part 1
part 2
ROUND 2 Brazil
Qualifying had a more familiar look with home boy Ayrton Senna on pole and he was desperate to win his home race for the first time. He lead the first 40 laps without issue while Thierry Boutsen was up to second after passing Berger however he botched his pit lane entry and clipped his tyres and equipment breaking his front wing and would eventually finish 5th. Up top Senna clumsily crashed into backmacker Nakajima and dropped to 3rd. to make matters worse it also handed victory to his arch enemy Alain Prost who took his first Ferrari win ahead of Berger.
Mansell was 4th with Boutsen 5th and Piquet 6th.
ROUND 3- San Marino
There were changes down the grid, Gregor Foitek moved from Brabham to Onyx replacing Stefan Johansson while David Brabham moved into the team bearing his name and founded by his father Jack. Davids’ brother Gary had left the Life team, the car which had a very strange in house w12 engine was crap, having broken down in just 4 laps in Phoenix it lasted only a few 100 metres in Brazil when mechanics revealed they didn’t put oil in because they hadn’t been paid. “what next? Brake fluid” thought Gary who packed the team in.
Gary was actually supposed to take the Brabham drive but confusion over his contract meant he missed out and he never drove in f1 again, mind you given he has been jailed and convicted of being a rapist kiddy fiddler don’t feel sorry for him. You can feel sorry for Bruno Giacomelli who took over the hopeless device (which would set a best time of 7 minutes and 16 seconds), while down at Dallara, Emanuele Pirro took his seat for the rest of the season having missed two rounds ill.
Senna was on pole ahead of Berger but Boutsen again passed the latter to go second, this became the lead when Senna retired early on. When Boutsen retired with engine trouble Berger emerged in the lead although he did perform an aggressive defence against Mansell resulting in the Ferrari doing a 360 spin but staying in the race, that was until Mansell’s engine also let go.
Berger was on the verge of a win which would see him lead the championship until he was passed by Ricciardo Patrese who took his first win in 7 years. Nannini took 3rd with fastest lap ahead of Prost with Piquet 5th and Alesi 6th
Standings
Drivers:Senna 13, Prost and Berger 12, Patrese 9, Alesi 7
Teams:McLaren 25, Williams and Ferrari 15, Benetton 10, Tyrrell 8
ROUND 4 – Monaco, Senna and Alesi shine again.
Senna was again on pole by Tyrrell’s new revolutionary high nose car was raising eyebrows with Alesi 3rd on the grid. Alesi elbowed past Prost at Mirabeau on lap 1 but when Berger tried the same move the collision resulted in a blocked track and a restart. For 30 laps the order was Senna, Prost, Alesi, Berger, Patrese and Boutsen.
Prost and Patrese then ran into trouble briefly allowing Derek Warwick and Nigel Mansell into the points. Senna did enough to hold off the very impressive Alesi with Berger a close 3rd. Boutsen was 4th and after Warwick and Mansell retired Alex Caffi was a fine 5th for Arrows while after a collision with then 6th place Gregor Foitek in the Onyx, Eric Bernard took the last point for Larrousse. Alesi’s performance in the nimble Tyrrell had the big boys fighting for his signature. He ended the day 3rd in the drivers championship but remarkably failed to score a point for the rest of the year.
ROUND 5- Canada
Senna was on pole once more alongside Berger who jumped the start and was giving a rather ridiculous 1 minute time penalty. After an early Senna stop Alessandro Nannini briefly lead from Alesi however Nannini’s car struck a gopher of all things to drop him down the order and he later spun off into the barriers, at the same spot some 5 laps later Alesi spun too and with the Benetton still in the barriers Alesi walloped the thankfully empty wreckage with both cars badly written off but both drivers unscathed.
Berger actually crossed the line 1st by some 44 seconds but his time penalty bumped him to 4th behind Senna, Piquet and Mansell. Prost was classified 5th, a net one second behind Berger while Derek Warwick scored a much needed point for Lotus.
Round 6 – Mexico, Ferrari make their move aided by a famous overtake
Berger took pole for the first time since Phoenix with Patrese 2nd, Senna 3rd and Mansell 4th. Alain Prost was a miserable 13th. Senna took the lead at the start while Piquet advanced to 2nd, Prost made steady progress with both he and Berger making early stops. Senna held the lead until 9 laps to go when his tyre burst and he was out. Prost and Mansell were now 1st and 2nd but an aggressive move from Berger saw him elbow past Mansell with 3 laps left.
Then it happened, with Murray Walker building everyone's excitement Mansell pulled off an absolutely incredible overtake just before the final lap started, he unbelievably roared round the outside of Berger and the dangerous high speed hairpin (the Peraltada) to take 2nd. It probably overshadowed the fact Prost had won from 13th on the grid. The move has to be seen to be believed, it is truly hair raising stuff.
Berger almost retook the place again on the last lap ending a thrilling battle, Nannini, Boutsen and Piquet rounded out the points.
STANDINGSDRIVERS: Senna 31, Prost and Berger 23, Alesi and Mansell 13
TEAMS: McLaren 54, Ferrari 36, Williams and Benetton 20, Tyrrell 14
