4 - 1992 - F1 Imola & IndyCar Indy Carb Day
Early May 1992:
With the European Season full-swing, Ayrton Senna had more time in the Williams offices, and sat down with Adrian Newey, talking about development of the FW15 and its successor for the 1994 season. Senna was concerned about the massive target on the back of the team, after the utter domination of the first quarter of the season, and all of the attendant grumbling throughout the racing community. As Senna was a major player in the era of McLaren dominance with Prost, he knew full well that there was a limited amount of patience when it came to the level of superiority a team always at the top of the podium. Little did Ayrton know that this conversation would be prophetic, but as a driver with nearly a decade in Formula One, he trusted his instincts.
“Look, Adrian, we have a world-beater out there with the -14B. The only way anyone can beat us is if we beat ourselves. It’s three, four years ago all over again. Don’t you think the rules are going to change quickly? We’ll probably skate away with ’93, but it’s going to be rough come ’94, and we’re both still locked into the team then. Whatever happens, I want to be a winner. The FIA is going to be looking at us harder than anyone after a year like this, so we need to find other ways to win. Electronic aids? They’ll be gone. It’s going to come down to raw power and aero, everything else we’ve tried to build since the end of the turbo era is going to be taken away from us. With that, the cars are going to be pigs to drive. Mechanical grip will come into play more than ever. Renault will need to step up just in case other teams sneak electronics in under the FIA’s nose. All I ask is for you to let me help you build for not just next year, but for the one after. Things are going to change,” Senna took a long breath and looked into Newey’s eyes after voicing his concerns of the future, and wondered a bit if he said too much. However, if he said anything, he said the right anything.
“You leave McLaren for us, and McLaren falters, yet Williams runs faster than ever. Of course we wear the bull’s-eye, which happens with any success. But… I’ve heard the grumbling too. What’s it going to take?” Newey retorted, wondering what mess he got in, thinking he was on the cusp of a cakewalk.
“Assume that we’ll be looked at harder than anyone else. Assume we have to fight with teams that get to sneak aides past the stewards, yet if we tried to do the same we’d be disqualified. That’s it. Aero, power, and mechanical grip. Give me those three, ’94 will be a fight to remember.” The hesitation on Senna’s face disappeared, and raw focus returned. Adrian Newey knew his driver had a point, and wanted to press it for him. It was too obvious. Balestre was on his way out, and Ecclestone wasn’t the type to bend over for anyone he didn’t feel like. Now’s the time to get ready.
Round Five – San Marino Grand Prix – 17 May 1992 – Imola
It was standard service yet again during qualifying of the San Marino Grand Prix, with a Senna-led Williams front row and the Benettons filling the second. The race proved thrilling, but only if you cared about “Which Williams would win?” or “Who’s the best of the rest?” Senna made up for his gremlins in Spain, leading after each round of pit stops cycled through, with Mansell close behind. Behind the Williams, Brundle looked like he would finally have a shot against his teammate, but Schumacher managed to score another podium in the closing laps at Brundle’s expense. Further down, Tyrrell finally got on the board with a sixth from Groulliard, following Alboreto home to round out the top six.
Out of the points, Damon Hill picked off several positions in his second race with Brabham, including winning duels with Martini’s Dallara and Gugelmin’s Jordan. While the end of the day would see both of those drivers retire with mechanical troubles, the son of Graham proved impressive, and made teams like McLaren, Benetton, and Footwork look into hiring him full-time for the following season. Frank Williams was not surprised, and was pleased that his reserve driver could earn some experience without being a threat to the Constructors’ championship.
Sadly for Ferrari, their first race on home soil was for naught, as Capelli went off at Tamburello and Alesi’s engine blew. It was worse for McLaren, as they fell further behind Benetton in the battle for second in the Constructors Championship, with Patrese spinning off and gearbox issues for Berger. The memories of the glory years increasingly grew bitterer for the red and white of McLaren-Honda. It was only May, but the chill of winter was setting in at Woking.
IndyCar: Round Four: Carburetion Day: 76th Indianapolis 500 – 21 May 1992 – Speedway
Weather forecasts for Sunday were nothing like they should be for late May in Indiana. Expectations were for a cold and damp race, which was atypical. Not just the weather was downcast. Promising rookie Jovy Marcello had died less than a week before, and three-time Formula One champion Nelson Piquet suffered career-threatening injuries to his legs earlier in the month. Those crashes, and the weather, were heavy on the minds of the teams through Gasoline Alley. Setups would need to be overhauled, and grip would be scarce until rubber was lain down along the racing line. It would be a busy weekend, with more surprises yet to come.
Michael Andretti had taken the chance before the first practices that month to speak with Nelson Piquet, less than a year removed from Formula One and plenty experienced with the sport. The importance he stressed on spending as much time as he could working at the cars, with their complications and their radically different capabilities was pressed until Michael got the point. If he were to race at that level, he would be away from America for nearly a year, and would need to spend that year training and practicing to the utmost. Yes, he’d be waiting until 1994, he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to do this right.
