.png "os2 trasparenza (1)")
The Italian teams did not fare well at the French Grand Prix. While the supposed crisis at Ferrari, which managed to regain its balance with Johansson's fourth place, may be temporary, the situation at Alfa Romeo, Osella and Minardi has become chronic. It's disheartening to see teams like Cheever and Patrese's Alfa Romeo struggling against RAM, and to hear a team manager comment on the final result by saying
"Well, at least we reached the bottom".
As for Minardi, they can be more forgiving. It's a young team with a new engine and an inexperienced driver; this season could be considered a transitional one. The real problem, however, lies with Osella, who, despite the team's efforts and Ghinzani's commitment, have been unable to take off. The financial problems make the team's existence precarious. Osella will not be taking part in the forthcoming British Grand Prix and the whole season is in jeopardy. Everything depends on the feverish meetings that are taking place at the moment. It's a shame because Osella had built up a good reputation through years of hard work. As for Ferrari, the outing at Le Castellet was disappointing, but to call it a national disaster would be an exaggeration. A car that won one race, took several top positions, had Alboreto leading the championship and Johansson, a last-minute addition, in fifth place, cannot suddenly be considered a failure. The blame was immediately put on the chassis, the engine, the aerodynamics, the fuel and much more. One day on the altar, the next in the dust. The fact that Ferrari were caught unprepared at Paul Ricard is certainly surprising. On a track where they have tested so much, you would expect a more consistent performance. But today's cars, these 1000-horsepower Formula One machines, are so sophisticated that a one-degree difference in set-up can bring a car to a halt. A lot of work was done at Fiorano on 9 July 1985, and the team's official spokesman, Franco Gozzi, said:
"We have solved the problem with the engines".
It's not an explanation that clarifies what happened, but at least it was known that the technicians were working on the problem immediately. The most likely hypothesis is that some modification or development was made to the car, which proved to be negative. In the meantime, many teams have started testing at both the Nürburgring in Germany and Zeltweg in Austria. Only a few laps were completed as the cars arrived late. The best time at the Nürburgring was set by Piquet with a modified Brabham in the rear aerodynamic section. Surer's car caught fire. Brazilian Roberto Moreno is expected to test the Toleman on Wednesday. He is a candidate to join Teo Fabi if there is a second car. On 18 July 1985, on the eve of the British Grand Prix, all eyes were on Ferrari. After the crisis at Le Castellet (contested by the Maranello team), Alboreto's rivals in the fight for the world title were eager to see if it was an isolated incident, a fluke or if the 156/85 cars weren't suitable for high-speed circuits. The British Grand Prix, the eighth race of the season, is the perfect test, as it will be held on the track where the current F1 cars achieve the highest average speeds. The official track record of 4719 metres belongs to Arnoux, who set a time of 1'09"462 at 244.549 km/h in 1983. However, Prost set a time of 1'06.80 at a fantastic 253.940 kph in free practice about a month ago. It is highly probable that even faster times will be set on Friday 19 or Saturday 20 July 1985, even faster times will be achieved. Teams have worked hard for the race, particularly focusing on aerodynamics. Different types of wings, many biplanes, various appendages, fins, and new air intakes are seen on Thursday. The Ferrari has an important innovation - the two turbines have been moved outside by about five centimeters, and the water radiators have been aligned horizontally with the bodywork, probably to achieve a more direct airflow over the heat exchangers cooling the turbines. The rear wing is also of a new or at least previously unused shape. Piero Lardi confirms:
"We have identified the causes that caused the engine problems in France. This does not mean that the issue has been completely resolved. We hope so. In any case, even if we struggled in the last race, it cannot be said that it was a disaster, as some have claimed. Alboreto set the third time in qualifying, and Johansson finished in fourth place. It doesn't seem like we deserve rejection. Let us at least have the chance to make amends".
It will be interesting to see how the Maranello team performs at the British Grand Prix, and then we will be able to make a partial assessment of this part of the season. Michele Alboreto says:
"I will try to defend my position as leader of the standings, although my temperament always pushes me to attack. If the car allows it, I certainly won't just watch the others".
