate return, visibly shaken, from the scene of the accident, while someone is holding Diane, Donnelly's young girlfriend, the first incredibly comforting information:
"He's alive. He moved a hand, he spoke".
And he follows the race at the hospital in Seville.
"Martin Donnelly's state of health: fractures of the femur, tibia and fibula of the left leg. Fracture of the right clavicle. State of concussion in the process of resolution. Vital and motor functions intact. The pilot is hospitalised in the neurosurgical clinic of Seville. Signed Dr. Watkins and Isserman".
This is the statement issued by the Spanish organisers at 2:30 p.m., half an hour after the accident. Subsequently, it is learned, from the hospital located about eighty kilometres from the circuit, that the doctors exclude the skull fracture. The driver has difficulty breathing (but it is quite normal after traumas of this kind). Doctors operate on him to reduce the fracture in his leg. The prognosis is however reserved. Martin Donnelly, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on March 26, 1964, but living in England in Attleborough, is a nice and quiet guy. He made his Formula 1 debut in 1989 with Arrows to replace the injured Warwick. But he already had a test role at Lotus and had fought in the Formula 3000 championship with teammate Alesi in Eddie Jordan's team. His best result is a seventh place in the Hungarian Grand Prix. He is considered a brave and intelligent driver. Previously, at the beginning of his career, he was one of the emerging talents in the minor formulas, also winning the Macau Grand Prix in Formula 3. In the reconstruction of the accident (some fragments of carbon fibre are found on the spot) the suspicion arises that something may have given way on the car, probably the rear suspension, bent by the impact against the curb. But it will be difficult to have certain evidence since the whole Lotus is a pile of wreckage. About three weeks ago, in the first lap of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, another Lotus had been the protagonist of a terrifying exit from the track. It was his teammate Derek Warwick who crashed into the barriers. The car smashed, bounced in the middle of the track while it was dangerously touched by the other competitors who arrived. With the car almost split in two and turned upside down, Warwick was able to get himself out of the difficult position and ran to the pits to get on the spare car and took part in the race after the second start. For the English team, which is already in difficulty, it is a tough period. Martin Donnelly's accident also affects the other drivers on an emotional level. Ayrton Senna, as said, walked to the track, to see for himself what had happened, Alain Prost speaks out against circuits where safety measures have not been implemented with the same attention dedicated to cars.
In fact, the Spanish track, although new - it was inaugurated in 1986 - does not respect the characteristics required by the performance of the current cars. It is narrow, there are no escape routes and in some places the space between the asphalt ribbon and the guardrails is reduced to a minimum, a few metres. There are very dangerous walls and in some places other protections could also be put. But maybe these guys, when they get in their cars, forget everything, they know how to concentrate only on driving. So much so that in practice there are still 8 minutes, after the half-hour break due to the Irishman's accident, and the values at the top are revolutionised. If before, until 51 seconds from the end, the surprising Jean Alesi is installed at the top of the provisional ranking with Tyrrell, who overtakes an excellent Alain Prost, in the end, in command of the first qualifying round, it is the usual Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian slips into the cockpit of the McLaren and in a perfect lap marks the time of 1'18"900, at an average speed of 192.456 km/h. New circuit record of course, the previous one belonged to him from last year, thanks to a time of 1'20 "291. This year's performance has convinced FISA to try to find ways to reduce cornering speed. Thus, in accordance with the safety rules already laid down in the 1991 regulation (petrol tanks completely behind the driver’s seat and other details), the technicians meeting on Thursday evening presented a proposal that will be discussed in the assembly in Paris on 8 and 9 October 1990. Among the requests is the reduction of the front wing and the overhangs between the aerodynamic appendixes and the car body. On the other hand, the minimum weight (540 kg) and the flat bottom remain unchanged. Other measures will be taken for 1992. About current events: behind Senna is Gerhard Berger who complains about deteriorated tyres before finishing his lap. So two McLarens are on the front row, while for the moment in second row there is Alesi paired with the Tyrrell and Prost, the present and the future of Ferrari. However, it must be said that little Alain could have done better if he had not run into the rear-end collision of the only car that was still on the track a few seconds from the end, Schneider's Arrows.
"He inexplicably braked in front of me on the straight and I hit his rear tyre. If it doesn't rain, I'll play for pole in the second session".
