O rei vence pela 5° vez. This is how the Brazilian newspapers commented on Alain Prost's success in the first round of the Formula 1 World Championship. There was much talk about the French driver who consolidated his fame on the Jacarepaguà track, where he had previously already triumphed four times. So much so that by now many consider him the best of all time: the 29 victories in as many Grand Prix led him to clearly detach the champions of the past, from Jackie Stewart (27 victories) to Jim Clark and Niki Lauda (25), to Juan Manuel Fangio (24). But the French driver's modus operandi, his skill, his experience, his ability to save tires, find a precious ally in McLaren-Honda. Alain Prost was already strong - albeit less experienced - in his Renault days. But the French team was unable to provide him with the car capable of conquering the title, lacking above all in continuity, perhaps due to those mood swings, of commitment that are typically Latin. The obsessive perfectionism of McLaren has instead found the right man in Alain Prost. The driver is as meticulous and shrewd as he is able to plan, plan, see the team managed by Ron Dennis far ahead. Nothing is left to chance, everything is pondered, discussed, verified boringly. An iron discipline, even in the smallest details (such as the cleaning of the cars, which is done by a man who does nothing else all day, or the mechanics' uniforms which must always be perfect), and a winning mentality, seeking the best of every sector. When the McLaren-Barnard divorce came at the end of the 1986 season, many thought it was the inevitable conclusion of a happy cycle. But Ron Dennis wasted no time, he immediately hired Gordon Murray as technician, in disgrace at Brabham due to the failure of his revolutionary BT 55 on sole. In no time Dennis has turned his team upside down.
First of all, by investing tens of millions of dollars, he has created a new state-of-the-art factory in Woking. Then he joined Gordon Murray with two designers: Steve Nichols and Neil Oatley. He has entrusted the program of the turbo car to the first, all to be redone due to the new regulations, to the second the naturally aspirated car that will be needed from next year. Nichols, under Murray's supervision, set to work, day and night, and in six months he prepared the McLaren MP4/4, a compendium of the previous cars, but new in many details. Three chassis have already been completed, three more will be completed shortly and one will be sent to Japan, where, on the Suzuka track, Emanuele Pirro will proceed with testing together with Honda. Oatley, on the other hand, is building two single-seaters to accommodate the atmospheric engines. Since the type of engine to adopt (10 or 12 cylinders) has not yet been definitively decided, all possible solutions will probably be tried to be ready in 1989 when the turbos will no longer be able to compete. It should also not be forgotten that, unlike Ferrari which does everything by itself, McLaren has the support of a powerhouse such as Honda which has invested and is investing hundreds of billions in Formula 1. And now, after just one race, the English team is already on the run. Poor Enzo Ferrari: while he waits for John Barnard to get his car from Guildford to be coupled to the new twelve-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, they throw all sorts of things at him. McLaren wins in Brazil with a brand new single-seater and with very few days and kilometers to live, Piquet offends him and his engineers betray him. The next issue of the Brazilian edition of Playboy magazine, in fact, will publish explosive statements by the Brazilian driver, which do not spare any of the sacred monsters of motoring, such as Enzo Ferrari. According to the advances of the newspaper O Globo, the Lotus driver would have said that Ferrari does not have the slightest chance of winning the World Championship this year, due to political issues and because it is divided into two parts, one in England and one in Italy.
"The problem is with them, Commendatore. The old man is 90 years old and completely senile. Fiat, a shareholder of Ferrari, can't wait to get rid of it".
If he had a team, Piquet would choose Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna as his drivers, but he doesn't spare them criticism for this. Of Alain Prost explains that:
"He is the one who has done the most stupid things in Formula 1, at least until he won the first World Championship".
While Ayrton Senna:
"Spend more time justifying defeats than setting up the machine".
Of his enemy Nigel Mansell Piquet says that he is rude, and insists again on his personal opinion about the beauty of the English driver's wife. In the mind, a few hundred meters from the Maranello factory, Franco Rocchi, a former Scuderia Ferrari technician, is building an engine to take to Formula 1. As if that weren't enough, on Tuesday 12 April 1988 Lamborghini Engineering presents another twelve-cylinder for next year. And the designer of the new engine from the Santa Agata Bolognese company is that engineer Mauro Forghierl who was the soul of the Maranello team for many years. With him, as general manager, there is also Daniele Audetto who was the sporting director of the Scuderia Ferrari in 1976. The importance of Mauro Forghieri, of his experience, passion and competence in this adventure, is explained by Emilio Novaro, president of the Lamborghini:
"If we hadn't had him, we wouldn't have even started".
The Lamborghini is from Chrysler It took a long time to convince Lee Iacocca to attempt the feat in the world of Formula 1, and above all considerable guarantees on a chance of success. Mauro Forghieri was hired on 1 June 1987, now the engine is already there and there is a new 6000 m² plant in the industrial area of Modena.
"The engine is actually not finished yet. We showed it to you because tomorrow we will deliver one to March and Larrousse, so that they can start working on the measurements on the chassis for next year. It'll go over the dyno in June, maybe it'll be in a car in the fall. It is a 3500 cc 80° V12. We set out to preserve a certain Lamborghini tradition by trying to obtain minimum dimensions and low weight. It is 720mm long and weighs around 160kg. The goal is to become competitive and we will have to work hard. We know that we will have to have at least 600 HP at 12.000 rpm to be satisfied".
Thirty-three people work on the project, almost all technicians. By the end of the year there will be 60. The engines (18-20 per team) will be supplied for a lump sum of approximately 3.000.000.000 lire per year, including developments and overhauls. There is also an option from Lucchini's Scuderia Italia to have the Lamborghini, if the factory can produce enough of them. On Monday 18 April 1988, as part of an event called Open Gates in Monza, which aims to be a greeting from Formula 1 fans, through direct contact between the public and the drivers, people will be able to access the paddock and pits, where each team will have a space available to present the single-seaters, the riders, the mechanics and other people who work in the teams. This meeting of friendship, organized by the Rombo newspaper and by A.C. Milano, precedes three days of testing that the major teams (McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, Williams, Arrows, Ligier, Coloni, Zakspeed, Larrousse, Eurobrun, Osella and Coloni) will take place from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 April 1988, with the aim of setting up the cars for the next San Marino Grand Prix. The theme of these tests could be the following: in search of lost power. The first race in Rio de Janeiro in fact highlighted a notable dominance, both in practice and in the race, by McLaren-Honda. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost demonstrated with the brand new MP4/4 that they immediately reached very high levels, while all the others had more or less problems with the engines. In the field of turbos Ferrari showed good reliability, as expected, but at the same time the Maranello team appeared surprisingly in trouble with its supercharged six-cylinder engine, which had also provided valid results in the previous winter tests. Michele Alboreto and Gerhard Berger complained of an unexpected lack of power, derived - according to the explanations provided by the technicians - from a wrong electronic regulation of the systems which control the engines. Basically the so-called mapping, ie the programming of the various services ranging from consumption to power delivery, to the response of the turbo was not right.