The situation is different for Johansson. The Swede is in good form and can fight without too many problems. But it won't be easy. Prost is very confident, Rosberg is recharged and Piquet is confident of doing well, at least as well as at Le Castellet (weather permitting): Thursday has only 15°C and the Brabham with Pirelli tyres seems to prefer higher temperatures). Only Lotus seems to be in trouble, although Senna is always the one to go for pole. In terms of news, it's worth noting that Renault has two new cars (one of which is also for Warwick). Mansell, who missed the last race, says he is fine and wants to race (Williams have confirmed him for next year, while Rosberg's contract has not yet been renewed). Alfa Romeo is fitting carbon brakes to Patrese's car and bringing an old chassis that seems to work well in fast corners. Osella is also present, having temporarily overcome financial problems, hopefully for the whole season. The Turin-based constructor complains that there has been speculation about its withdrawal. However, it cannot deny that it was on the verge of not coming to Silverstone until the last moment. One last consideration: fuel consumption is likely to be crucial again at the English circuit, with the risk of someone not finishing the race on Sunday. So watch out for surprises, especially in the final laps. Marco Piccinini, Ferrari's sporting director, is not present with the other team members. He will be in England on Friday, coming from the United States, where he was in contact with the Indianapolis organisers. The news that Ferrari intends to renew its participation in the famous American race next year is gaining more and more credibility in Formula One. However, the claim that Ferrari will abandon F1 to take part in the CART championship needs some clarification. Unless a CART racing programme is developed in Europe (Monte Carlo, Imola, etc.), involving other teams currently associated with the Maranello team, as an alternative to the FISA and Ecclestone World Championship. On 19 July 1985, a stunt by Keke Rosberg ignited the first day of practice for the British Grand Prix.
The Finn, driving in his own way, dishevelled, the car shaking in every part of the track, sets the fastest time and puts all his rivals in the increasingly uncertain fight for the world championship in the order of Prost, Senna, Alboreto and De Angelis. And, of course, his Williams set a new, fantastic lap record: 1'06"107, with an average speed of 256.961 km/h. The highest speed ever recorded by a Formula 1 car, especially when you consider that they were racing on a circuit full of chicanes and with engines of only 1500 cc, albeit turbocharged. However, to give an idea of what was happening, the first four classified drivers all beat Prost's unofficial record (1'06"80) and thirteen beat Arnoux's official record. An unbelievable improvement, which shows that car technology is becoming more and more refined and advanced. And to think that there was even a risk that the first practice session for this eighth round of the World Championship would have to be cancelled. Heavy rain, autumnal chill and low clouds had prevented the military helicopter used by the emergency services from taking off in the morning. As a result, the cars had to wait until 1.45pm to take to the track for twenty minutes of untimed practice. Then the sun came out, dried the asphalt and a one-hour qualifying session took place from 14.30 to 15.30. In these sixty minutes, Alboreto immediately took the lead, followed by Johansson. Then Rosberg passed, then the Italian's Ferrari again and finally, seven minutes from the end, the Williams. Perhaps in the Maranello pits, with the threat of rain always looming, they risked the softer tyres too early. In fact, Alboreto was overtaken by Prost and Senna in the final laps, when the Ferrari's tyres were already worn out. The fact remains that the Maranello cars, with Johansson in eighth place, passed the first Silverstone test with flying colours, despite the fears of the previous evening. As mentioned, the tests, which have been revolutionised in their programme, may not be too indicative and positions could change quite significantly on Saturday if the weather situation normalises. The fact remains that the test has been positive for Ferrari, with no inconveniences of any kind recorded.
Michele Alboreto says:
"I didn't sleep well last night. Now I feel more confident and I think we can have a good race. In my best lap I was slowed by an arrow. I think I can at least get close to Rosberg, if not beat him. But let's wait and see”.
Saturday should be a fresh start, with everyone having something to complain about. While Rosberg calmly states that it will be difficult to do better, Prost, Senna, Alboreto and De Angelis all promise to move up the grid. If the Frenchman has a perfectly tuned McLaren, the two Lotus drivers have something in reserve. Especially the Italian, who had to use the car with race settings, small turbines and too long gears. Teo Fabi's performance was surprising, sixth in the Toleman with the Hart engine, considered less powerful than the others. The driver's predilection for fast circuits (as shown by the pole position at Indianapolis) and the car's suitability for tracks where the chassis is important are obvious. It seems that Brian Hart has managed to increase the power of his four-cylinder by working on the electronic injection. Piquet, on the other hand, is in trouble with a turbine failure on one of his Brabhams and a badly fitted gearbox (gears reversed) on the other. Nigel Mansell, who had just returned to racing after the Le Castellet incident, showed his courage once again: when he saw flames under the Williams after it had been stopped by the side of the track due to a turbine failure, he pushed a hesitant marshal, grabbed the fire extinguisher from his hand and put out the incipient fire himself. A small controversy at Alfa Romeo (no longer news). Patrese recorded the tenth time, Cheever the twentieth.
