It’s the last European round of the year for Formula 1 which after the Portuguese Grand Prix will end its season where it started, far from Europe, in Mexico and Australia. Despite not being the final race of the season, the 14th round of the World Championship, on the revamped Estoril circuit, will be crucial for the four title contenders: in order, Mansell sits on 61 points, Piquet (56), Prost (53) and Senna (48). Actually, the Portuguese Grand Prix has a more underlying, precise feature: the team battle between the McLaren of the French, the Lotus of the Brazilian, and Williams with its two drivers. Playing the team game, just like in Monza, would make it very hard for the rivals of the Honda-powered team. Prost, for example, comes with the renewed Porsche engine (more power available and less fuel consumption) in an attempt to turn the situation around. Less simple is the position of Senna, who is the furthest in the standings and whose Lotus in the championship final is losing competitiveness. The young South American had only to try a test of pride on a mixed-fast track (average expected close to 190 km/ h) that suits his type of driving. And possibly do a rain dance, with the hope that a storm similar to the one that allows him to dominate last year, upset the predictions of the eve and with them also the technical values in the field. It must also be said that, despite appearances, there is tension within Williams, Piquet and Mansell should have two cars each for the first time. There is the impression that the two-time World Champion enjoys the support of Honda, while the British driver certainly has the help of the team leaders and in particular of the man in charge at the moment on the track, the designer Patrick Head. Important race, therefore, in which other drivers' motives are inserted.That of Benetton that, according to the intentions of Teo Fabi and Gerhard Berger, would not only want to conquer useless pole positions (as happened in the last two races) but to seek a victory that could seal the 1986 vintage and prepare a subsequent one even more intense and full of satisfactions. And that of Ferrari, risen to the honor of high-level performance in Monza.
For the Maranello team, according to the technicians, there are no significant news about the cars: only an aerodynamic configuration suitable for the circuit. It is clear that we already think about the immediate future and we are working for the next championship. No need to make radical changes now, with the result of even uncovering the cards. The fight for the Formula 1 World Championship continues, even in practice. On Friday 19 September 1986, in the first qualifying round of the Portuguese Grand Prix, dominated by the Williams, the four world helmet candidates all entered the top five. Only Berger managed to score the fourth time, slipping behind Mansell, Piquet and Prost, in front of Senna. The English leader of the classification has already broken the Estoril circuit record, with a time of 1'19"047, at an average of 198.110 km/h. On Saturday, in the second round of tests, the limit of 200 km/hour will probably be exceeded. The previous record, last year, was by Ayrton Senna, with 1'21"007. Do not shine, as expected, Ferrari. After the signs of recovery shown at Monza it was thought that the cars of Maranello would provide performance of some importance. Instead they are quite disappointing, with Alboreto in eighth position and Johansson in tenth, with the partial consolation of having touched in the straight the best speed tip (325.424 km/h). Recovery is not excluded, as Ferrari is a bit slow in tuning its cars, when it faces circuits that it does not regularly attend. But nobody is too optimistic. It must be said that the first results seem to confirm the predictions of the eve, with the Williams above all. In the context of the battle for the title unfortunately fits a family drama that affects one of the protagonists. On Thursday, Alain Prost loses his older brother, Daniel, who was killed at 33 by an incurable illness. He had been ill for a long time, he did not go to the circuits, indeed few knew him. But the two boys were bound by a deep affection. The World Champion had indeed started his activity just following Daniel, who had participated very young in some minor race. At first it seemed that Alain, to go to the funeral, would return to France, skipping rehearsals. Then it became known that the funeral will be held on Monday in Lyon. It is clear that Prost had to pass a terrible test, a very sad moment. But he was brave once again:
"It’s terrible, but in these cases you have to know how to divide into two parts. In one close the pain, in the other concentrate in a job with many risks. In short, try not to think. Of course I have had a lot of luck in my life, I have been successful, but I have also been called several times to overcome moments, both on the sporting and personal level, very difficult".
The drama that struck Alain Prost shakes the environment. Many drivers, even direct rivals, go to the French to express their condolences. Returning to the speech about the fight for the victory of the World Championship, Nigel Mansell who for the first time had a spare car as his teammate, declares that in Portugal there is a great opportunity.
"I don’t like the circuit very much. There are too many jumps and I get headaches. But, at the same time, it is still a track where overtaking is difficult, where you have to drive with determination and attack. So I think I have a good chance".