And Mansell? Seventh, behind Patrese and Boutsen. But blameless: he went on track immediately with an electrical problem. After the break, the Englishman did not even want to drive again because he was shocked by the Lotus accident, imitated by Alesi who returned to the motorhome. It is Cesare Fiorio who convinces Nigel, rather dark in the face, to take the spare car, without a special engine. Finally, market news: the Belgian Thierry Boutsen will leave Williams to race next year with the Ligier, which will be equipped with a 12-cylinder Lamborghini engine. Ligier, at the same time, confirms Nicola Larini. On Sunday, September 30, 1990, at 2:00 p.m., Senna and Prost will look at the empty track before their eyes. In front, on the finish line, but 308 kilometres away, they will see two different mirages: a nice World Championship helmet, the second world title for the Brazilian, an oxygen tank for the French. The Spanish Grand Prix, in fact, can be the decisive race of the season. Complicated calculations of possibilities give the Ferrari driver very few chances. He must win or finish at least second, ahead of the McLaren champion, if he wants to prolong the challenge to the two remaining races, Japan and Australia. Fate wanted, with calculated direction, to put the two great protagonists almost side by side in the front row of the array. Saturday, September 29, 1990, Senna conquers the pole position, the fiftieth of his career out of the 108 qualifications so far. A terrifying record, at an average of just under fifth percent. To achieve this goal, it is obvious, the South American obtained the best time, 1'18"387, a new record of the circuit at an average speed of 193.716 km/h. Just one lap, 20 minutes from the end. Perfect, there are no other words, also because Ayrton passes like lightning the Osella of Grouillard and the Benetton of Piquet who seem to quarrel in the middle of the track, taking an incredible risk facilitated by the promptness of reflexes of Nelson who removes himself from the uncomfortable situation with a happy deviation. But Prost (1'18"824) makes it clear with facts that he is not resigned. Maybe whoever arrives in front of the first corner will have the success available. But both ask to keep calm:
"It will be a very tough race on a physical and psychological level. Without forgetting the technical choices to be made and the predictable change of tyres in the middle of the race".
However, it will not only be the head-to-head between the two enemies of all time to make a climate already overheated by scorching ambient temperatures. Prost, all in all, had a bit of luck on his side. Mansell could not overtake him, Alesi was forced to settle for fourth place after being slowed down by Alliot's Ligier and Berger was stopped by De Cesaris' Dallara in his second attempt when he was starting to join his teammate. The Austrian lashes out, brings his hands on the helmet as if he wanted to remove the sweat for the escaped danger. And then Tim Wright, engineer in charge of Berger's car, goes to protest in the garage of the Italian, threatening him with an eloquent gesture, passing his right hand across his neck as if to say: do it again and I’ll cut your head. Later, de Cesaris apologises. Senna and Prost, Mansell and Alesi, Berger and Patrese, Boutsen and Piquet, Nannini and Warwick. These are the first five rows (many of these Tuesdays will be at Estoril for tyre tests. Ferrari with Prost, Mansell and Morbidelli, while Tyrrell will employ Stefano Modena instead of Jean Alesi: for the Italian this is the first approach with the new team), the show is assured. The Englishman of Ferrari, who immediately goes to play golf after practice, says:
"Deep down I'm happy. So there will be no controversy at the start".
Jean Alesi replies:
"The last thing I want to do is hit a car at a green light".
Berger knows that he could be useful to his teammate if he can overtake the Ferraris on the first lap. Will they dig in on their conscience, leaving Senna and Prost to play the title directly for once, or will we witness another bullfight? Waiting to know how the race will develop, Lotus is put under accusation. The technicians and mechanics of the English team had to work all night between Friday and Saturday to reinforce the suspension of the yellow cars.
In fact, it seems that both Donnelly's accident in the first qualifying session, and the one in which his teammate Warwick had been protagonist at Monza, were caused by the failure of the tie rods that support the left rear wheel. Defect of materials or incorrect calculations on the strength of materials? This is still one of the unknowns on the safety of the cars, despite the measures taken by the Federation in recent years to reduce risks. Meanwhile, on Saturday morning the drivers ask the Spanish organisers to immediately put in place, in the circuit, some measures that they consider indispensable. And diligent officials ensure to build up piles of old tires tied by cables in the most dangerous places, at the exit of some curves and in areas where the guardrails are too close to the track. Because if in general It was done a good work for the cars, It was not done so well for the circuits, some of which remain very dangerous. When there are no escape routes, when wire nets, walls, guardrails are a few metres from the track, the risk of serious accidents is always lurking. It is not enough to build solid single-seaters because, slamming them at speeds above 200 km/h against any type of protection, the result would still be disastrous. Not to mention the equally devastating effect that can cause a crazy car that returns to the middle of the track. We see Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, among the most active, with their sleeves rolled up, personally following the work in progress. Tests started half an hour late. Meanwhile, Alain Prost tells journalists:
"At this track you reach 5G forces in corners. So you have to decrease the speed of the cars, but also think about the arrangement of the racetracks. If something is not changed here in Jerez, next year we might not even race".