"They told me that in tests at Balocco, a hybrid car with last year's chassis was two seconds faster, and they let my team-mate drive it. Here is the result. There seems to be no clear strategy".
Cheever, however, had problems due to a drop in turbo pressure. Talking of Formula 1 and the speed of these single-seaters, it is generally accepted that their top speed is 300 km/h. In the case of today's British Grand Prix, the situation is quite different. This time it is a race at the limit of the highest average speeds ever recorded, on a circuit where the lowest gear used is third and where, on 20 September 1985, Keke Rosberg reached almost 260 km/h per lap in qualifying. The Williams driver confirmed his second consecutive pole position of the season by twice beating the track record he set on Friday. His first lap was 1'05"957, then, with his foot glued to the accelerator, indifferent to the repeated overtaking of others (Patrese and Johansson), he went down to 1'05"591, at an average speed of 258.983 km/h. The crowd rose to their feet and greeted the Finn with a long and well-deserved standing ovation. Rosberg and Williams were unbeatable, but there was a pack of formidable opponents close behind. Behind them is a very dangerous Piquet, then Prost, Senna and Mansell, all people to watch out for. Sixth on the grid is Michele Alboreto in the Ferrari, with his team-mate Stefan Johansson eleventh on the sixth row.
A superficial analysis of the situation would suggest a lack of competitiveness for the Maranello cars, at least compared to the top teams. However, a closer look gives hope for a good race with a chance, if not for victory, at least for a top position. The Ferraris did quite well with a full tank of fuel and a race set-up, always bearing in mind that tyre choice and any problems could affect the final result. There is a perception (not just these days) that Ferrari are unable to exploit the full potential of the cars in qualifying. It is true that Johansson does not yet have full control over the use of qualifying tyres, but Alboreto can be trusted. The Italian (one of the ten drivers who did not improve their time) did not have the opportunity to do a maximum lap for several reasons. In any case, starting position is not decisive at Silverstone. Overtaking is possible and it's important to have a good set-up for the race. Of course, it won't be easy to attack Rosberg if he doesn't have any problems, or to challenge Piquet's position. Piquet is lively, happy with the performance of the BMW engine and the Pirelli tyres, which improved even in qualifying, as confirmed by Andrea De Cesaris' excellent seventh place with Ligier.
Many themes for the race. As well as the battle for victory, which will involve at least the top six at the start, there will be the usual De Angelis (eighth time, defenceless due to an unimpressive engine), Teo Fabi with an improving Toleman, and Niki Lauda, tenth, but so unlucky that you would think that sooner or later something would go right for him. For the rest, barring any surprising developments, we are at the level of the extras, from Renault to Alfa Romeo, which this time almost hit rock bottom with Cheever's twenty-second place. The others, without wanting to be malicious, can only be described as mobile chicanes on this super-fast track. In other news, Marco Piccinini, Ferrari's sporting director, returned on Saturday from his scouting mission in the world of American motorsport, following the threatened withdrawal of the Maranello team from F1 to CART (Indianapolis). He says he will report back to the Modena-based manufacturer. Beyond the usual phrases, the impression is that he was very well received (who wouldn't want Ferrari in the race?), but that the technical quality of this championship and the organisational difficulties of such an expedition left room for a long reflection. On Sunday 21 July 1985, Elio De Angelis, Keke Rosberg and Teo Fabi were forced to start the Grand Prix in spare cars. The Italian from Lotus damaged his main car in the warm-up after a collision with Pierluigi Martini, while the Finn suffered an engine problem in his qualifying car. Martin Brundle experienced a technical problem during the formation lap, but managed to start the race thanks to the intervention of the Tyrrell mechanics. The light rain that started a few minutes before the start was not enough to change the grip of the track. When the lights went out, Ayrton Senna immediately overtook Nelson Piquet and then Keke Rosberg at Copse to take the lead. Prost and Mansell also managed to overtake Piquet and positioned themselves behind Rosberg. At Copse, Patrick Tambay went off the track and collided with Stefan Johansson, causing the Frenchman to lose his right front tyre. Back on the track, the tyre caused chaos: Philippe Alliot, trying to avoid it, hits Piercarlo Ghinzani's car. Johansson was the only one of those involved to be able to continue, but with a damaged radiator he spilled oil on the track. At Stowe, Rosberg tried unsuccessfully to overtake Senna, but Mansell managed to overtake Prost at the same point. On the next lap, the French McLaren driver tried to regain his position by attacking Mansell at Woodcote, but ended up on an oil slick left by Johansson. Prost managed to get his car under control and continued the race, but had to give up fourth place to De Cesaris.