Nelson Piquet, on the other hand, is a Praetorian:
"In the free practice in December I had turned in just over 1'16"8 and so I think we can improve a lot. For this reason I didn’t force myself, I reserved myself for the second round and especially for the race".
On Saturday we will have to see what the Benetton cars will be able to do, as they have taken pole position in the last two races. In Friday’s practice Teo Fabi is blocked by a spin, Gerhard Berger finds too much traffic. In fact, in the second half hour all throw themselves on the track after a stop of 27 minutes made necessary to clean the asphalt sprinkled with oil for the breakdown of the engine of Zakspeed Jonathan Palmer. Ayrton Senna is also highly anticipated, winning on this track last year under a thunderstorm with heavy rain. However, the Brazilian Lotus driver does not have too many illusions:
"In qualifying I can also improve, but for the race there are not great hopes. Unless the rain comes again to give me a hand".
After saying this, Saturday, September 20, 1986, arousing heated controversy by his direct opponents, Ayrton Senna launches the challenge in the final of the Formula 1 season. The Brazilian driver will start in pole position (the seventh of this year, the fourteenth of his still short career) in the Portuguese Grand Prix. Senna to succeed in this feat brings down the absolute record of the Estoril circuit: 1'16"673, a time scored at an average of 204.344 km/h. More than four seconds less on the lap compared to the record that the same driver had established in 1985: a further confirmation of the incredible progress of the current fast cars. Behind the South American are Mansell, Prost, Berger, Fabi and Piquet. The protagonists of the fight for the title. the former World Champion is the most detached. But even if this circuit does not allow easy overtaking, the race still seems to offer equal chances for the four suitors. The position of Ferrati is more difficult: Johansson is eighth, while Alboreto is thirteenth. The improvements seen in Monza, therefore, at least on the chronometric level were determined by the characteristics of the track. Return to a medium-fast track, with winding curves. Maranello’s cars still show their limits of traction and grip. At the center of the controversy there is not so much Ayrton Senna, as his team, Lotus. The performance of the #12 car was contested by Williams drivers. More veiled by Mansell, however happy with the second position on the starting grid, in a hard and decisive way by Piquet. Nelson says:
"It’s useless for us to fight for a tenth of a second when there are teams that don’t respect the regulations. The Lotus in the race have the bottom of the car firmly anchored to the ground. During qualifying, this same bottom is left to float, It thus creates a downward pressure and the car travels as if it had miniskirts, glued to the asphalt. The Federation said it would enforce technical regulations, but apparently it is unable to do so. We could also cheat in the same way, but my team prefers to remain on the side of reason, and so we are the drivers to put back".
One wonders, however, why Williams, if these irregularities are so obvious, does not complain against Lotus. It would be his sacrosanct right. Actually, there is a lot of tension in the environment. The second qualifying round is all a succession of changes, twists, attempts to the limit. Suffice it to say that in an hour the provisional pole position passes balls hands of Mansell to those dl Berger. then in quick succession to Rosberg, Senna, again Mansell, once again to Berger, then again to Mansell, until the final record of Senna in the last minutes. The Brazilian from Lotus, who had switched engines between free practice and timed practice, replaced the turbines between a set of tyres and another. Piquet tries everything: he runs with soft, hard tires, moves them, crosses them, but there is nothing for him to do. In the end he explains:
"The attachments of the rear slide are broken. I tried to remedy, to balance the car, increasing the pressure of the front wing, But it was not possible. So, in one of the most important races of the championship, I start in a horrible position".