Meanwhile, there is good news regarding Martin Donnelly's health. The Irish rider was operated in the hospital in Seville for fracture reduction and is perfectly conscious. The latest tests ascertain that he has no abdominal or neurological problems. On Saturday, the medics issued a report stating that, if no complications arise, the situation could be regarded as positive. But the prognosis is still reserved. Meanwhile, an incredible fact happens: Dr. Watkins, a doctor at FISA, asks for a faster car than the one available for rapid rescue. In this regard, a Porsche is brought from Madrid. But at the gates of Jerez the car is the protagonist of an accident and the driver is hospitalised in the same hospital as Donnelly. Several years later, remembering what happened, Martin Donnelly will tell:
"I don't remember much, there were friends of mine who were watching the tests in the company of Roberto Moreno and, after passing them, I had an accident. Later, Roberto went to warn my girlfriend in the pits to tell her that I had broken my legs, but the guys on the team had reacted by saying: It's not possible, that guy is dead. Outside the intensive care unit, Ayrton Senna also arrived, who told a friend of mine that he would arrange a plane to return, or at least financial help".
Although He doesn’t remember anything about the accident, Donnelly will tell you what rescue manoeuvres were practised by Professor Sid Watkins:
"I think my accident was about 42G. Sid knew from experience that my organs would go into shock and not work. So it was important to take me away from Seville and back to England to his hospital. I went back there on Tuesday night and, as he had planned, everything shut down. I was attached to a respirator for seven weeks. I had kidney dialysis every day for three hours, and the hospital chaplain came to give me the last rites. Twice on the operating table my heart stopped, then three times Sid brought me back. By the way, after the accident I wasn't breathing because I had swallowed my tongue, and it was about eleven minutes before Sid arrived. He opened my visor and saw that I had become a pale shade of blue. He took two tubes, stuck them in my nose, and stabilised me, breathing with oxygen again. In Seville, there was very little to amputate, and Sid himself had told surgeons that the leg had to be amputated because of the amount of blood I was losing. Today it is one and a half centimetres shorter than the right one. After about 2.000 steps, the brain doesn't tell my leg to get up and I stumble up. If I'm in an airport or somewhere, it's embarrassing".
Sunday, September 30, 1990, the start of the Spanish Grand Prix takes place regularly between the two Ferrari drivers, but to pay the impetuosity of Gerhard Berger is Jean Alesi, who had said:
"I will certainly not be the one to ram who is ahead of me".
So, while Ayrton Senna takes the lead, with some more difficulties than in the past, followed by Alain Prost who bends in the middle of the straight, joining behind the McLaren and Nigel Mansell, the Tyrrell French driver is between Riccardo Patrese's Williams, all on the left and with the wheels on the grass, and the McLaren of Gerhard Berger. The Austrian, always on the border between aggression and impropriety, widens again and hits the Tyrrell sending it against the car of the Italian driver. But, if Patrese and Berger come out unscathed, Alesi ends up off the track spinning and out of the race, with a great anger in the body accusing the Austrian of having done it on purpose. In the meantime, a train was formed, with Ayrton Senna as the braking locomotive, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell in that of tenders loaded with fuel, that is, full of energy, and to follow, in order, Gerhard Berger, Thierry Boutsen, Riccardo Patrese, Nelson Piquet and Alessandro Nannini. But, given the characteristics of an absurd track, in which overtaking (if there is no obvious speed superiority) is impossible, the convoy maintains its positions for 19 laps. It is Nigel Mansell who breaks the delay, entering the pits first, to change the tires. The entrance of the Englishman triggers the carousel of pit-stops, and in a short time the train changes its appearance. Until lap 26, Ayrton Senna remained in the lead, then it was Nelson Piquet's turn - for two laps - to stop to change the tires. When Prost has to stop, the Ferrari mechanics are very good (beyond the timing that appears on television screens, which is taken manually and is only indicative, so much so that It says 5.71 seconds for Senna and 6. 17 seconds for the French), because it is the single-seater #1 installed in first place. And Nigel Mansell could even be second if shortly before the English driver, widening to let his teammate pass, had noticed the arrival of Ayrton Senna, who came out like a fury from the pits, and had not widened the trajectory too much. New situation on lap 29: first Alain Prost, then Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Gerhard Berger, Alessandro Nannini, Riccardo Patrese and Mauricio Gugelmin.