Meanwhile, De Angelis overtook Michele Alboreto to move up to seventh. With a strong pace, De Cesaris moved up to third place after passing Mansell on the fifth lap, although the leading duo of Senna-Rosberg managed to open up a ten-second gap within a few laps. The British Williams driver was later overtaken by Alain Prost. On the eighth lap, Nelson Piquet was overtaken by Elio De Angelis and one lap later, Andrea De Cesaris gave way to the advancing Alain Prost. De Angelis' race was threatened by an engine problem on lap 13. He returned to the pits in the hope that the Lotus technicians would be able to solve the problem. On lap 16, Prost overtook Rosberg, who had slowed down in the previous laps to manage his tyres better. After 17 laps, Senna led Prost by 9.5 seconds and Rosberg by 10.5 seconds. De Cesaris was further back, more than 20 seconds behind. Mansell, in fourth place, retired on the same lap with a faulty clutch. Niki Lauda moves up to fourth and overtakes De Cesaris on lap 21. Rosberg's surviving Williams also retired on the next lap, the engine exploding due to air entering an exhaust manifold leading to the turbo. After these retirements, Senna and Prost were followed by Lauda, De Cesaris, Piquet, Alboreto, Warwick and Laffite. Piquet, who is having problems with the fuel consumption computer, slows down and is overtaken by Alboreto. Prost closed in on Senna, who had been penalised for lapping Warwick and Laffite, and managed to stabilise the gap at around one second. Many drivers struggled with fuel consumption to reach the end of the Grand Prix. On lap 41, Senna overtook Alboreto, and as Prost had difficulty in doing the same to Piquet, Senna increased his lead, albeit slightly. Meanwhile, after half an hour of work, the Lotus mechanics send De Angelis back into the race. On lap 42, De Cesari's race was threatened when the clutch failed, forcing him to retire. The battle between the two leaders continued with fast laps, both drivers manipulating the turbo boost for more power. Senna managed to extend his lead over Prost to 3 seconds. However, in the final laps, Senna's race was affected by fuel consumption problems, forcing him to slow down. On lap 58, Prost took the lead and overtook Senna at Becketts. In the same lap, Laffite overtook Piquet. On lap 59, the leaders reached Chapel, where they met Niki Lauda. However, Lauda retired due to an electrical problem, inadvertently affecting his team-mate.
Senna took advantage of Prost's slipstream to pass him at Stowe. An initial attempt at a counter-attack at Woodcote was thwarted by the presence of Marc Surer's car. The race was over on lap 60. The lack of fuel in Senna's Lotus tank (due to an electrical problem on one side) allowed Prost to regain the lead and Senna was forced to retire. A sensor failure in his engine caused the injection system to malfunction, resulting in a lack of fuel. The final twist was in the direction of the race, which took the chequered flag one lap before the scheduled end. The race ended on lap 65 with Alain Prost as the winner, one lap ahead of Alboreto and Laffite, who completed the podium. Prost won with an average speed of 235.425 km/h, the fastest since the Italian Grand Prix of 1971. With a football defence, Ferrari regained the balance in the British Grand Prix. The Maranello team responded to Alain Prost's brilliant victory for McLaren with Michele Alboreto finishing second, ahead of veteran Jacques Laffite. However, it was second place by one lap, not a reason to celebrate from a technical point of view. Nevertheless, thanks to a cautious race conducted at a steady pace, the Italian rider remains at the top of the standings, albeit only two points ahead of his French rival. The race wasn't exciting, although the duels at the front between Rosberg, Senna and Prost in the early stages kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. The victory of a British car was celebrated, but the crowd also had to applaud a French driver, as the top local favourite was Martin Brundle, who finished seventh in the new Tyrrell turbo. The championship is still long and open to any outcome. However, this race confirms that, barring any unforeseen changes, the fight for the title should now have identified its protagonists. While Elio De Angelis has seen his run of seven consecutive good results come to an end and Rosberg's pursuit since Montreal comes to an end, Alboreto and Prost continue their head-to-head battle. If the Italian is the king of placings (one win, four second places, one third), the Frenchman is certainly the most effective driver with four wins (one disqualification deducted) and two third places. Michele Alboreto and Alain Prost respect and fear each other and exchange barbs. Alboreto says:
"It would have been better if Lauda had won, because that guy is very dangerous. But I'm not going to be humiliated by having a disadvantaged lap. It would be enough for me to beat him in the next race with a one-metre advantage".
