Ayrton Senna Special: Part 32 - Problems at the team - Back in the title fight? (1989)

  • Published on 24 Apr 2019 15:00
  • comments 0
  • By: Fergal Walsh

After four dramatic Grands Prix in which Ayrton didn't score any points, Ayrton started was 20 points behind in the second part of the season. The races in Germany, Hungary and Belgium would determine whether Ayrton would be able to make up for the damage he suffered. The other side of the coin was the idea that the championship would soon be over. The three European Grands Prix at the start of the second part were crucial. 

Germany (Ayrton strikes back)

The weekend in Germany started with problems. During the Friday session, Ayrton drove over a kerb and this made a big hole at the bottom of the car. Back in the pits the team found out that it took a lot of work to repair the damage. The problem for McLaren was that it only had three transverse gearboxes in Hockenheim. A transverse gearbox is a gearbox that shortens the transmission between the engine and the gearbox.

It was customary to drive with this type of gearbox in the '90s. After the introduction of the semi-automatic gearbox, a transverse gearbox was no longer common. As a precaution, team manager Jo Ramírez ordered the test team (on its way to Imola) to stop in Dijon (France) in case a replacement chassis was needed. When they found out in the course of the day that Ayrton's chassis could not be repaired, they decided to let the test team come to Germany. Because of this change McLaren was equipped with three more cars on Saturday morning. Pole position went to Ayrton, as he was almost one second faster than Prost. 

Berger left like a rocket on Sunday, and the Austrian passed both Prost and Senna from fourth place. On the way into the first chicane, Ayrton put things in order by overtaking the Ferrari driver. At the Ostkurve chicane Prost passed Berger and both McLaren drivers were back in first and second place. The first part of the race was quite one-sided: two McLarens driving together and two Ferraris driving together.

This would last for thirteen laps, after which Berger got a flat tire on the stretch towards the first chicane. The Austrian couldn't slow down his Ferrari and flew over the kerb. This meant that Nigel Mansell moved up a place. In the meantime Prost kept looking at the rear of Senna's car. During the first sixteen laps both cars drove inseparably until Prost made his pit stop. Prost wanted to apply the undercut and was on the ground after 8.98 seconds.

However, the stop lasted longer because he had to wait another ten seconds before the left rear wheel was attached. When Mansell made his stop Ayrton had a huge gap and decided to change as well. His stop lasted even longer than the stop of Prost and after 23 seconds he even ended up behind Mansell's Ferrari. Mansell also had a problem with his own 6.87-second pit stop, which cost the Englishman five extra seconds.

Prost seemed to have the race won but lap after lap Ayrton kept the pressure on the Frenchman. Eventually Prost suffered a gearbox problem and Ayrton was able to pass him by when he entered the stadium section. The gap to Nigel Mansell had widened to almost one minute by now. Prost lost a total of 18 seconds in two laps, so the seriousness of the loss of sixth gear from Prost was clear. Ayrton finally got, after three failures due to mechanical bad luck, the luck at his side. With the victory he only gained three points on Prost, but he brought his total of victories to four, one more than Prost. 

At the press conference after the race, Ayrton refused to speculate on whether Prost would have won the race with a working gearbox. He stated that he was only worried about winning the race after four consecutive failures. Prost, on the other hand, was convinced that he wouldn't have any trouble keeping Senna behind him if he hadn't had problems with the gearbox. 

Hungary (Mansell and his historical catch up)

For the first time during the 1989 season, there was no McLaren on pole position. Riccardo Patrese drove the Williams surprisingly well to the fastest time while Ayrton was next to him in the front row. Alex Caffi was a surprising third in his Dallara-Ford. Rival Prost had a difficult qualifying session, and started in fifth place. At the start, Patrese took the lead and Ayrton followed. Caffi was third but would fall back during the race because the Pirelli rubber had a shorter life compared to the Goodyear tyre.