But Ferrari is faster than McLaren. In a few laps, Alain Prost trims an unbridgeable gap to the Brazilian, gaining about 2 seconds each lap. Piquet meanwhile was forced to stop, due to a malfunctioning electronic control unit, during lap 47. In the last three quarters of the race the two McLarens slowed down dramatically. While Alain Prost, now calm, changes the tyres once again for safety, Nigel Mansell threatens Ayrton Senna until the Brazilian, with a thin strip of blue smoke coming out of the rear of his car (water) signals the English driver to pass, just before parking along the wall beyond the pits during lap 53. Ferrari first and second therefore, unreachable and difficult to reach even for Alessandro Nannini. So difficult that Gerhard Berger, during lap 56, to attack Thierry Boutsen and try to snatch a place on the podium, does nothing but slip inside a corner when the Belgian widens the line a little too much. Boutsen, also careless, closes the trajectory and the clash is inevitable, with the McLaren jumping into the air before falling back into the sand. Alain Prost won, followed by Nigel Mansell 22 seconds behind, then Alessandro Nannini, Thierry Boutsen, Riccardo Patrese and Aguri Suzuki, sixth with the Larousse-Lamborghini. What about a Ferrari that wins the Spanish Grand Prix seven days after winning in Portugal? What about a Ferrari that, in the midst of a storm of controversy, relaunches itself in a Formula 1 World Championship practically already lost? What about a Ferrari that takes the second one-two of the season, equals the number of victories in this 1990 McLaren and inflicts a one-two on the English team at the crucial moment of the championship? The answer to these questions is only one: Ferrari is unique, inimitable, for better or for worse. At a time when the automotive markets are suffering from a natural stagnation and suffering from the Gulf crisis, but above all they are agitated by the Japanese penetration, the Maranello factory finds the strength and courage to react.
In that field of advanced technology that is Formula 1, where there is a condensation of motor knowledge (materials, aerodynamics, electronics, gasoline), mixed with the human factor (drivers, managers, technicians and mechanics) here is Ferrari that returns to wave its flags. And if Mansell's success in Estoril had been poisoned by Prost's statements, the triumph in Spain brings back to the fore a champion as the French, thus reaching his 44th affirmation, perhaps psychologically the most painful, but precisely for this reason savoured to the full. Prost the demanding, the selfish, the destroyer of teammates, the man who has the courage to ask for Fiorio's head, who takes the floor from Mansell, who says he is ready to leave Ferrari, who threatens his retirement. But also Prost who drives like a robot, who does nothing wrong, who finally reiterates his thoughts, without fear.
"This is the Ferrari that I like, that works as it knows how, that is deeply committed. Some may say or think that I want everything for myself. For example, if you do not walk together, you will not reach the goals. This time the meeting with the two drivers was made, the right strategies were prepared and everything went well. Everyone paid attention to teamwork".
The reference to Mansell is obvious. And it seems that also the Englishman has understood. On the podium, after the champagne, between the two there were even affectionate gestures, but the pats on the back had arrived already in the pits after the triumphant race.
"Now I want to thank the technicians, the mechanics and Nigel for having a wise race. At a time when performance differences are minimal, it's important to start at the front. Now the championship is open again, but the challenge for the title remains difficult. I do not want to go back over what happened in Portugal. But I think I wasn't wrong in my criticism even if it wasn't nice for the image of the team and for me. I had a lot of problems. However, I am convinced of what I said. It's true that I did it for Alain Prost, but it also helped the team. If we work together, we are no less good than others".