This fact created quite a few problems for Ferrari which was forced to rush back to Maranello to try and run for cover. The technicians made both the Italian and the Austrian driver work for a long time on the private Fiorano track, engaged in a series of tests involving all parts of the cars, including the aerodynamics. At Monza, therefore, the Scuderia Ferrari should make it clear whether it has made the desired progress, at the same time testing a new front wing, various electronic programs and, probably, the unprecedented systems it is examining with regard to a revolutionary automatic gearbox and active suspension. As for the teams with naturally aspirated engines, things didn't go any better in Brazil. Patrese and Mansell were forced to retire due to the failure of the Judds, so March went badly, as did Larrousse. Even greater difficulties for Ligier, with undriveable single-seaters, and disappointment for Lotus, much less brilliant than expected for the ambitions of world champion Nelson Piquet. In short, while McLaren will only be looking for refinement in these days, all the others will have to work hard for a recovery that will allow them to face Imola with greater hopes of success, each according to their own possibilities. But in the days that followed, the story did not change. This McLaren seems to be heading towards another triumphant season. Even on the first day of practice, which almost all of the teams dedicate to practice ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix, the English team sets the fastest time. No particular problems, just engine and aerodynamic tests. But Alain Prost was still the fastest, lapping in 1'29"10 ahead of Piquet's Lotus by more than 0.5 seconds and Michele Albereto's Ferrari by 1.7 seconds. It was a bad day for the Maranello team: Gerhard Berger broke a engine in the morning, and also remains stationary in the afternoon due to a problem with the differential and Michele Alboreto gets stuck on the circuit in the very last minutes, due to an over-rev which certainly does not do the engine any good. between the English team and the Japanese marque. to manager Ron Dennis that 10% of the shares. This indiscretion explains many things. Honda, having failed to buy Lotus last year, were forced to maintain the 1988 engine supply contract with the team of Peter Warr. So she abandoned the World Champion Williams (which she didn't intend to sell) and managed to make her way into McLaren which, without this type of agreement, would probably have been left without engines or in any case would have had less competitive ones.
An operation that makes us understand the deployment of means by the Japanese who have focused on Formula 1 as a vehicle for penetration into world markets, for image and also for technological research. All this to say against which colossus and what investments, from about 60.000.000 initial dollars, to the colossal sums subsequently spent because McLaren could not have cost less than 20.000.000 dollars. Obviously from interested parties, including sponsors, there are no official admissions. However, the information circulated after the rumors had already been spread during the trials in Rio is worthy of faith and certainly responding to a real situation. Having said this, in the tests carried out, we must underline the excellent time obtained by the Benetton-Ford of Alessandro Nannini, who laps in 1'31"82. If this result does not hide subterfuges, it is surprising for the progress made by the cars with naturally aspirated engine: last year, during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, Jonathan Palmer's Tyrrell, who was the best, lapped in 1'33"028, which means an improvement of over a second. And we are only at the beginning. Some progress was also made by Nelson Piquet, engaged in the fine-tuning of his Lotus which had not sparked in Brazil. The Brazilian driver partially denies the Interview given to Playboy, in which he insulted practically everyone, from Enzo Ferrari to Nigel Mansell, saying that he was misinterpreted. Not very comforting news for Williams, with Manseil forced to stop in the middle of the track in the second corner of Lesmo due to Judd engine failure. Engine research is the focal point of these tests: while McLaren (even if Alain Prost is tormented by a form of flu) will probably simulate an entire race and in any case proceed with the development of the car, many teams will be busy solving serious problems. This is the case of Scuderia Ferrari. The sporting director of the Maranello team, Piccinini, says that the drawbacks in the electronic management of the six-cylinder have been identified, but the remedy has yet to be found. There are still two days of rehearsals, who knows if something good will come out. Other trivial news: Oscar Larrauri's clamorous going off the track at the second of Lesmo with the Eurobrun, perhaps due to a mechanical breakdown. Very damaged car, driver unharmed. Wednesday 20 April 1988 the best time set by Gerhard Berger with Ferrari on the second day of free practice for Formula One must not mislead or arouse illusions.
The road to finding competitiveness, i.e. beating McLaren, is still very long the Austrian driver laps in 1'29"42. a good lap time result, but obtained without the infamous pop-off valve, the bottleneck imposed by FISA to limit the turbo pressure to 2.5 bar. Indeed, to be so fast, Ferrari almost completely unloads the car, decreasing the size and inclination of the ailerons that create the flow of air necessary to crush it to the ground and increase road holding.Gerhard Berger however, about the McLaren cuts the speech short:
"They are in front. Either we recover at the engine level or we won't be able to compete for the world title".
Clearer than that... Now one wonders why Ferrari wanted to do this experiment, given that the pop-off valve must be used in the race. Says Harley Postlethwaite, technical manager of the turbo car:
"We wanted to try some aerodynamic tricks for maximum performance. And so we were forced to do it without the popoff, even though we had raised the pressure to 2.5. The results weren't brilliant".
Ferrari, thanks to the photocells placed at the entrance and exit of the parabolic curve, discovers two important data: first of all, the time required for the curve in question is practically the same as that of the McLaren. And secondly, it already loses 10 km/h when passing the pits. This means that acceleration is less than that of the English car. Then there is no power. And the 6-cylinder engine is still under accusation. At Ferrari they say - the word of the engineer Renzetti, one of the designers of the engine - that there are about twenty horsepower. Someone thinks of something more, as otherwise the differences would be minor. What's left to do? Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto spread their arms, they don't expect miracles, at least in the short term. Something new in the field of electronic mapping should arrive, perhaps on Friday, so much so that the Maranello team could extend the tests that should finish on Thursday by one day. But apparently, despite the declarations of the sporting director of the Maranello team, Marco Piccinini, the day before, according to which the problem has been identified, the remedy must now be found. Provided that it is only a passing malaise and not something incurable. The engine ran very well at the end of last season, it was perfect in the winter tests. And now, if it is understood that Honda has made further progress, it will be difficult to take remedial measures with simple electronic palliatives. The news, therefore, is not yet good for Ferrari. But McLaren also finds some trouble. During practice, Alain Prost gets really frightened by the near detachment of the rear wing on the straight and then sets off saying:
"We are not Martians, we too must work hard".