Prost was in fourth position after a few laps. He didn't manage to get any further forward. One who did succeed were Mansell. The Ferrari driver, who started in 12th place, had a rocket start and after a few laps was in eighth place. The Englishman kept on catching up with people and cut like a hot knife through butter. After 28 laps Gerhard Berger decided to change his tyres, which meant that the pressure from behind was gone for Ayrton. Patrese at the front was still able to keep Ayrton off. Mansell then passed Prost for third place and drove towards the rear of Ayrton. In the meantime leader, Patrese had a problem with his radiator, Senna and Mansell could easily pass him. Patrese would put his Williams aside shortly afterwards. 

From the 50th lap Mansell put the pressure on Ayrton. The Ferrari was much faster but Ayrton managed to keep Mansell behind him for a few laps. When both drivers approached the back of Stefan Johansson's Onyx, Ayrton had to brake and swerve, Johansson was in the sandwich and Mansell made one of his best overtaking actions ever.

Mansell then rode to his second victory of the season and Ayrton finished second, 26 seconds down. Alain Prost finished fourth and Ayrton scored three points more than his French rival. In the fight for the title was the gap 14 points between Prost and Senna, Mansell followed, eight points behind Ayrton in third. Gerhard Berger remained pointless after the Hungarian Grand Prix, the tenth round of the Championship.

Belgium 

Ayrton had good memories of the Belgian circuit. In 1985 he won his second race in the rain and in 1988 he laid the foundations for his first world title on a dry circuit. Ayrton was not the fastest in the rainy conditions during Friday practice. It was Gerhard Berger who was able to put the Ferrari on provisional pole on Friday. On Saturday Ayrton put things in order by being almost six tenths faster than Alain Prost on a dry track. Former world champion Nelson Piquet was unable to qualify for this Grand Prix. 

The race would take place in wet conditions.  It was postponed for a long time because it was too wet to drive. At the start, Ayrton took the lead ahead of Prost and Berger. Mansell, who started in sixth place, moved up to fourth. It was clear that Ayrton felt like a fish in the water, as after two laps the Brazilian was 3.8 seconds ahead of Prost. On the ninth lap, Gerhard Berger dropped out for the eighth time in a row. The Austrian had skipped the Monaco Grand Prix after his dramatic crash in San Marino.

In the meantime it was announced that Gerhard Berger would become the new teammate of Ayrton at McLaren from 1990. Ayrton rode a relatively 'easy' race. His advantage over Prost had grown to twelve seconds halfway through the race. In the course of the race, Ayrton's lead diminished but that was partly because Prost was put under pressure by Nigel Mansell's Ferrari. Mansell and Prost fought for the second position. The future teammates didn't give in to each other, but they still rode against each other with respect. Prost was able to hold Mansell back and finish in a safe second place. Ayrton won, 1.304 seconds ahead of Alain Prost, but the picture is somewhat distorted. Mansell finished third and thus scored his fifth podium place in a row. 

Balestre went to the podium and the FISA-president showed millions of viewers who his two favourites were: Mansell and Prost. Prost said at the end of the race: "I'm disappointed because the car was good. It was a surprise for me to stay close to Ayrton as I don't like to race in these conditions." Ayrton told in the post-race interview that: "The key to success in driving in the rain is keeping control of your natural instincts. You have to know what you can do but most of all what you can't do, all within the limits."  With his second victory in three races, Ayrton was once again ahead of Prost in the battle for the title. The gap was now eleven points with five victories against the three of Prost. 


Ayrton Senna Special: Part 1 - Ayrton and karting - The early years
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 2 - Ayrton and karting - International

Ayrton Senna Special: Part 3 - Ayrton and karting - The tough trip in Buenos Aires
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 4 - Ayrton and karting - The last race
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 5 - Ayrton in Europe - Formula Ford 1600 and the battle with Rick Morris