The French McLaren driver doesn't take long to answer:
"Alboreto was lucky. If my team-mate hadn't stopped, and even if Senna had settled for a place instead of attacking blindly, I'd be leading the championship right now. But I don't want to think about the title right now. Let others dream, as I have done over the years. We'll settle up at the end".
An open rivalry, but without bitterness. After all, other competitors like Keke Rosberg could still enter the fray. Meanwhile, Alain Prost increased his tally to 19 wins, behind Stewart (27), Clark (25), Fangio and Lauda (24). He was only one title away from winning the world championship and Alboreto was not about to give it up, Ferrari permitting. Ferrari weren't exactly celebrating Alboreto's second place, which was accepted with satisfaction, but without hiding the competitiveness problems that the cars highlighted in both qualifying and the race. Says sporting director Marco Piccinini:
"I feel sorry for Johansson because in the morning tests his car was fine and he was faster than Michele. So we didn't steal anything. As for the race being shortened by one lap, we are at least surprised. They told us it was a human error. That's a bit of an excuse, even if it wouldn't have changed anything. It's about the professionalism of Formula One. We would like to see if the same thing would have happened with Ferrari in the lead at Imola or Monza...".
Michele Alboreto, on the other hand, is happy to have saved the World Championship lead.
"Second place is good for me, especially considering the way the race went. I had some problems with the engine, it wasn't performing at its best and there were some problems with the set-up. It's no secret that we have to work to stay at the top. So for me it's like winning. Halfway through the race I realised that I could get a good result, among the top contenders".
Technical director Tomaini repeats the concept:
"Positive result, negative performance on the balance sheet. We'll try to remedy that".
Alboreto is encouraging:
"With Silverstone we've overcome what was, on paper, the most difficult track for us. Now we're heading to the Nürburgring, where things should be better. Of the difficult tracks, only Zeltweg should be a challenge. But we cannot rest on our laurels. In any case, we've adapted to our capabilities".
Prost is obviously happy.
"It wasn't a difficult race. I had a plan to follow based on fuel consumption and it turned out to be accurate. I let Senna vent his frustration. When I overtook him, he put the pressure on to catch me, but he was running on fumes. Let's not talk about the championship now. My car was perfect at Silverstone. We've had some inconveniences over the last few days, but we've managed to overcome them. In the morning we fitted a new engine and I was able to win without any problems. When I checked the fuel consumption on the onboard computer in the final laps, I saw that everything was fine. I read the display and when I saw the figures, it was as if there was a sign saying: 'Go and win'".
It should be noted that Prost's McLaren weighed 552 kilograms after the technical checks, 12 kilograms more than the minimum limit. Considering that the English team's cars generally weigh just over 540 kilograms, this means that there was still plenty of fuel. Alboreto's Ferrari weighs in at 568kg, indicating a good fuel reserve but also a slight overweight that should be eliminated to make it more competitive. Nevertheless, Alboreto remains cautiously optimistic.
"The important thing is to be in the mix. Here, for the race, I have to admit that we didn't find the right settings. So we wanted to get the result we deserved. If you finish second when things go wrong, you win when they go right. I don't make any calculations for the championship. Now we are concentrating on closing the gap that the British Grand Prix highlighted between us and McLaren".