In place of him comes Ayrton Senna, ready to do his utmost. Fear, in Formula 1, has the glacial aspect of a guardrail coming towards you at breakneck speed. The sheet metal strip stops everything going around. At least this is the impression of Ayrton Senna, who survived an impressive and dramatic accident, while simulating a Grand Prix with his McLaren. The episode took place at 6:05 p.m., when the Brazilian completed the 43rd lap of the 50 scheduled. The Brazilian exits at full speed - about 270 km/h - in sixth gear from the second corner of Lesmo. The single-seater goes sideways, performs a couple of dizzying spins and then crashes with the right side inside the track, where there are the guardrails. The front wheel is torn apart, the rear one is crushed, the nose flies and dozens of pieces are scattered around. Ayrton Senna returns to the pits, sitting in the back seat of an Alfa 33.
"What a fright. I was saved by a miracle. As a crash test it was almost the best. It must be said that these cars are robust. Luckily, however, I didn't go nose-punching. For several laps already at that point the car was sliding. At the last step it went off on a tangent and I wasn't able to control it".
The accident has Michele Alboreto as an involuntary eyewitness, who with Ferrari I follow McLaren:
"I only saw one wheel fly. But then I realized that Senna hadn't done anything. That is one of the most difficult corners of the entire World Championship. Terrible, if you get it wrong it kicks you out. I too had spun in the same spot in the morning, without consequences. Also last year I was the protagonist of a similar output. It's always a risk to push hard at Lesmo".
All's well that ends well, however. The off track interrupts Ayrton Senna's test, but McLaren still has positive indications. Ayrton Senna comments:
"Accident aside, I'm satisfied. We'll fight for victory at Imola. As far as I'm concerned, I'm starting with the handicap after what happened in Brazil, so I'll have to try to catch up with both my teammate Prost and the other opponents".
Previously, the Brazilian had also set the best time of the three days of testing: 1'28"94, at an average of 234.874 km/h. But, as far as results are concerned, Ferrari is also making good progress, with Gerhard Berger down to 1'29"07 and Michele Alboreto at 1'29"35. The important news is that both record these times, at the end of the day with the pop-off valve, therefore in full FISA regularity. However, the two drivers are not very satisfied Gerhard Berger says:
"At Imola in qualifying I see three Honda engines in front of us. In the race, on the other hand, perhaps due to the game of consumption, perhaps we can even hope".
The designer Harvey Posthlethwaite's comment is more optimistic:
"There has been a small improvement. They worked hard in Maranello and we tried various electronic mappings, a couple of which we found interesting. We always lose a little in acceleration, but we're on the right track".
Things, therefore, can also change from one day to the next. And engineer His, head of Ferrari engines, says there is still room for evolution and improvement of the six-cylinder turbo. The fans can therefore hope, even if it is always better not to have any preventive illusions. After the traditional Brazilian debut, Formula 1 moves to Imola, where the eighth San Marino Grand Prix will take place on Sunday 1 May 1988. It is one of the most awaited appointments, for many reasons. On a technical-sporting level, an immediate verification of the Rio results is necessary. On the spectacular one, the Imola circuit, in the heart of the land of motors, certainly represents the highlight of this start to the season. The Italian company in this sport shows clear growth, numerically preponderant. Ten drivers (Patrese, Ghinzani, Capelli, Nannini, Larini, De Cesaris, Alboreto. Tarquini, Modena, Caffi, plus Eddie Cheever, an American from Rome), five teams (Ferrari, Osella, Minardi, Coloni and Scuderia Italia, considering italo- Swiss Eurobrun of Modena and Larrauri) are the backbone of the 1988 championship, demonstrating a total participation that exceeds those of all other countries. Including England. The hopes of victory, however, once again, at least as far as the cars are concerned, are linked only to Ferrari, while for the drivers Riccardo Patrese and Alessandro Nannini can play the role of outsiders, should the naturally aspirated engines surprise the turbos. In fact, the Imola circuit is heavily penalizing for fuel consumption. In practice, however, the duel for victory should be limited to three names: McLaren, Lotus and Ferrari. Indeed the underdogs are on the side of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna who dominated both in qualifying (with the Brazilian) and in the race (with the French) at the Jacarepaguà racetrack. In the tests carried out at Monza, McLaren achieved the best times and above all showed that it was superior to the Maranello team in terms of acceleration and top speed, qualities that were amply rewarded on the Imola track.
Even if Alain Prost says:
"We are not Martians, the others are there too".
Ferrari, on the other hand, remains a rather mysterious object. It seems that progress has been made in electronic engine management, but Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto do not say they are optimistic, and indeed specify that they believe McLaren is getting stronger and Lotus is growing thanks to Nelson Piquet who is little by little perfecting the car designed by Gerard Ducarouge. The Maranello team's hopes are linked to the race, rather than timed qualifying to find the best position on the starting grid. In an attempt to counter the English team, Ferrari will have to focus on a special tactic, on a millimetric management from the pits of any tire changes and fuel consumption, the main point of the race, given the limitation imposed on the turbos of 150 liters of petrol. In Rio everything had gone well and in the conclusion of the race Berger had managed to recover something on Prost. The Frenchman had certainly driven sparingly in the closing laps, in order not to risk it, but the doubt remains as to what would have happened if the pace imposed by Ferrari in the final stages had been higher. Strange sport, Formula 1. We are just at the second race of the season, after the debut in Brazil and the victory of Prost with McLaren, and already it seems to have arrived at the decisive moment of the World Championship. Indeed, there are those who speak of a last chance for Scuderia Ferrari, which even in Rio De Janeiro had not disfigured.
"If the cars from Maranello don't prove to be more competitive, goodbye World Championship".
Some tepid and all too realistic fans said on Wednesday 27 April 1988. But perhaps such pessimism is not even exaggerated: if Ferrari does not demonstrate that it can immediately stop the English team, the winter dreams, the illusions created by the Austrian driver's two successes in last year's finale at Suzuka and Adelaide could come to an end again on the sidelines. So this is the dominant theme of the San Marino Grand Prix which will begin on Friday 29 April 1988 with the first day of practice. Scuderia Ferrari is called to a prodigious recovery, not only for the points up for grabs but precisely to offer hope for the future. A statement about McLaren would not only give a new boost to the environment but would also offer the technical cues to think that at least on some types of tracks the cars of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna could be beaten. It will be a battle to the last drop of fuel. Fuel consumption for the eleven turbocharged cars (twenty are those with naturally aspirated engines) is as known limited to 150 litres. In 1987 there were 195, and this can give an idea of the commitment that designers and technicians must have made to achieve the goal. Cars that got drunk on petrol will now have to be thrifty also to avoid nasty surprises from rivals with atmospheric engines that do not have this problem as the regulation allows them full freedom to fill their tanks. Michele Alboreto claims:
"We, from this point of view, should be fine. We certainly have less horsepower than Honda engines, but this also means consuming something less. In the end we will do the math and hope that they are in our favour. I wouldn't mind overtaking Senna and Prost in the closing laps, slowed down by the on-board computer which signals the fuel level to the drivers. Honestly, it would be more congenial for me to beat them in another way, fighting in the braking corners. But this is the regulation and it must be respected. Provided that McLaren does not reserve us any nasty surprises and proves to be not only faster but also devoted to saving. In any case, they will be ahead of us in qualifying. We'll see if we'll be able to return the favor in the race. We are David against Goliath, the only true European bulwark against the threat of invasion from the Rising Sun. They have enormous means, they make scary investments. We hope to make it, at least we will try".