However, 180 minutes of pure tension were experienced, because even if in the end, all in all, Ferrari went almost for a walk, in car racing you never know: it takes little to lose everything. This time, however, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell were able to make their well-deserved catwalk, a lap of honour that among the waving of Italian flags, red with the Prancing Horse, French and English, also involved the usual talented Alessandro Nannini, third at the finish line and on the lowest step of the podium. And it must be said that the Spanish Grand Prix, a gruelling race for the drivers and prohibitive for the cars, only ten single-seaters at the finish line, was not stingy for the Italian colours. Behind the tough Boutsen, Riccardo Patrese follows in fifth position. Behind the increasingly surprising Aguri Suzuki with the Larrousse-Lamborghini there is a fantastic Nicola Larini, seventh with the Ligier. The young Tuscan deserves a few lines for this placement, the best since he entered Formula 1: he obtained it with a huge physical effort, driving a car that is certainly not competitive and that is also the only one that Ligier itself has entrusted to him so far, while his teammate Alliot (off track for a spin) has already destroyed eleven chassis. Alboreto deserves a similar mention, tenth with Arrows, the most brilliant result of the English team this year. The old Alboreto still has something to say, and above all he does not lack courage. Ayrton Senna, as usual, does not look for excuses after the race. The Brazilian, dark in the face, worried, watches Ferrari triumph sitting on the pit wall.
"It was a good show. But for me this is the worst result that could have come from this race. Not even my teammate Berger was able to finish. When I stopped in the pits for the second time I thought I had a problem with a tyre. There was actually a water leak from a radiator and the liquid was dripping onto the right rear wheel. I continued, but without much hope. And when I saw the oil light come on because the engine temperature had skyrocketed, I decided to park. I think a second place would have been within my reach".
Very disappointed, on the day that could have consecrated himself for the second time World Champion, Senna adds only a few words:
"The car wasn't bad, the tyres didn't give me any problems. Now we start again".
Ayrton prefers to avoid admitting that Ferrari was stronger this time. Gehrard Berger is also laconic, moving in his continued attempt to help his teammate who led him to throw Alesi off the track at the start (not to lose contact with the leaders) and then saw him protagonist of an accident with Boutsen in which he had the worst:
"Maybe I made a mistake to fit the harder tyres at the beginning. But when I retired maybe I could still grab Mansell".
Questionable, however, the statement of Ron Dennis, manager of McLaren:
"We were controlling the race to get at least the place of honour. But the ending wasn't according to script".
For engineer Osamu Goto, head of Honda, all that remains is to wait for the possible revenge in the race at Suzuka:
"Until the engine of Senna's car started to overheat due to the loss of water from the radiator, all the data we had was normal. We will now try to win at home at the end of the month".
It should be noted that it is the first time this season that not a single McLaren has reached the finish line. A double retirement goes right to the race in Japan last year, when Senna and Prost were protagonists of the collision that disqualified the Brazilian and awarded the title to the French, amid a thousand accusations and controversy. One shudders just thinking about what could happen on Sunday 21 October, on the Japanese track, when the challenge between the two champions will recur in the same terms, but with different cars: McLaren against Ferrari. And speaking of Ferrari, the scenes, after the victories, are always more or less the same: kisses and hugs and, in the case of Ferrari, beyond champagne, also Lambrusco. But in Spain, the atmosphere in the Maranello team is different, more collected and at the same time more explosive, as if Prost's victory and Mansell's second place took away a nightmare. At this moment, perhaps, the team found itself united around Fiorio, forgetting seven days lived in the darkest crisis. The engineer Mazzola, responsible for the car of the French, Maurizio Nardon, chief engineer of Mansell, the engineer Castelli, who has the arduous task of technical management, everyone is moved, so much so that they find themselves almost voiceless. And the mechanics who cling to the waist and rise like stalks, as if they were light and did not lift weights every day. In short, a great feast of liberation. Yellow shirt out of his pants, without dark glasses, unkempt, Cesare Fiorio awaits the onslaught of the reporters:
"I have a lot to say: I think this is the best demonstration that Ferrari knows how to react even in difficult times. A victory that returns a great Ferrari to its fans, capable of making six first places in a season. As many as McLaren has done so far. A Ferrari that two rounds from the end of the championship is still fighting for the world title".
A moment to pause to catch his breath, then:
"It's a huge satisfaction. Today we also saw our fantastic mechanics at work. We brought in Prosit twice and Mansell twice, without a slob. We were in second and third position, we came out in first and second. We had Mansell, a correct race assuming that, anticipating the first pit stop for the tyres, if we had obtained a good advantage we could have done the second as well. So it was for Prost who was now 30 seconds ahead, while for Mansell it was not necessary".