As soon as he got out of the car, Ayrton Senna, who had been the absolute protagonist of the race until five laps from the end, literally attacked the Renault technicians whose engine powered the Brazilian's Lotus. The driver gesticulated, shouted, seemed to be threatening. In any case, he was furious.
"It is not possible that we ran out of fuel, everything should be calculated. I wasn't supposed to take any risks. I never pushed the turbo pressure beyond the limit. You can't drive a race like that, give everything you have and then come away with nothing but disappointment".
When the Lotus is weighed, the scales read 548 kilograms.
This meant that there was very little fuel left in the tank of the English car, not enough to finish the race. When the engineers then examined the engine, they found that there was an electrical problem, as the engine was running on alternating current, i.e. with only one bank. This problem could have caused irregular fuel consumption. But Senna is not satisfied with this explanation and replies:
"Is it possible that there is always something that doesn't work? When will I be able to race without problems? I had a great start, resisted the attacks of Rosberg and Prost. And then I retired without achieving anything. I can now consider myself out of the fight for the championship for good".
Perhaps Senna's fiery temperament was an attempt to create a smokescreen around his performance. There's nothing to say about the Brazilian's skill, but when it comes to strategy... How could he think of finishing at that pace? With a more cautious tactic, he could certainly have fought for victory or at least second place. Keke Rosberg is more philosophical about his defeat, having never thought of challenging for the title this season. His only regret was not being able to drive a good race after securing pole position with the highest average ever achieved in Formula One.
"I had some problems with the tyres right from the start because they went flat. Then the engine immediately started to act up. There was an air leak in an exhaust manifold leading to the turbo. It was like driving a 1500cc car with very little horsepower. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I'm not making a drama out of it. I've always said that this year I'm going to live day by day. I'll try to make up for it at the next opportunity”.
More disappointed was England's Nigel Mansell, who would have liked to make a good impression in front of his fans. But he burned the clutch of his Williams almost immediately and never got into the heart of the fight. It's a day to forget for the Williams-Honda team. For the Anglo-Japanese team, too, the 1985 World Championship was one of ups and downs. After the highs of Montreal and Le Castellet, Rosberg's voice became hoarse. It hadn't been since 1982 that a car had lapped all its rivals. On that occasion, it was Riccardo Patrese in the Brabham, who had given his opponents a lap in Monte Carlo. And as fate would have it, Didier Pironi finished second in the Ferrari. There are no other analogies between the race in Monaco three years ago and the one in Great Britain. On that occasion, the result was also determined by an incredible series of incidents, failures and misfortunes. But the fact remains that this time, as then, the Ferrari team achieved a good finish, but left doubts and questions on the technical front. If the not-so-brilliant result of the previous race at Le Castellet could be considered a fluke or the result of problems that were subsequently resolved, the performance gap that was observed on the extremely fast English circuit, purely in terms of lap times, between the Maranello cars, Prost's McLarens, Lauda's and Senna's Lotus is worrying. It's true that by finishing behind the Frenchman, Michele Alboreto maintained his lead in the championship (by two points) and virtually eliminated all his rivals, especially Elio De Angelis. But it's also worth noting that the situation for Ferrari doesn't seem to be as much under control as it was after the double American stint. Looking ahead, it should be noted that Alain Prost theoretically won four of the eight races (taking into account the disqualification at Imola), on tracks and in different weather conditions. From the heat of Brazil, to the city circuit of Monte Carlo, to the super-fast Silverstone track. What does this mean? Simply that the McLaren is a versatile car, not quite as dominant as last year, but still a formidable rival, growing and ready for a spectacular overtaking display at the Nurburgring in just two weeks' time. Not to mention Williams, Lotus and Brabham, who are always a threat. More worrying, however, is the inconsistent performance of the Maranello cars. Let's take an example: at Le Castellet, on the first day of practice, Alboreto and Johansson were in trouble, lagging behind. Then Michele made up for it with third place on the grid. On Friday the Italian was fourth fastest, the Swede eighth. By the half-hour mark of the Sunday morning sessions, Stefan was shining with a third time, while the Italian was in the middle of a group full of problems.