In all probability, however, the reason for the race will be the usual: initial outburst of Senna, attack dl Mansell with Prost and Piquet glued behind, to take advantage of every slightest mistake of the opponents. From the Benetton, given the results of the previous races, we must not expect great things. As for Ferraris, in the race they should be better, aiming for a placement. On Saturday Stefan Johansson tries to express himself to the maximum and manages to qualify ahead of Michele Alboreto. But it must be said that the Italian driver stumbles, once again, in another crooked day: first he almost ends off the track, sliding on oil or on the ground. In a second time, he runs a risk, when a part of the front wing that pierces the right tire, detaches the left rear-view mirror and breaks the small transparent windshield placed around the passenger compartment. He’s looking at a tough chase. Finally, it is worth mentioning the best overall start since he was in Formula 1 of the Billions: sixteenth Andrea De Cesaris, eighteenth Alessandro Nannini. Not bad for a team with few means, to be able to precede famous and experienced teams like Tyrrell and Arrows. The Italian team really deserves concrete help to continue on this path. Meanwhile, Jean-Marie Balestre, the ineffable president of FISA, is evidently not busy enough in preparing the technical revolution announced for Friday, October 3, 1986. On Saturday, the French executive convenes a press conference for a few intimate, shooting at zero against Fabrizio Serena. The president of the CSAI is accused of boycotting for some time all the decisions of the FISA that, according to the opinion of Balestre, are taken democratically with the majority of the votes. Balestre, who always talks too much, also says he met the representatives of the Italian teams. They, he said, would all agree with his thesis. The French manager then confirms that there will be a gradual return to the aspirated engines. In the future, it would be possible to adopt 1500 cc supercharged engines with a pressure relief valve or conventional 3500 cc engines. Depending on the choice, the cars should weigh, in the first case, at least 580 kg, in the second 500 kg. Marco Piccinini, sports director of Scuderia Ferrari, comments on the meeting, saying:
"This attempt to rebalance values and reduce power can be a great success or a huge mistake. It all depends on the details. We need to find a way to prevent the new rules from giving rise to inaccurate interpretations. We are not against the aspirated engine. Also because we are preparing a car with turbo engine for the American Championship of Formula Indy and then we would possibly be present on both fronts for an interesting technical challenge. Before giving an opinion, however, we wait for the new regulations to be officially communicated".
According to leaked rumors, the return to atmospheric pressure engines would cause the final abandonment of Renault that was to sign a three-year contract with McLaren. The French company doesn’t feel like starting all over again. In the process of rethinking seems instead to be the Bmw that had already announced its withdrawal The situation is uncertain and difficult. Formula 1 is playing the future. The perplexities are not lacking, seen how it has been managed in recent years, full of discussions, controversies, quarrels. Michele Alboreto comments favorably on the current intentions:
"The return to aspiration would give more balance to the races and therefore a better show. And let us not forget that reducing power will increase safety".
Sunday, September 21, 1986, at the start of the Portuguese Grand Prix, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna start very well, leaving behind them the tyre marks. The two move quickly in front of Berger, who precedes Prost. In the following minutes Mansell managed to get away from Senna, so the attention of the audience moved to the third place, contested between Berger, Piquet and Prost. During lap 6 Ivan Capelli is forced to retire due to the breakup of the gearbox. Meanwhile, Piquet overtook Berger, taking third, while Mansell increased his lead by scoring the fastest lap. During lap 8 also Piercarlo Ghinzani is forced to retire, due to the breakdown of the Alfa Romeo engine, and during lap 9 Huub Rothengatter stops for a gearbox problem, just as he is rounded by Alain Prost. Gerhard Berger, meanwhile, seems to have some problems, as he loses positions and drops to sixth place, behind Alain Prost and Keke Rosberg, during the tenth lap.During the tenth lap Alan Jones is the author of a spin caused by the malfunction of the brakes. The Australian driver gets out of his Lola and retires. With 18 laps to go, Martin Brundle retired with the Renaultin Fiamme engine, shortly after being rounded by Mansell. The Williams driver snakes easily in traffic and offers Senna no chance to close the gap by 4 seconds. Meanwhile, Johansson overtakes Fabi and climbs to sixth place. During the race, Alain Prost managed to stay close to his great rival, Nelson Piquet, who struggled with his car. However, the Frenchman remained severely hampered in overtaking Andrea de Cesaris, favoring the departure of Nelson Piquet. During lap 28, Piquet scored the fastest lap, turning in 1'22"211, while Philippe Streiff parked the second Tyrrell due to the failure of the Renault engine, and Derek Warwick returned to the pits with his Brabham to change tires. Michele Alboreto is the second driver to enter the pits and exit in 7.95 seconds. Senna is instead the first of the leading drivers to stop at the pits, stopping for 10.12 seconds. Meanwhile, Nelson Piquet increases the pace, hoping to use the opportunity to overtake Ayrton Senna, and approaches behind Nigel Mansell, who proceeds at a pace of medium speed. Alain Prost also stopped at the pits and made a stop of just under 9 seconds, managing to get back on track in front of Ayrton Senna. Afterwards, Nigel Mansell also made the stop. The British driver was still for 8.41 seconds, so he managed to get back on track without losing his advantage over the rest of the group. At the end of lap 35, after the stops, the classification is back to be practically the same of the previous laps, with Mansell in first position, followed by Senna, although with a much greater margin, then Piquet and Prost.