What was the strategy of the race?
"In the morning meeting, we had made some decisions with the drivers. We knew that the two crucial moments would be the start and the tyre changes. At the start it was not possible to pass in the lead and then the second strategy was played. We have achieved two victories in one week and, above all, we have found serenity there, at least, I hope. If we manage to have controversy even in this situation, then it means that we are really good in this field. Personally I am very happy that the two drivers found themselves with an acceptable spirit for the team. Now we will continue to work. From tomorrow we will be back at Estoril for four days of testing. And in the workshop in Fiorano we still have something new to try. We are three weeks away from the Japanese Grand Prix and I can assure you that we will arrive at Suzuka fiercely".
Under the motorhome, for a few minutes, before taking flight on his plane to the Isle of Man, Nigel Mansell also stops with his wife Rosanne. It seems that during the morning Williams, backed by Elf and Renault did everything to convince the Englishman to sign for 1991, but the answer has not yet arrived. Also because Mrs. Mansell, who witnessed the Donnelly accident, must have asked her husband not to give up the intentions of abandonment. Meanwhile, Nigel Mansell, smiling and happy, but not as happy as he was on Sunday at Estoril, says:
"It was a good race; I think the team has worked well for the challenge that Prost is bringing to the title. It is still in contention. As far as I am concerned, I think I have no regrets. When Senna passed me after the tyre change, I didn't really see him coming. However, Prost was already in front and was never taken again".
The last words are still up to Prost, on the race:
"Always this season it was decisive to start on pole position. For three races they have been on the front row, but it is not enough. You saw everyone: I could have gone faster than Senna, maybe even two seconds a lap. But I was behind until we changed the tyres. It was a perfect stop, nothing to say".
The World Championship?
"I honestly haven't done the math yet. But I don't think you need bullets or computers. The only thing that is certain is that Senna, always very good even when his car is not the best, is still the big favourite. Basically, I will have to try to win again, maybe both races that remain to be played. It will not be easy, but we will try. Me and Ferrari. Let's just hope that those points lost in Portugal don't become too heavy...".
A good result in Formula 1, how much does it depend on the driver and how much on the car? A question that has been repeated since racing was invented and to which the technicians themselves hesitate to give an answer. It is a fact that the second of the two components is growing in importance as technology becomes more and more sophisticated. There is a third element, however, that is detrimental to the proper functioning of this and that is not always evaluated in its proper importance: the pit staff. From the actual mechanics, to the tire changers. And it was precisely the latter that proved to be Ferrari's winning victory at Jerez de la Frontera. Competing in an entire Grand Prix with only one set of tyres is impossible, so it becomes essential to make the change with maximum speed, losing the shortest time - and therefore the fewest positions - possible. The Spanish Grand Prix was played on the edge of hundredths of a second, also in this respect. Prost had only two chances to beat Senna: pass him at the start or take advantage of the tyre change.
Not even to talk about overtaking in a track that is among the narrowest and most tortuous of the entire Formula 1 circuits. Of only 6.17 seconds was Prost's stop on lap 25, of 5.71 seconds was Senna’s in the following session. But the chronometric data counts for little if one does not take into account the times of braking, restarting, acceleration, traffic conditions of the track. And it was making the most of all these components that Prost was able to place himself in front of Senna, only later blocked by a mechanical failure. It was not a record, that of the Ferrari mechanics in changing tyres (other times it was better, McLaren itself replaced Senna's tires taking 0.046 seconds less), but it would have been enough a slight hitch like that of fifteen days before, in Portugal, then Prost would have started again behind Senna. And in that case things could have been very different. It is therefore no coincidence that all Formula 1 teams devote great care and specific training to the tyre change operation. In Fiorano, Ferrari has created a real training centre. The record is 4 seconds, but the tension of the race costs a few more. Fourteen men under the orders of the car boss Umberto Benassi: three for each role, each with a specific task, plus two others to raise and lower the car. Fast as magicians, precise as Swiss watchmakers. The triumph of Jerez de la Frontera is also thanks to them. Precisely for this reason, during the evening Alain Prost offers dinner at the restaurant El Bosque, meeting place of bullfighters, to the men of his team, led by the engineer Mazzola. Knowing the French, who would very well play the part of the miser in Molière's comedy, we must deduce that he was really happy to put his hand to the wallet. Happy with the victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, which relaunches him in the World Championship, but satisfied above all with the facts that to a certain degree have proved him right.