With the European Season full-swing, Ayrton Senna had more time in the Williams offices, and sat down with Adrian Newey, talking about development of the FW15 and its successor for the 1994 season. Senna was concerned about the massive target on the back of the team, after the utter domination of the first quarter of the season, and all of the attendant grumbling throughout the racing community. As Senna was a major player in the era of McLaren dominance with Prost, he knew full well that there was a limited amount of patience when it came to the level of superiority a team always at the top of the podium. Little did Ayrton know that this conversation would be prophetic, but as a driver with nearly a decade in Formula One, he trusted his instincts.
“Look, Adrian, we have a world-beater out there with the -14B. The only way anyone can beat us is if we beat ourselves. It’s three, four years ago all over again. Don’t you think the rules are going to change quickly? We’ll probably skate away with ’93, but it’s going to be rough come ’94, and we’re both still locked into the team then. Whatever happens, I want to be a winner. The FIA is going to be looking at us harder than anyone after a year like this, so we need to find other ways to win. Electronic aids? They’ll be gone. It’s going to come down to raw power and aero, everything else we’ve tried to build since the end of the turbo era is going to be taken away from us. With that, the cars are going to be pigs to drive. Mechanical grip will come into play more than ever. Renault will need to step up just in case other teams sneak electronics in under the FIA’s nose. All I ask is for you to let me help you build for not just next year, but for the one after. Things are going to change,” Senna took a long breath and looked into Newey’s eyes after voicing his concerns of the future, and wondered a bit if he said too much. However, if he said anything, he said the right anything.
“You leave McLaren for us, and McLaren falters, yet Williams runs faster than ever. Of course we wear the bull’s-eye, which happens with any success. But… I’ve heard the grumbling too. What’s it going to take?” Newey retorted, wondering what mess he got in, thinking he was on the cusp of a cakewalk.
“Assume that we’ll be looked at harder than anyone else. Assume we have to fight with teams that get to sneak aides past the stewards, yet if we tried to do the same we’d be disqualified. That’s it. Aero, power, and mechanical grip. Give me those three, ’94 will be a fight to remember.” The hesitation on Senna’s face disappeared, and raw focus returned. Adrian Newey knew his driver had a point, and wanted to press it for him. It was too obvious. Balestre was on his way out, and Ecclestone wasn’t the type to bend over for anyone he didn’t feel like. Now’s the time to get ready.
Round Five – San Marino Grand Prix – 17 May 1992 – Imola
It was standard service yet again during qualifying of the San Marino Grand Prix, with a Senna-led Williams front row and the Benettons filling the second. The race proved thrilling, but only if you cared about “Which Williams would win?” or “Who’s the best of the rest?” Senna made up for his gremlins in Spain, leading after each round of pit stops cycled through, with Mansell close behind. Behind the Williams, Brundle looked like he would finally have a shot against his teammate, but Schumacher managed to score another podium in the closing laps at Brundle’s expense. Further down, Tyrrell finally got on the board with a sixth from Groulliard, following Alboreto home to round out the top six.
Out of the points, Damon Hill picked off several positions in his second race with Brabham, including winning duels with Martini’s Dallara and Gugelmin’s Jordan. While the end of the day would see both of those drivers retire with mechanical troubles, the son of Graham proved impressive, and made teams like McLaren, Benetton, and Footwork look into hiring him full-time for the following season. Frank Williams was not surprised, and was pleased that his reserve driver could earn some experience without being a threat to the Constructors’ championship.
Sadly for Ferrari, their first race on home soil was for naught, as Capelli went off at Tamburello and Alesi’s engine blew. It was worse for McLaren, as they fell further behind Benetton in the battle for second in the Constructors Championship, with Patrese spinning off and gearbox issues for Berger. The memories of the glory years increasingly grew bitterer for the red and white of McLaren-Honda. It was only May, but the chill of winter was setting in at Woking.
IndyCar: Round Four: Carburetion Day: 76th Indianapolis 500 – 21 May 1992 – Speedway
Weather forecasts for Sunday were nothing like they should be for late May in Indiana. Expectations were for a cold and damp race, which was atypical. Not just the weather was downcast. Promising rookie Jovy Marcello had died less than a week before, and three-time Formula One champion Nelson Piquet suffered career-threatening injuries to his legs earlier in the month. Those crashes, and the weather, were heavy on the minds of the teams through Gasoline Alley. Setups would need to be overhauled, and grip would be scarce until rubber was lain down along the racing line. It would be a busy weekend, with more surprises yet to come.
Michael Andretti had taken the chance before the first practices that month to speak with Nelson Piquet, less than a year removed from Formula One and plenty experienced with the sport. The importance he stressed on spending as much time as he could working at the cars, with their complications and their radically different capabilities was pressed until Michael got the point. If he were to race at that level, he would be away from America for nearly a year, and would need to spend that year training and practicing to the utmost. Yes, he’d be waiting until 1994, he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to do this right.