Rosberg is fifth, with Fabi sixth, who gets back in front of the two Ferraris of Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson. In a short time, a formidable battle developed between Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet. The Brazilian Williams rider tried everything to overtake his fellow countryman, while Nigel Mansell returns to increase the pace and scores numerous fast laps, Alain Prost follows the first three, hoping that the two Brazilians can eliminate each other. The three ran into an area of traffic and the distances extended and reduced as the drivers managed to make their way, while Rosberg retired during lap 41 due to electrical problems to the engine. During lap 45 the battle for second place continued with Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet close to each other, and Alain Prost again slightly behind the two Brazilians. The race goes on quite smoothly, with the battle for the second that has provides maximum interest. Later, the cameras shot Ayrton Senna alone. The reason for this was that Nelson Piquet was the author of a small spin, and returned to the track in fourth place, just ahead of the two Ferraris (which were both rounded by Mansell) and 20 seconds behind Alain Prost, now in third place. Everything seemed resolved after a boring race, but during the last lap Ayrton Senna suddenly slows down: the fuel level is not enough to regularly complete the last lap. Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet both overtook him, while the Ferraris, being a lap behind, failed in the same undertaking. Ayrton Senna took fourth place, slowly crossing the finish line just as Nigel Mansell, winner of the Portuguese Grand Prix, Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet entered the enclosed park behind him. Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson finished fifth and sixth. An all-attacking race from start to finish. And always in the lead, from the first corner. Nigel Mansell had said on the eve of the Portuguese Grand Prix that he would not do anything crazy, that if Ayrton Senna wanted to be crazy, he would let him go. But the English driver did not resist the temptation. Perhaps he had before his eyes the mirage of a title at hand, to be caught just past the finish line. And so he pushed down on the accelerator, went off like a fury at the green light, and left everyone in surplace. Nobody reached him anymore. Not even when, on lap 33, he stopped at the pits to change the tires. But it was not an easy ride, of those offerings on a silver platter.
The British driver had to pull like a desperate, increasing the pace as time went on. And behind him, a furious brawl ensued, at the end of which Prost got the better of Piquet and Senna. In the points area, but detached by a lap, in fifth and sixth place two reliable Ferrari. More. given the results of the tests, the cars of Maranello could not get. Slow tracks condemned them to the role of extras all season, and even at Estoril could not be otherwise. The news is poor, as for the fight for the first place. Mansell immediately went on the run. Senna tried to resist him, a bit naively and a bit for that stubbornness that is typical of certain fiery temperaments. Then he finally paid for the effort in terms of consumption: in the last lap, when he was in second place, he practically ran out of gas. He ran the circuit in slow motion, shaking his Lotus to look for the last drops of fuel. He managed to cross the finish line, but was ranked fourth. Six to three points, nothing serious if it was the beginning of the championship. Instead, he lost mathematically the chance to reach the leader in the last two races, as his ceiling will eventually be 69 points against the 70 already won by Mansell. The title candidates thus drop from four to three. Nelson Piquet also gave Nigel Mansell a great help. The Brazilian did not manage to get a better starting position in qualifying, which probably compromised the whole setting of his race. Then, on lap 64, Piquet made another miscalculation. With the brakes overheated, while he was trying to overtake Senna and take second place, he ended up spinning, making himself pass by Prost. Along with Mansell, Alain Prost, whose McLaren did not deserve more than the fourth position, had more gifts from his opponents than the previous episodes, In all probability the final standings would have seen Mansell ahead of Piquet and Senna, with the Frenchman behind the opponents.
Prost, who was driving in despair at the disappearance of his brother Didier, showed all his skill, grit and consummate experience. He did not walk a meter that was not necessary, he never tried impossible duels and in the end he took this little unexpected prize that allows him to continue hoping to win the title back, at least in theory. Ferrari paid more than a second behind on the lap, which could not allow Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson to race a different race. The Italian immediately performed a wonderful start, then set the race on the rhythm. But he had to deal with Arnoux and in a braking he blurted out a tire, so much so that until the tire change he had to try only to keep positions. Then he ruined another cover for a wheel lock in a successful attempt to avoid teammate Johansson and Berger (who had touched each other), in carambola in the middle of the track. The incident between Johansson and Berger could make us think of polemics if it is true - as it seems - that the Austrian has signed with Ferrari in these days to replace the Swedish driver next year. Probably in the collision there was no malice, but only the will to make a good impression, to prove something, to be better than each other. Stefan won the day. While Benetton finished off the track and the driver had to leave, the Swede, after having plowed for many tens of meters of sand, returned to the track, to get sixth. Those who expected some controversy after the arrival of Piquet, struggling with an apparently less brilliant Williams than Mansell, or the unlucky Senna, or Berger and Johansson, protagonists of a spectacular accident, are disappointed. But, probably, the fatigue has dampened all the bellicose intentions, and the statements of the after race are all marked by goodwill. Nigel Mansell, winner of the Portuguese Grand Prix, says:
"I’m obviously happy, it was a very nice and very tight race. I could never decrease the pace, I was afraid that Piquet, Senna or Prost would attack me in the last laps. Only a few minutes before the arrival, when I was told by the pits that the others were late, I could breathe. This is a very important result in the fight for the victory of the World Championship, but I can not yet say that it is over, although my chances have increased considerably. In Mexico the Williams should still have a good lead and the Adelaide track I place a lot. However at this point I can also think of going only to points without risking".