Michele Alboreto, McLaren aside, knows very well that he is at a critical moment in his career. For too long, his teammate, Gerhard Berger, has been faster than him on almost every occasion.
Last year he conquered a third place in Imola which was among the best placements of the season.
"I like the track, the crowd exalts me. I have never managed, at least in Formula 1, to win in Italy. It is a satisfaction that I want to take away at all costs. But I know very well that it will be hard, that I will also have to have a little luck on my side. In fact, I won't have to have the misfortune that has been haunting me for two years now. For me and for Ferrari, therefore, for the fans. It is a commitment that I make and that I wish to keep with all my strength. I think a win would boost me in every sense, even on a psychological level. An injection of confidence that I really need, even if I've never doubted my possibilities".
The speeches, it seems, are always more or less the same. But words are not enough for the fans, they would like a victory. They wouldn't even be happy if Ferrari finished in second place. There was a moment of excitement in Imola on Thursday afternoon when Riccardo Patrese was seen in Maranello. Needless to tell the conjectures that have been made. But it's probably just a courtesy visit with Frank Williams, also because the British team should test for a few days at Fiorano in the next few weeks. A favor that could bring results, in the sense that we will then have comparison data for when John Barnard's new car takes to the track the one equipped with an aspirated engine. It is said that it is now almost ready to hit the track. So the word to cars and drivers. The weather for Friday still forecasts rain, while the sun should return on Saturday and Sunday. Brabham, which closed its venture for some time, will not be present, as good engines are hard to find. This situation shouldn't last long. Apart from Lamborghini, which has already presented the new 12-cylinder designed by Mauro Forghieri, other manufacturers are about to enter Formula 1 or return to it. Renault has already made a ten-cylinder which was seen by some technicians last week. The French company, however, burned by previous experiences, will not build cars but will limit itself to selling the engines or in any case to support some teams. Among those who are thinking about a sensational comeback is Mercedes. But the German company is still in doubt: it would like to make a complete single-seater. A decision will be made shortly. As for the Japanese, apart from Subaru which is having an engine designed by Carlo Chiti, there is interest from Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi. On Friday 29 April 1988 Alain Prost books the victory. The professor would like to make it three of a kind, even if, to tell the truth, it could already be four of a kind for him, if in 1985 they hadn't taken away a sacrosanct victory from him because his McLaren was found underweight by a couple of kilograms. But the French, at this point, is not looking at the details. The driver who has won the most first places in Formula 1 is not greedy and does not look to the past but to the future.
"If I manage to score another success tomorrow, I will have made a big step forward in the standings. A second piece in a mosaic that unfortunately this year will be difficult to complete. The way things have turned out, if the values expressed in this initial part of the season, I can foresee a championship with a McLaren brand. And then a head-to-head duel with my teammate Ayrton Senna. These are the most difficult situations, because in these cases he is forced to always run without breathing and to win a lot. If, on the other hand, other riders, other teams were to get involved in the fight, everything could become less complicated because maybe two or three affirmations and many placements would be enough to get to the title. If you remember Keke Rosberg became world champion with only one victory".
However, this does not seem to be Alain Prosi's aim, who has always declared that it is better to win a race than to grab a title with painstaking patience.
"Of course, the goal is always to beat your opponents in the race. And also on this occasion I would be very pleased to win a victory in the San Marino Grand Prix for the third time. Also because on a psychological level it would be another blow to Senna's morale".
So what will happen in the race?
"With the dry track I should defend myself well. If it were to rain again and with a certain intensity, I must admit that Senna will have a better chance, I never back down, but he is truly a phenomenon on the water".
Does this mean that Ferrari will have no chance?
"We don't sell the bear's skin before we've outwitted it. Ferrari is a formidable rival, especially on this track where fuel consumption will be decisive, obviously in case of good weather. Berger is very fast and Alboreto is just waiting to trip someone. No, I wouldn't give the Maranello team beaten from the start".
No chance for cars with naturally aspirated engines?
"Under normal conditions, no. In case of rain or in the hypothesis that the turbos are slowed down precisely by consumption problems, instead the atmospheric engines will have a great chance of overturning the prediction. I see Nannini very well with Benetton. In this first glimpse of the championship, the Italian did nothing but confirm the qualities he gives, which were glimpsed in his type of driving when he raced with non-competitive cars. He is the most dangerous man, as is his teammate Boutsen. Williams seems to me to be a bit of a crisis as far as the engine is concerned, however I don't think it's appropriate to underestimate Mansell and Patrese".
It will certainly be a cyanide Grand Prix. There are so many tensions for the race that the Formula 1 environment appears neurotic as normally happens only at the end of the season. And we are only at the second test. The duel between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, the evil anger of the crowd towards Nelson Piquet, guilty of having desecrated the Ferrari myth with his heavy statements in the Brazilian Playboy interview of recent weeks, a sort of revolt by the team's drivers of Maranello against their own team. But let's go in order. In the first qualifying session, with the track wet, under an autumn drizzle, Ayrton Senna pushes hard, he is the king of aquaplaning, of driving on slippery asphalt. He is almost always the best. A few minutes from the end he sets a time of 1'41"597, clearly leading the rankings. It looks done. But the South American didn't count on his teammate. Alain Prost, thanks to his experience, finds a clean lap, without traffic. He strokes the track, calculates the trajectories down to the millimetre, also taking advantage of the fact that for a quarter of an hour the sky has cleared up slightly and the track is no longer flooded in some points. And he is timed in 1'41"278, subtracting the provisional pole position from Ayrton Senna, who in a last-ditch attempt to make another overtake finds the checkered flag right on his face which marks the end of practice. The two drivers the pits look at each other evilly. Alain Prost barely holds back a provocative laugh. The rivalry grows. For McLaren, however, it's good. He detached Ferrari who places Gerhard Berger in third position and Michele Alboreto only in eighth place. The Austrian says he Happy with the car, but still badmouthing the engine.
When Gerhard Berger speaks, now usually surrounded by a swarm of Austrian photographers, journalists and television operators, he is always calm. But sharp, harsh words often come from his mouth, which do not spare Ferrari.