Ayrton Senna Special: Part 6 - Ayrton in Europe - A glorious year in Formula Ford 200
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 7 - Ayrton in British Formula 3 - Senna in a class of his own
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 8 - Ayrton in British Formula 3 - First signs of pressure and dirt game 
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 9 - Ayrton in British Formula 3 - Shame at Oulton Park and another title
Ayrton Senna Special Exclusive Interview: Allen Berg: Ayrton drove against the British system
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 10 - Ayrton as a test driver - The first experience in a Formula 1 car
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 11 - Ayrton as a test driver - A selection of different teams
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 12 - Ayrton at Toleman - Why the choice for Toleman was the right one
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 13 - Ayrton at Toleman - Monaco Grand Prix - Stefan was faster
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 14 - Ayrton at Toleman - Monaco Grand Prix - Post-race
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 15 - Ayrton at Toleman - Competitive in a new car with two podiums
Ayrton Senna Special: Technical Analysis 1: The Toleman TG183 (1984)
Ayrton Senna Special: Teammate 1: Johnny Cecotto
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 16 - Ayrton at Lotus - Facial Paralysis
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 17 - Ayrton at Lotus - Masterclass in Estoril
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 18 - Ayrton at Lotus - An unfortunate first half of the season
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 19 - Ayrton at Lotus - Many podiums and a victory at Spa-Francorchamps
Ayrton Senna Special: Technical Analysis 2: The Lotus 972
Ayrton Senna Special: Teammate 2: Elio 'The Gentleman'
Ayrton Senna Special: Extra 1: Veto 1

Ayrton Senna Special: Part 20 - Second year at Lotus - Titanium competition with Nigel Mansell
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 21 - Second year at Lotus- A good start and the lead in the championship after Detroit (1986)
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 22 - Second year at Lotus - Decay in the second half of the season (1986)
Ayrton Senna Special: Teammates 3: John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute (1986) 
Ayrton Senna Special: Extra 2 - Gérard Ducarouge - Designer of Ayrton's winning Lotus (1986)

Ayrton Senna Special: Exclusive Interview 1: Allard Kalff: 'I still honour Roland on April 30'.
Ayrton Senna Special: Exclusive Interview 2: Allard Kalff: "I only saw at Linate Airport that Ayrton had died"
Ayrton Senna Special: Exclusive Interview 3: Allard Kalff: "The accidents in 1994 were coincidence, in 1995 nothing happened"
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 23 - Last year at Lotus - Excellent season with the 1986 Honda engine (1987)
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 24 - Last year at Lotus - The victories at Monaco and Detroit (1987) 
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 25 - The beginning of an era - The contract at McLaren (1988)
Ayrton Senna Special: Extra 2: Trashtalk (1988)
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 26 - The beginning of an era - Tears in Brazil and Monaco (1988)
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 27 - The beginning of an era - The basis for the first world title (1988)
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 28 - The beginning of an era - Absolute dominance (1988)
Ayrton Senna Special: Eric Comas: 'Hypocritical people knew during the race what was going on with Ayrton
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 29 - The beginning of an era - The first world title (1988)
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 30 - Problems at the team - Perfect start despite a loss in Rio (1989)
Ayrton Senna Special: Part 31 - Problems at the team - A dip in the championship at an early stage (1989)

Replies (0)

Login to reply

BE Grand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

BEGrand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

World Championship standings 2024

Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
22 - Mar 24
Australia
5 - Apr 7
Japan
19 - Apr 21
China
3 - May 5
United States of America
17 - May 19
Italy
24 - May 26
Monaco
7 - Jun 9
Canada
21 - Jun 23
Spain
28 - Jun 30
Austria
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom
19 - Jul 21
Hungary
26 - Jul 28
Belgium
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands
30 - Sep 1
Italy
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
20 - Sep 22
Singapore
18 - Oct 20
United States of America
25 - Oct 27
Mexico
1 - Nov 3
Brazil
22 - Nov 24
United States of America
29 - Dec 1
Qatar
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
29 - Mar 2
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
19 - Apr 21
3 - May 5
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
24 - May 26
Monaco Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
21 - Jun 23
28 - Jun 30
Austria Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
18 - Oct 20
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
1 - Nov 3
Brazil Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule
show sidebar