In fact, in Nigel Mansell two second places may not be enough. And then, knowing him, it seems difficult to be satisfied with placings. On the other hand, this time, without smiling, he is certainly happy with the second place, is Alain Prost.
"It was perhaps the most difficult race of my life, I defended myself to the limit of the current possibilities of my McLaren. I competed with the spectrum of consumption, I didn’t know if I was going to get to the end, and anyway I crossed the finish line with a liter of fuel in the tank. I had not dared to use the new engine, more thrifty, as we have not tried it enough. These days I had a lot of problems, I jumped from one car to another. A few minutes before the start I noticed that the response time of the turbo was too high. But there was nothing to do. I’m still satisfied, the second place was my maximum objective So I hope to get to Adelaide without the games being completely done".
The result of the race is very good for Nelson Piquet, who was the great loser of the day, even if the Brazilian is always second in the standings and still has a good chance of winning the third title. But Nelson himself is not too optimistic:
"Senna was using maximum turbo pressure on the straights and I couldn’t get past it. So in the mixed strokes I was forced to stick to his Lotus, hoping for a mistake, a carelessness. In that position the front brakes overheated, so much so that sometimes I was forced to slow down to allow the discs to cool down. Third is better than nothing. But now we go to Mexico on a track that nobody knows and then to Adelaide in a circuit that doesn’t suit me very much. In short, it will not be easy, even if hopes are not lost".
Ayrton Senna expresses only a few words:
"I knew for a long time that I couldn’t do much for the World Cup. I attacked because the on-board computer told me that I had a reserve of fuel. I arrived with less than a liter. Luckily I crossed the finish line on lap 69 in front of the Ferraris, otherwise in the last lap they would have passed me".
Calm words are expressed by Gerhard Berger and Stefan Johansson about the incident that involved them. The Swede explains:
"I had already passed him, because I was driving over a second on the fastest lap of him. It’s true, I passed outside, but it wasn’t a reckless maneuver. When I got back into the trajectory, it hit me".
Serena also the reply of the Austrian:
"I saw that Johansson was trying to overtake on the right. I didn’t want to brake and I thought he would give up. Maybe we were both wrong".
The tension and fatigue of a Grand Prix can betray even the most skilled and experienced characters of Formula 1. As happens to the sports director of Ferrari, Marco Piccinini, who at the end of the race goes to the timekeepers claiming that they classified Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson ahead of Ayrton Senna, in third and fourth place. The technicians are forced to show him the recorded bands of steps to convince him, but the compilation of the rankings suffers a small delay. What happened? Senna actually made the last lap, number 70, very slow. But since the two Ferraris were one lap behind, the ranking of the previous passage was considered valid. Senna then also completed the last 4350 meters, taking over 3 minutes. According to the rules, which stipulate that the final lap is exceeded in a time greater than two times over the best lap of the winner, Senna is considered to be one lap behind, but certainly ahead of the Ferraris. Nigel Mansell’s thunderous victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix made the situation in the Formula 1 World Championship very clear. If before this race there were four pretenders to the title, all with good chances of final success, now the Englishman has become the super favorite in the race towards the iridescent helmet. It is useless to make complicated counts, with two tests still to be disputed.