"The car is going very well, in terms of chassis, aerodynamics and road holding, there's nothing to say, we're probably the best. The engine, on the other hand, is not competitive. Today I could go faster, putting a wing that creates greater pressure and therefore greater traction. But not like this, we lose too much speed. So as far as McLaren is concerned we are not able to compete. It may be that in some race, perhaps here at Imola. For other factors it is also possible to obtain a good result. In this way, however, you can't aim for the World Championship and we will win few races, assuming we win a few".
Absent Harvey Postlethwaite (influenced, perhaps he will arrive on Saturday) the technical explanations, the assessment of the day are made by Marco Piccinini. Few sentences:
"The new electronic systems are not doing badly, but it is clear that the problems are not solved in a short time".
Shortly before Piccinini had had a lively exchange of views with Alboreto. Michele Alboreto, furious, doesn't talk to anyone, shuts himself up in the motorhome, after having had an animated discussion with the sporting director, Marco Piccinini. What happened? In the last few minutes they brought car #27 back from the pits to fit slick tires, to see if there was any chance of improving, given that the track was dry in some areas. But he wastes precious time, the others just at this juncture with sculpted tires, fly in front. They are Nelson Piquet, Alessandro Nannini, Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese. Michele Alboreto is very angry, he made a bad impression on Gerhard Berger again, but above all he is disappointed with his performance. It's not an easy situation for the Italian, who lacks the support of results to regain the confidence that perhaps has failed him for many reasons. In numerical terms, however, Ferrari is far from McLaren. Between Alain Prost and Gerhard Berger there are more than two seconds of gap, an abyss. Michele Alboreto is behind three cars with a naturally aspirated engine, which are theoretically inferior. In the box of the Maranello team there is bad air. But the tension present at Imola also disturbs Nelson Piquet, who also has the fourth fastest time. The World Champion is booed loudly at every outing on the track. A disturbing banner is displayed in the grandstands.
"Piquet, the Tambourine is waiting for you".
Il Tamburello is that very fast corner after the finish line where Nelson Piquet crashed his Williams last year, exiting it without serious damage by a pure miracle. An accident, however, that put him in crisis for a couple of months. Fortunately, there are also some cheerful faces. That of Alessandro Nannini, who scores the fifth time with Benetton. The Italian rider is a guy who is proving his worth. Sad notes, however, for the Osella, definitively excluded by the scrutineers who consider the attachments of the engine and the rear part of the chassis to be irregular. However, there are problems for everyone. Also to Williams reigning World Champion. In the morning Nigel Mansell hit Oscar Larrauri's Eurobrun without serious damage, which had spun in front of him. Then in qualifying English is a little lower than expected.
"It's always a lottery, however nobody can keep up with McLaren. I have sinned with optimism. I had put in long gears with the hope that the track would dry out completely. But I was wrong".
Gerhard Berger said after the tests carried out in Monza:
"Three Honda engines ahead of us".
His prediction came true: but he hadn't taken into account that there would also be others in contention in the San Marino Grand Prix. So on Sunday 1 May 1988, in front of a crowd that will be very crowded, sun or rain, the Austrian will start in fifth position, preceded not only by the two McLarens of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost and by the Lotus of Nelson Piquet, but also by the Benetton by a splendid Alessandro Nannini. For Ferrari, the second qualifying session represents another day to forget. If Gerhard Berger was an incautious prophet, he could never have imagined that Michele Alboreto would not have gone beyond tenth place on the starting grid, also overtaken by Riccardo Patrese, Eddie Cheever, Thierry Boutsen and Ivan Capelli. There are four naturally aspirated cars in front of his turbocharged Ferrari.
Now the first question everyone is asking is this: there are engine management problems, there is the overwhelming Honda engine. But how does Ferrari manage to be preceded by perhaps lighter cars, but with many less horsepower? And the second question: why after so many trials, instead of even minimal progress, has there been a real meltdown? In Brazil, Ferrari had outperformed McLaren by about a second, with a percentage difference of one per cent. Here at Imola, comparing the two fastest drivers (Senna and Berger), the gap was 3.535 seconds, about 2.8%. Nobody can explain anything. The pilots are disappointed, discouraged. The technicians try to be witty, but they're worried. It is a disease that is difficult to cure, to use the words of Marco Piccinini, with a medicine that is difficult to identify. A difficult period is looming for Ferrari that not even a positive result (in theory the podium can still be among the hidden hopes) could interrupt. The troubles are real, with problematic solutions. But let's go back to qualifying, a McLaren festival. Senna took his eighteenth pole position yesterday, the fourth in a row at Imola. However Alain Prost can recriminate for an incident with René Arnoux who blocks him twenty minutes from time. The Ligier driver - according to the two-time World Champion's version - would not have looked in the rear-view mirrors in the high variant; when the McLaren passes fast, René Arnoux would have swerved suddenly, giving Alain Prost's car a big wheel, ending both off the track, without serious damage. Little Alain cannot therefore attack his teammate. Nonetheless, in the race it is likely that we will see a duel similar to the one that Ferrari teammates Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve engaged in in 1982, finishing within 0.3 seconds of each other with much controversy.
All this if the rain does not intervene to spoil the party. Anything could happen with the slimy trail. Perhaps Alessandro Nannini hopes for it, hero of the day with his fourth time, but without great chances of victory against McLaren, unless the problem of fuel consumption contributes to slowing down the cars equipped with turbo engines. The same goes for the others, with the exception of Nelson Piquet who has the same Honda engine in his Lotus and who has made a few steps forward, but still doesn't seem to be competitive at the highest level. On a statistical level it should be noted that, for the first time after eighteen consecutive races, Nigel Mansell did not start in the front row. The Englishman and Williams in general, despite Riccardo Patrese's exploits, don't seem competitive, even if it is always a combative combination. Also noteworthy is the non-qualification of both Ligiers, with René Arnoux and Stefan Johansson. For the rest we can underline the good performance of Gabriele Tarqulnl and the qualification of the rookie Dallara of the Scuderia Italia piloted by Alex Caffi. It was the goal of the new team and it was achieved. These are modest satisfactions for the Italian colours, but waiting for a recovery from the Scuderia Ferrari, we have to be satisfied. Speaking of Ferrari, John Barnard's shadow hangs over the Maranello team. The English designer, who is still officially the technical manager of Scuderia Ferrari, was spotted in recent days near Modena, in Fiorano, near the headquarters of the racing team. Joining him was another engineer from the Guildford office. They saw him at the airports of Bologna and Rome, intent on carrying strange elongated packets. All these movements obviously aroused curiosity and on Saturday morning Piero Lardi Ferrari, son of Enzo Ferrari, was cornered (amicably) in a corner. The questions concern the new car with naturally aspirated engine prepared by John Barnard, built partly in England and partly at Fiorano. They finally have admissions and explanations.
