05/04/2000
FEATURE BY CHRIS BALFE
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Editor Chris Balfe remembers the 1993 European GP - Donington, 11 April 1993
It feels like it was yesterday,yet it seems so long ago.
Can it really be just six years, is that how quickly F1 moves along?
Look at the entry list! Prost, Hill (in his first full season), Patrese, Michael Andretti (remember him?), Lehto, Berger, De Cesaris and Ayrton Senna. Then again, above the pits sat Princess Diana alongside her two sons William and Harry. Was this really just six years ago.
It's an irritation that Hollywood has always portrayed Englishmen as either "gawd blimey guv" chirpy cockneys - in the Dick Van Dyke/Mary Poppins mode or cold upper class cads in the Edward Fox/Jeremy Irons mode. The same goes for the weather, in the movies, English weather usually involves heavy rain, pea-souper fogs - or both. Yet that weekend back in April '93, Hollywood seemed to have got it right.
On Friday, the rain was torrential and unforgiving. The cold bit through to your bones as you struggled to stay upright in the appalling conditions - God alone knows how the drivers coped. On Saturday it was bright sunshine - I got sunburnt. Whilst on Sunday we were back to the sort of weather only Noah (and Ayrton Senna) would appreciate.
It must have been a major culture shock for the beautiful people. Following South Africa and Brazil, it was back to earth with a bang as the circus set up home in a rainswept corner of Leicestershire.
This was Donington, pride and joy of Tom Wheatcroft. Tom had worked for many years to bring Grand Prix cars to Donington - indeed the effort of staging this race had almost killed him. When Bernie Ecclestone needed an extra GP to plug a major gap in the calendar, Tom was waiting. In a matter of weeks, Wheatcroft moved mountains (almost literally) in order to get the track up to FIA standard. The cost was tremendous. Financially, the race cost him millions. What with the track improvements, the cost of TV coverage (he had to pay the BBC to televise the race), and the lack of race goers - only 50000 braved the elements on race day. Added to this, Tom had a series of heart attacks in the weeks leading up to the race.
But as Tom stood on the podium following the race, it was clear it had all been worthwhile. This was the man whose heart had been broken by F1 following the death of his protégé Roger Williamson. This was the man who'd fought tooth and nail to bring GP racing back to the track where over 50 years earlier, the real silver arrows had thrilled he crowds.
Following a wet and miserable Friday, the qualifying hour on Saturday was altogether different. In bright sunshine, Ayrton Senna struggled in the low 1:12s as Prost (Williams) took pole with a 1:10.4. Other than the two Williams, interest centred on the Ford powered cars of Schumacher (Benetton) and Senna (McLaren). At the end of the magic hour, Prost had pole ahead of team-mate Hill. Behind them, Schumacher, Senna, Wendlinger, Andretti, Lehto, Berger, Alesi and Andretti were covered by less than a second.
There are many who believe that Ayrton Senna spent much of the evening of Saturday April 10, 1993 doing a dance originally choreographed by Chief Running Bear. For come Sunday morning, the sky was black as the rain teemed down - and the man in the yellow helmet was wearing an enormous grin.
The warm-up saw Damon Hill top the timesheets, followed by Lehto then the McLarens of Senna and Andretti, Prost could only manage 11th.
The race was sponsored by Sega, who also sponsored the Williams team. The battle for Sega's cash had been a hard fought affair, with Williams winning as a result of allowing the computer games company's odd logo. In a move fully designed to intimidate Williams and Sega, Senna's McLaren carried a squashed hedgehog logo in deference to the Brazilian's home win.
As the cars waited on the grid, the atmosphere was electric. As the drivers blipped their throttles, loud "computer" music was blasted over the PA. A gantry above the grid displayed the words "game on".. this was it.
What followed will go into motor racing folklore as probably the single most amazing lap in F1 history.
Schumacher made his customary lunge, pulling over to halt Senna's progress. It should be noted that Senna had traction control, whereas Michael didn't, therefore it was imperative the German hold the McLaren back.
At they went into the first corner, it was Prost, Hill, Wendlinger, Schumacher, Senna and Andretti. As they came out, Senna had passed the German. As the field raced downhill through the Craner Curves, Senna was going round the outside of Wendlinger. Halfway through the lap, Senna had disposed of Hill, now he was in hot pursuit of his greatest adversary! Prost.
At the approach to the Melbourne hairpin, Senna was right with the French driver. As Prost fumbled with a troublesome gearbox, his nemesis had engineered a faultless outbraking manoeuvre to take the lead.
Behind Senna, team-mate Andretti was out following a "misunderstanding with Wendlinger", the American's wretched season continued.
On lap 18, Senna made the first of the day's pit-stops, allowing Prost to retake the lead. However, on the next lap it was Alain's turn to stop for tyres and fuel. With the first round of stops out of the way, it was Senna, Prost, Hill, Alesi, Barrichello and Schumacher.
Prost had changed to slicks, a decision he was to regret, for two laps later the rain really started to fall. On lap 22, the Frenchman pitted once again, with his team-mate following suit two laps later. Schumacher, still at the beginning of his learning curve had spun off.
On lap 33, as the rain eased, Prost made his 3rd pit-stop - for slicks this time, a move mirrored by Senna and Hill. Senna's pit-stop was a disaster, with the Brazilian remaining stationery for almost 20s. As he rejoined the track, Ayrton was almost 7s behind Prost.
At this stage, it was hard to keep track, for on lap 38 Prost made his fourth stop of the day - for
As the drivers struggled to decide which tyres to go for, it was hard not to imagine someone "up there" with a giant watering can. For the rain seemed to stop and start, almost on cue.
Needless to say, as the track started to dry, the Williams (on wets) were no match for the slick shod McLaren of Senna. On lap 48, Prost made his 5th stop of the day, and wished he hadn't. The Williams stalled, and to make it worse, it was in gear. By the time Prost returned to the track, he'd been lapped.
On lap 50, Hill too stopped for slicks, returning to the fray in 4th position.
In the midst of all this excitement, we'd lost track of Barrichello in the Jordan. With the dust/rain settling, it emerged that the little Brazilian had climbed to 2nd. This was the performance that finally put Rubens on the F1 map, as he served notice that Senna wasn't the only Brazilian who enjoyed the wet.
Alas, it was not to be. On lap 55, Barrichello finally pitted to fit slicks - as he exited the pit-lane it began to rain again. On the very next lap he was back for wets. Senna meanwhile was having his own problems. On lap 57, the Brazilian stopped for wets - but his crew wasn't ready. As a result, Senna drove through the pitlane - earning fastest lap in the process!
As it happened, the rain began to ease, so Ayrton decided that perhaps wets weren't necessary after all.
On lap 66 it began raining once again, and Senna, Hill and Prost took it in turn to pit. This was Prost's 7th stop of the race, with Hill on 6 and Senna 5 (including the aborted one).
Within sight of the finish, Barrichello's brave effort came to an end. The Jordan succumbing to fuel pressure problems.
A wonderful, win for Senna, with Hill a worthy second. Prost came home a lonely 3rd, followed by Herbert, Patrese and Barbazza!
As Senna took the flag, the gantry lit up 'game over'.
A race of epic proportions. Rain, the great leveller had struck again, and Senna was there to take up the challenge.
Despite giving us a race we'll never forget, it wasn't just rain that came down on Tom Wheatcroft's head. In spite of the money, the heart attacks, and promises that F1 would return to Donington, Tom's still waiting for another call from Bernie. Still, who needs a characterless track like Donington, when there's the Hungaroring or the revamped Brands Hatch?
Was it really so long ago?