But it will be enough to remember that the Williams driver will be enough to conquer a first place to eliminate rivals. In case of a blank line, he will have to deal with Piquet and Prost, who in the standings are separated by ten and eleven points respectively. Ayrton Senna, Instead, is now excluded from the fight and will at most take a disturbing role. There is no doubt about the qualities of the 32-year-old English driver: he won five races, he always fought at a high level and above all he was able to show a strong character, a great tenacity even in the most difficult moments. It remains to discover the mystery of his contacts with Ferrari for a possible engagement in 1987. But this fact will probably be revealed by the manufacturer from Modena in his press conference that was announced for Wednesday, September 24, 1986. The fact remains that the Isle of Man driver (sadly known for the winding roads that have made many victims in the Tourist Trophy) has shown considerable talent on all tracks and especially on difficult ones. A king of corners, both slow and fast. The duel between Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet was a bit missed at the Estoril circuit. Although little supported by the team and hindered in the race by fellow countryman Ayrton Senna (defined by him cold, after night-time rethinking, a donkey), the Brazilian has perhaps sinned presumption. In the context of Mansell’s feat, an important turning point for Formula 1 went almost unnoticed. If Williams has already won its third Constructors' World Championship with two races in advance, for the first time at the top of the world podium also arrived the Honda, which supplies the engines to the British team. The great Japanese company had already tried the adventure on its own from 1964 to 1968 without much luck: it had won two victories, Mexico 1966 and Belgium 1968, before retiring. In 1983 she returned with a small team, Spirit, and made her experiences, until reaching the current success, within three years, but after a preparation that must be dated further in time. Honda certainly has precise plans for expansion. She is well placed in Williams (contract for another two years) and from next season will also provide Lotus, team of which - it is said - has become a majority shareholder perhaps, ie owner. This industry has huge capital (there is talk of an investment only for Formula 1 of over 100.000.000 dollars), and it is possible that in the medium term it will show up again with a car of its own. To prepare the next race in Mexico (high altitude circuit, over 2000 meters) the Japanese technicians have prepared a test bench in a pressurized hypobaric chamber, to simulate the air rarefaction conditions that will be found in the race. For this purpose, special turbines have been built that have been running for months in test. This can give an idea of the commitment, the great professionalism with which the program has been addressed. Teams of dozens of technicians and mechanics have been shuttling from Japan to the Williams factory in England for years, sometimes carrying disassembled engines, a few pieces each, as hand luggage, to make it faster.
In each circuit several photographers hired specifically point their lens on each new competitor. Everything is analyzed, dissected, if it is the case copied and improved. Behind Williams, therefore, there is a real invasion that involves not only motor sport but also production, the industrial market. Against such a power one cannot fight with artisans, with miracles, with inventions of the last hour, with improvisation. It takes means, lucidity, modern management systems, the danger comes from the Rising Sun. Waiting to understand how this exciting World Championship will end, we begin to close the mosaic of the Formula 1 drivers market, with the inclusion of the last important tiles. The Berger case seems to have finally been resolved. The announcement will be made officially in the next few days by Enzo Ferrari, but it is now practically certain the passage of the Austrian driver, 27 years, to the Maranello team. In the past few weeks there had been a hitch in the negotiations. Berger had a contract with Bmw that also tied him for 1987. It seems that Bmw has accepted his move to Ferrari, provided that the rider disputed in 1987 a number of races in the Group A World Championship with the cars of the German company. At the same time, the Maranello team made an exception to its own rules that normally required exclusive contracts from drivers. With Berger’s arrangement, a gap opens up at Benetton. The English team, Italian owned, has contacts with Johansson, who obviously will leave Ferrari, and with Boutsen. But Benetton might also be interested in Alessandro Nannini. In order to have the promising Italian driver (who also likes Brabham) it will be necessary to hurry, otherwise he will have to accept confirmation from Minardi. The Belgian Thierry Boutsen (excellent driver and excellent guy) is also interested in McLaren (who has to replace Rosberg) and Lola, where Alan Jones and Tambay are confirmed. Speaking of Lola, there’s always a rumor going around that the American team could be bought by Bernie Ecclestone. The news could be confirmed indirectly Tuesday, September 23, 1986, as in some scheduled tests at Estoril, could drive one of the cars driven by the Ford engine the Italian driver Riccardo Patrese (who, however, says he knows nothing). It is not clear where Ecclestone wants to go with this move, but it certainly has a precise purpose, perhaps to entice another Italian sponsor. As for the engines, the hypothesis of an agreement between McLaren and Renault should be abandoned. The team linked to Alain Prost would have renewed the contract with Porsche, but it is not known in what terms. The French company could withdraw or remain with Tyrrell, also establishing relationships with the new AGS. As for the Bmw, after the official announcement of the withdrawal, there were second thoughts. The German company will remain, probably with Brabham and Benetton (who also deals with Ford), reserving also to build another aspirated engine.