"The car will be ready by May. Indeed we can say after Monte-Carlo".
This means that in practice the car has already been set up, that only a few details may be missing. Maybe it's already over. But what is this creature like, whose pregnancy lasted about eighteen months?
"I can only let you know that this is a very special car, different from all those seen so far. So much so that it will be recognized from a distance. Perhaps the word revolutionary is too strong, but it is certainly new to all intents and purposes, with many unpublished details".
It is said that John Barnard's Ferrari was designed to house an automatic gearbox in addition to the naturally aspirated twelve-cylinder engine.
"As regards the gearbox, I can tell you that it can only be automatic, that the car was built for this purpose and if we were to go in another direction, it will be necessary to make some important modifications".
The naturally aspirated Ferrari will therefore have an automatic gearbox. The automatism consists of an electronic command: instead of operating a lever as usual, the pilot will have a button available to engage the gears. Someone speculated that John Barnard's single-seater could immediately replace the current turbocharged car. But the answer is negative.
"I don't think this will happen. The turbos have proven to be even faster".
For the debut, at least in testing, of the new Ferrari with electronic gearbox, the sporting director of the Scuderia Ferrari, Marco Piccinini, is vague:
"Our pilots will carry out the tests and not a tester. The date has not yet been decided. It depends on the will of Enzo Ferrari. He will be the one to indicate when and how the car will take to the track".
And the relationship with John Barnard?
"Don't ask me anything. He has tasks to carry out".
Meanwhile, around the Ferrari-area, in the paddock, the post-test sadness fades: those in the front row in front of the tent pulled up to the mobile-home have very sad faces, those in the second row have sad ones, those in the third have normal ones, those in tenth tell jokes. Just like at a funeral. If there was more space, the latter would play, dance, sing, like New Orleans. Practice has just ended, Gerhard Berger and Michele Alboreto took four seconds from the McLarens of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The people of the racetrack even applaud Alessandro Nannini. What happened to the beautiful car of autumn and winter? Gerhard Berger, as soon as he got off, said to a few present:
"Everything is going wrong, I feel like taking the car, packing it and sending it where I know. On the track I felt like I was a skittle".
Did he say it? Anyone who has heard does not swear that they have understood everything correctly. All that remains is to ask Gerhard Berger then.
"I don't want to talk".
Few questions, promised: tire problems?
"No, I made a small mistake, I spun, but I didn't compromise the tyres, I used the two trains as planned".
So?
"The engine is missing, Honda is all about the engine, we are nothing in comparison. The Honda engine is great, but we are ugly. It's sad to work so hard and then be pushed back like that".
If it rains in the race...
"When you go slowly, it rains or not, it's all the same".
Getting out of the car in full apparent tension, Michele Alboreto also composes himself and speaks in precise words:
"Personally, I can say that I have never been able to do a lap without traffic on the track, and therefore that I was also unable to put together a decent time for this reason. But the problems of the car and the engine remain. I had problems with a valve, I changed the valve and then car, nothing. The figures condemn us. The figures tell me that I'll start from the fifth row, and this means that the first corner will be, in the midst of a tussle, a huge problem, and that after three laps, once the group has split, I'll be at least fifteen seconds behind the leader".
Can it be recovered?
"Only by having a McLaren, and it's not even certain".
Some naturally aspirated engines preceded you.
"I've already said that, as far as I'm concerned, I've never been able to go for a lap without traffic".
You at Ferrari should take at least some advantage from fuel consumption in the race.
"You consume less for the simple reason that you go slower. It's not a good deal".
A change of tires planned?
"Maybe not".
The sporting director of the Scuderia Ferrari, Marco Piccinini, precise and curial, says:
"The main problem is that of speed, i.e. of the engine. We can't blame the valve. Now it's up to our technicians to arrange everything in the best possible way so that power is not lost. Our drivers pushed to the limit after we unloaded the set-up. But serious difficulties remain on the straight and in acceleration. In the race, we can only hope for surprises in terms of consumption: but there are serious people at Honda, I don't think they'll take risks at this roulette wheel".
The journalist feels committed to writing everything down on behalf of the people of the hills too, those who get wet and sunbathed, waiting for the Maranello team who no longer know whether it should come from Maranello or from a workshop in England. Franco Gozzi, secretary of Enzo Ferrari, passes by and talks about football. Piero Ferrari passes by, who is Enzo's son:
"Worse than Friday, when we went badly".
Pass Postlethwaite who also had learned to work miracles with the Ferraris left to him:
"We lack 15 km/h of speed. It ends up that even the Zakspeedt overtakes us".
Nannini did well, what does he say?
"I could have lowered the time by another 0.2 seconds. Twice in which I pushed hard to set the time, the first time the tires were still cold, the second time I found traffic. My Benetton is still splendid, with its naturally aspirated engine. In two days I checked it, in the wet and in the dry, it always made us love it. The McLaren is impregnable, but if I get to the bottom I'll get a good placement. I felt the people were warm to me, I play at home like Ferrari".
He got himself a $4.000 fine: out of gas at the chicane, he let the marshals push him to the pit area, where the mechanics took him over. But the commissioners, tired arms not the head, realized that he was marching on it. Ayrton Senna, on the other hand, says:
"I'm fine, I'm relaxed. I love the rain, but if there's sun on the run, I'm fine with it. Smooth running is my hope".
While Alain Prost, his teammate and rival admits:
"I could have done better than Senna, the incident with Arnoux caused me problems".
Neither of them is disturbed by the rumors of disqualification for an irregular car fund. Also at Imola one of the technical topics that are talked about the most is the so-called pop-off valve which limits the power of the turbo. This is a special device, placed on the intake manifold. The valve opens when the pressure supplied by the compressor reaches the value of 2.5 bar, effectively preventing the exceeding of a certain power (650-680 HP). Many teams complain that the valve sometimes opens at lower pressure, hurting the rider who got it. The valves, in fact, are distributed by FISA by drawing lots. Since the beginning, the supplier has changed, which is no longer American but French, like the president of FISA, Jean-Marie Balestre, and the mechanics of the valve itself have been modified. In the closed position, the piston (the active part of the valve) is kept pressed on the seat by the spring but above all by the fact that the supply pressure acts on both its faces, thanks to the little flower which allows the air to pass through the piston itself. The actual regulating valve is above and consists of a diaphragm pushed by an adjustable spring against the passage hole for the air coming from the piston. When the pressure exceeds the desired value, the force of the spring wins and the diaphragm rises allowing the exit of the air from the rear area of the piston. At this instant the piston experiences only the pressure on its front face and rises, letting the air rapidly escape. Thus the pressure falls below the desired limit. However, the valve closing time is not the same for everyone. It seems that without touching the valve (and it would be a sporting offence) but only by acting on the engine regulation, it is possible to limit the sharp drop in power.