It would have been very interesting to see Johansson in the race if he hadn't been pushed off by Tambay in the first corner. Looking at the lap-by-lap data provided by Olivetti, it's clear that while Prost was driving like a madman for three quarters of the race, Alboreto was much slower, losing about two seconds per lap and accumulating a one-lap disadvantage. Leaving aside the discussion about the unbelievable and reprehensible decision of the Clerk of the Course, Cooper, to take the chequered flag with one lap to go, the fact remains that the 156/85 lost competitiveness. Now there are many possible hypotheses. With Ferrari having no problems at all with fuel consumption (668 kilos at the check, which should mean a lot of fuel in the tank), one might think that the Maranello team's technicians could not put any more pressure on the turbines without risking engine failure. But has it not been said (especially by the other competitors) that the Maranello engine is the best in F1? Or are there other problems, aerodynamic or chassis-related? Or can the cars not be tuned to their maximum potential? The only thing that is certain is that in response to specific questions, the team officials say that if they knew what the problem was, they would have already found a solution. Now we have to wait: from Wednesday 24 July 1985, Ferrari will be testing at Imola, probably until Friday. Who knows if something will be discovered, waiting for further confirmation in two weeks in Germany, where reliability might not be enough to stop McLaren. Meanwhile, the war between FISA and FOCA continues, or rather, it's just begun. While Jean-Marie Balestre studies some initiatives to curb the escalation of power and operating costs in Formula One, alliances are forming on both sides. The small teams are pushing in one direction, trying to reduce costs and become more competitive by levelling out engine performance, while the teams that are in one way or another dependent on a manufacturer do not want to change the regulations after having invested tens of millions of dollars in researching the best solutions for the future, which include a reduction in consumption for next year (195 litres of fuel) and the use of 1200 cc engines from 1988. It seemed that Ferrari, the first to protest against a possible breach of the Concorde Agreement (the treaty that ended the disputes between FISA, FOCA constructors and legalists, according to which a multi-year programme of regulations was prepared), was isolated. Instead, it turns out that the Maranello team has important allies, and a split could even spell the end of Formula One. The Ferrari team is threatening to race in the United States. Honda, on the other hand, is ready to pull out. Frank Williams, the English team manager whose team uses Japanese engines, says:
"If a single comma is changed without unanimous agreement, Honda will pull out immediately. And I understand that Ford, who were ready to enter with Beatrice in 1986, will do the same. You can't make plans and investments and then change direction at any moment".
Even BMW, supplier of Brabham and Arrows, agrees with this thesis. Paul Rosette, head of German motorsport, said:
"Limiting engine power with a valve in the turbocharger would be technically stupid".
Opposing views were expressed by Carlo Chiti for Motori Moderni (Minardi), Enzo Osella, Jean Sage (Renault) and Gianni Tonti (Alfa Romeo). Faced with so many ideas, so many interests and the needs of those who above all want to survive, there is only one solution. Sit down and discuss until a compromise is found that everyone can accept. There are many proposals. Let them be analysed, studied in depth, without trampling on anyone's rights. For example, the idea of qualifying on the basis of an average of ten laps is not stupid, but it is not easy to implement, especially considering the weather conditions that can change from one moment to the next. However, for FISA to impose this at this stage would not be a fair move, as it would look like a self-serving move to favour someone in this new controversy. Many people question the fairness of the rule limiting fuel consumption to 220 litres per car during a Grand Prix. In particular, several experts argue that this situation takes away from the spectacle and conditions the drivers. Indeed, to see a race like the one Ayrton Senna drove, beautiful, courageous, seemingly without inhibition, ending with the Brazilian stopping early because he ran out of fuel, leaves one perplexed. However, it is enough to use one's common sense to realise that this rule is not without reason, that it has a basis, a logical explanation. In fact, a different rule with an unlimited amount of fuel would not change the situation much, but it would multiply the risks to safety, which is already precarious given the performance levels of the cars. Now, the speed of the cars is partly limited by the spectre of fuel consumption. Essentially, the technical challenge is to find the best compromise between the power to be exploited and the fuel available. For example, if the tanks were 250 litres instead of 220, the drivers would ask for more boost and the technicians would listen to them in order to win races. So someone would end up using up all the precious liquid before the end of the race. In addition, the engines, pushed to the limit, would break very easily, causing many retirements. The situation would not change, and could even get worse. Certainly, the days when only skill, the heart of the rider, counted were over. But would Juan Manuel Fangio have won five world championships if he hadn't often had better cars than his opponents? The skill of a champion is the sum of many qualities, not least the ability to use the brain and the accelerator.