"Ferrari has to wake up".
The driver of St. Etienne had said in summary a week ago at Estoril, after the success of his teammate Mansell that had left him in despair. And the Maranello team gave itself a rule: Prost won, Mansell's second place ahead of Nannini, two McLarens withdrew with Senna crying over spilt milk and Berger out of action for a collision with Boutsen's Williams, which partly repaid the Austrian for having thrown Alesi's Tyrrell off the track at the start. The situation always sees Senna in command of the Formula 1 World Championship, but the French presses on, detached by only more than nine points with two races to go at the end of the championship and the game is still open. In Suzuka in three weeks and then in Australia, in Adelaide, the long-awaited epilogue of the battle. Was there any mention that Mansell might have signed a contract to race with Williams in 1991? Well, on Monday it was confirmed that Mrs Rosanne had lost her battle. She failed to convince her husband, Nigel Mansell, to live up to her decision to quit racing at the end of 1990, announced in July at Silverstone. In fact, on Monday morning, putting an end to the uncertainties and rumours of the last two months, the English driver and Williams jointly announced that they had found an agreement for next year, with an option for 1992. The British team that mounts the Renault ten-cylinder engines also confirms Riccardo Patrese, but the news, although unofficial, had already leaked in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"It was mainly the pressure from fans all over the world that changed my mind. They wrote to me, phoned me every day. I was thinking of changing activities, maybe participating in the world endurance championship (he had received a substantial offer from Peugeot, ed). At the same time, however, the demands of the Formula 1 teams had become more pressing. Williams prepared a program that I could not give up. I fought for many years to win the world title. Winning races is great, but it's not enough motivation. Now my old team, for which I have already driven for four years, from 1985 to 1988, has made me a concrete proposal, valid in all respects, with many guarantees, and then I decided to try again. I know that my wife, however worried, will be as close to me as ever".
Nigel Mansell, who has just turned 36, does not talk about money, of course. In Formula 1 it is not customary to disclose the figures of engagements and earnings. The negotiations are always private and the drivers almost always take up residence in the so-called tax havens, in Monte-Carlo, in the very hospitable Switzerland (as in the case of Prost and Alesi), or in the Isle of Man (where the cities are exempt from taxes), in the case of Mansell. But in Formula 1, secrets are very short-lived, sometimes the terms of contracts are already known even before they are signed.
So in the environment there is a rumour that Nigel Mansell's motivation is mainly due to the 7.000.000 dollars that Frank Williams had to pay him to convince him to change his mind. After all, the English manufacturer, after losing Senna and Alesi, had a good sum in the cash to sugar the pill to the sponsors. And speaking of rumours with a good chance of being very close to the truth, it is said that Ayrton Senna has snatched from McLaren for 1991 alone much more than has been said in recent days. Apart from the engagement of 12.000.000 dollars, the Brazilian would have obtained the promise of a prize of another 7.000.000 dollars if he wins the world title next season, and obtained personal use of a motorhome worth 700.000.000 lire, plus free gasoline: not for the car, but for his private jet for all the movements during the World Championship and for the tests in which he will participate. In total, if we also consider some personal contracts (for example with the Banco National) Senna should reach 25 billion lire per year, however the current season ends. Will the escalation of the hires, the wild driver-market, end up influencing the course of the championship in some way? Suspicion exists when it comes to money. In a recent television interview, a curious reporter asked Berger and Senna what they said to each other when they secluded, talking to each other for a long time. Berger answers:
"Ninety percent discuss cars, ten percent about money".
To which Senna, barely laughing, replied:
"But, ninety percent of the topic is about money, the rest we dedicate to women".
Mansell races for Ferrari but already has his mind on Williams (there is also a positive side: with a clear mind and a good program for the future he could devote himself to supporting his teammate), Alesi who thinks about Maranello. In this scenario, what weight will likes and dislikes, personal and team interests have in the challenge between Senna and Prost? It cannot be excluded that the game of declared or underground alliances does not end up playing such an important role as the skill of the drivers and the competitiveness of the cars on the track. And what we will see in the next two races, in which Ferrari now at the top of values and Prost will also have to look over their shoulders.