This is confirmed by a statement from McLaren: Honda engines are equipped with a new gate system that minimizes the sudden pressure drop caused by the opening of the pop-off valve. And this system is said to consist of a highly accurate pressure sensor, capable of commanding the compressor flow rate to just below the valve opening pressure. The Japanese are always smart. Now Magneti Marelli has also studied a similar system for Scuderia Ferrari. Sunday 1 May 1988, at the start of the San Marino Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna got off to a good start and maintained first position, while his teammate, Alain Prost, started slowly as the engine stalled shortly before positioning himself on the grid departure. The Frenchman exploits the movement of the car to restart the engine, but climbs to seventh position. In the laps that follow Alain Prost increases the pressure of the turbo engine and recovers all the positions until moving into second position by the eighth lap, after passing Nelson Piquet at the Tosa corner. But he fails to get closer to Ayrton Senna, who manages his advantage which varies from 6 to 10 seconds. In the early stages of the race, even Nelson Piquet tried in vain to stay close to Ayrton Senna. But then the Lotus lost its competitiveness and the Brazilian was joined by the Benettons of Thierry Boutsen and Alessandro Nanniti, the Ferrari of Gerhard Berger and the Williams of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese. The low speed of the Lotus favors the recovery of Nigel Mansell, who despite having started eleventh, manages to climb positions briefly, until he challenges Nelson Piquet and passes him at the Rivazza corner during lap 40. However, during lap 41 the Brazilian, taking advantage of the power of the Honda engine, he joined the British in the Tamburello corner and returned to third position after having tackled the Villeneuve corner. Then, during lap 42, the Judd engine of Nigel Mansell's Williams registered a loss of oil pressure, forcing the British driver to retire. Subsequently Alessandro Nannini approached Nelson Piquet, but a collision between the two cars in the Tosa corner slowed the Italian driver, who slipped to seventh place. His teammate, Thierry Boutsen takes over just as the two Benetton drivers are lapped by the McLarens of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
No further changes to the standings order occurred in the closing stages, with Ayrton Senna slowing down on the final lap to keep fuel consumption under control, and won the San Marino Grand Prix. Alain Prost closes in second place. The two McLaren drivers both stop shortly after the finish line, being extremely low on fuel. Nelson Piquet manages to fend off the attack of Thierry Boutsen, and ends the race in third position, while Gerhrd Berger cuts the Acque Minerali chicane and passes Alessandro Nannini during the last lap, thus conquering fifth place. The McLaren festival continues. Alain Prost had won in Rio de Janeiro, the San Marino Grand Prix goes to Ayrton Senna. But the Frenchman is still firmly in the lead of the Formula 1 World Championship, thanks to his second place. For the British team it's a one-two punch that threatens to mortify not only the opponents but also the entire season which cannot live on the rivalry of the two British team riders alone. But if McLaren's en plein can make negative news, what about Scuderia Ferrari? The Maranello team literally sank in front of its own fans, those fans who filled the Romagna racetrack to capacity, with the secret hope of a miracle. Instead, the cars from Maranello fared worse than any possible negative forecast. Gerhard Berger's fifth place is just an encouragement to the usual grit of the Austrian driver, Michele Alboreto was classified in eighteenth place but was actually forced to retire five laps from the end due to failure of the right turbine. The result, however, is not as dramatic as the situation. Scuderia Ferrari not only failed to engage McLaren and Lotus (Nelson Piquet settled for third place), but also had to work hard to try to beat Benetton and Williams, equipped with naturally aspirated engines. In the end Gerhard Berger, while recovering, managed to pass Alessandro Nannini on the last lap, cutting a chicane. And luckily for him Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese got out of the way by themselves. The people in the grandstands, the caps, the flags, the red jerseys, had a lump in their throats when they saw the Ferrari of Michele Alboreto, who started last due to a problem with the clutch at the start, sweating to catch up with Philippe Streiff's Ags, a car that has a ridiculous budget compared to that of the Maranello team, which only last year normally failed to qualify. It's true that the two McLarens gave everyone a one-lap lead. But it is equally true that Ferrari has never been in the race, indeed it ran backwards compared to the previous test in Brazil. There are no plausible, clear explanations.
Only half words, some attempts at justification. The Honda engine is stronger, we lack horsepower. And this is truly the end of a myth. Until recently, not so long ago, Enzo Ferrari could hear bad things about everything in his cars, but not the power unit. Now the blame is placed quietly, shamelessly, on the six-cylinder turbo, by the same men of the Maranello team. How everything can change. Now Ferrari has a great chassis and a bad engine. Before, with the engine it saved the results despite the defects of the chassis. Of the whole story, only one great mystery remains: why did Ferrari create so many illusions during the winter tests, almost always obtaining the best times? It seemed that winning the World Championship was just a formality. And perhaps the championship for the Maranello team is already over. Enzo Ferrari had only one move left to make: prepare the new car with naturally aspirated engine designed by John Barnard in England. Speaking, however, of McLaren, this time the professor had to bow to the student. Alain Prost failed to block teammate Ayrton Senna, the most dangerous opponent in the fight for the World Championship. The Frenchman played everything at the start when, although lined up on the same front line, he got off to a very slow start while the Brazilian calmly took the lead of the race. Passing in sixth position on the first lap, behind Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Riccardo Patrese, Alessandro Nannini and Gerhard Berger, the two-times World Champion could not do anything but attempt a very difficult recovery, with a chase that proved useless. McLaren raced alone. On the contrary, the San Marino Grand Prix was lived on two separate shows: on one side the men of the English team, on the other the remaining twenty-four cars. The duel between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost was actually a push-pull. The South American immediately lengthened his pace and took shelter from any surprises. Then came the overtaking, the back-taking and it was quite easy for the good Ayrton Senna to contain Alain Prost who only came close on sight only in the very last laps, when the petrol was running out and the Brazilian didn't want to risk any more. Ayrton Senna's victory does not remove Alain Prost from first place in the standings of the World Drivers' Championship, but the Frenchman still regrets having left room for his rival in a race that was within his reach.
"Unfortunately, the only problem with our Honda engine concerns the start. You have to keep him revved up, in a precise way, I didn't succeed and I advanced in fits and starts, so much so that four people overtook me. This compromised my result because, honestly, it was difficult to catch Senna if he didn't make mistakes, as he was able to do. In any case, I have one more result to my credit and I feel calm".
While Nelson Piquet says that he has a lot of patience and that the fans must too:
"McLaren are currently uncatchable. I try to stay behind, immediately behind, and to take advantage of mistakes, their misfortunes. We at Lotus are constantly improving, but the gap to fill is large. If you can fill it. I think with the duel between Nannini and Patrese and with the interventions of Mansell and Boutsen, everything possible has been done behind me to entertain. As for me, there were a few people in Imola who wished me an act like last year at the Tamburello. Sorry to disappoint you. Indeed, I must say that in the race the danger I ran a year ago never occurred to me. On the other hand, I think by now I have a bad memory for every corner of every circuit, and therefore the only thing to do is forget everything, otherwise we'll go crazy".
And the winner, Ayrton Senna, adds:
"She is beautiful and the fight with Alain is correct. Neither of us creates traffic problems for the other, because we both go fast and never double-cross. Slow car traffic on the track is truly the most serious obstacle we've come across at Imola. I even touched the tail end of a car. Of course it's nice to run like this: in the past I always had to hunt down someone, now it's the others who have to hunt me down".
Aren't you afraid to humiliate the World Championship? Alain Prost says:
"I believe that our technical challenge is a big reason for interest. Just the fact that we are so far ahead of everyone is something sensational, interesting for those who really love the science of fast motoring, not the lottery".
But is there a secret? Ayrton Senna replies:
"We're not laughing. If anything, the completeness of the technical sector. But these are things that everyone can verify, and try to reproduce at home".
What is the effect of lapping a Ferrari at Imola? Alain Prost replies:
"No special effects, I swear. It would be hoped that we would get excited about this".
How do you ride with the new rules that allow fewer horses? Ayrton Senna replies:
"Faster in the corners, less fast on the straight. Overall, I'd say it's more fun".
Aren't you bored with winning so easily? Alain Prost replies:
"I think between winning easily and fighting hard to lose, the first option is preferable. At the risk of being banal, I say that a perfect and boring car is better than an imperfect and fun car. But then my car is boring for you. not for me".
Are you worried about the Monaco Grand Prix?
"More than Imola yes. It should be the circuit for naturally aspirated engines, and maybe even for turbocharged Ferraris. But it could also simply be a less clear-cut McLaren victory".
Will the rivalry break out between you two? Alain Prost replies:
"We don't know each other well yet, Ayrton and I. but so far everything is going well".
And Ayrton Senna adds:
"He's a perfect teammate, for me the experience of being in a team with him is already magnificent".
Going back to the San Marino Grand Prix, it must be said that it was a race divided into two sections: if Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna have never been in contact, the same cannot be said for their pursuers. Nelson Piquet, Riccardo Patrese, Alessandro Nannini, Nigel Mansell and Thierry Boutsen performed a series of overtaking attempts and stunts that partially consoled the more than 100.000 spectators present for the disappointment suffered by Ferrari. The absolute star of the show was Alessandro Nannini who first attacked Riccardo Patrese several times, passing him when the Williams driver went into crisis with the tyres. Then he even challenged Nelson Piquet for third place until - lap 36 - he ended up in a sensational spin that pushed him back to sixth position.
With his Williams the tough Nigel Mansell managed to give problems to the great enemy Nelson Piquet. He passed him perfectly, but immediately afterwards the Brazilian, opening the turbo pressure, left him behind for good. In practice, the two Williams disappeared (engine for Nigel Mansell, a broken exhaust and active suspensions out of register for Riccardo Patrese), Alessandro Nannini acted as squire for Thierry Boutsen, until lap 58, content with fifth place. Riccardo Patrese says:
"I'm not very happy with the result. I could take a few points. However, the ride was not bad and I also enjoyed it. Too bad that in the final stages the car suffered the exhausts breaking and that I also had to stop in the pits thinking I had problems with the tires while the problem was with the electronic suspensions which didn't work properly".
But Nannini?
"It was nice, I made him sweat a bit to keep him behind. Then, seeing that I was at the limit with the petrol consumption table and with the tires that seemed to me to be deteriorating by now, I let him pass".
Alessandro Nannini replies:
"Let it pass? We are great friends, we raced together for Lancia and we are together now with Alfa Romeo. I can't understand why Patrese let Boutsen go immediately and I had to struggle twelve laps, taking incredible risks. Our car was also faster than the Lotus, but you couldn't overtake it because Piquet caught me on the straight for those ten meters that prevented overtaking".
On television it seemed that you touched at the start...
"I didn't notice. Instead, I really had a collision with Piquet. I wanted to make him understand that I was willing to make my way".
But, towards the end of the race, the Benetton driver Alessandro Nannini hadn't come to terms with Gerhard Berger's determination. Who, in a way that can be defined as original if not incorrect, passed him to the high variant, skipping the chicane.
"I came long".
Explains the Austrian. But who believes him? Alessandro Nannini replies:
"He cut the variant of Acque Minerali. Once they had put piles of tires in that place to prevent anyone from being smart. They weren't there yesterday. Mistake aside, I'm happy with my ride. Some funny episodes happened to me too, in a certain sense. Once they showed me a sign from the pits that read reset, I did an accelerated course in English. But I didn't know what that word meant. I thought they were asking me to hold position behind my teammate Boutsen. Instead they asked me to reset the on-board computer to see the temperatures. At this point it is clear that I will have to take other lessons. Then I saw a McLaren behind me. I was convinced she had stopped to change tires and was recovering. Instead they were lapping me".
Gerhard Berger thus finished fifth, after an anonymous race for him, with an engine that behaved like that of Michele Alboreto in Brazil. On the other hand, the Italian driver had a race in reverse. His car did not move at the start.
So Michele Alboreto, struggling with the clutch, started last starting a long run-up, passing one single-seater at a time with great difficulty. The clutch caused problems throughout the race but when Michele was getting the results of his work and was seventh, the failure of a turbine right in front of the pits ended his effort. Bad luck? Of course this is not luck. Admits the sporting director of the Scuderia Ferrari, Marco Piccinini:
"We didn't make a good impression, but I can't give a technical answer to the questions. The engineers will try to solve the problems. We are convinced that the choice of the turbo is always the right one, but you need to have a valid turbo engine".
It had never happened to Ferrari that the engine climbed so explicitly into the dock.
"In the race I had no more than 560 HP".
Gerhard Berger says. And the Honda engine would have 720... And it can't just be a matter of fuel consumption, because in qualifying you can use as much as you want and the Ferraris are equally slow. In the past Enzo Ferrari, in the aftermath of these beatings, pounded his fists on the desk in Maranello. he agitated men, changed personnel, promoted and defenestrated. What will he do now? Probably not even he knows which direction to move. The crux of the matter is not that it is not a matter of men, but of the system. With a consulting engineer (Renzetti) and a defector from Renault (His of him) you can't think of competing with Honda.