Canada 91 & 82

Jonny Apex · 5 Jun 2002, 12:50 (Ref:305250)

Yes it really is ELEVEN years since the moustachioed one, while waving to the crowd on his final, victorious lap, let his revs drop too low and stalled his engine just yards from the flag.

And then he had the nerve to say after the season if Williams hadn't botched his pitstop in Portugal he'd have won the title ...

On a more sombre note, remember it is 20 years ago, at the start of the Canadian GP, that poor Riccardo Paletti lost his life.

Sodemo · 5 Jun 2002, 13:02 (Ref:305263)

AAhhh those were the days... Mansell in red 5, slicks, great racing...

Kex · 5 Jun 2002, 13:59 (Ref:305304)

7 years since one of the most popular GP victories ever.

Sato san · 5 Jun 2002, 15:48 (Ref:305384)

Quote:

Originally posted by Jonny Apex
Yes it really is ELEVEN years since the moustachioed one, while waving to the crowd on his final, victorious lap, let his revs drop too low and stalled his engine just yards from the flag.

.

i Thought he was stuck in fifth gear for the final lap , i dont think it was his mistake .

Poor old Nige , he looked gutted that he lost that race , only for his bitter rival Nelson Piquet to laugh at his misfortune in the press conference after the race . That was Piquets last ever win i do believe .

Jonny Apex · 5 Jun 2002, 16:59 (Ref:305439)

Quote:

Originally posted by Sato san

i Thought he was stuck in fifth gear for the final lap , i dont think it was his mistake .

I assure you, it was Nigel's mishtake ...

Besides, if he was stuck in fifth, why would he be waving to the crowds going into a hairpin?

Damon · 5 Jun 2002, 18:00 (Ref:305499)

Do you not like the guy Jonny. Nige was fantastic and that race was one of his all time great drives. he simply dominated from start to near finish. What ever happened at the end is irrelivant.

**Bononi** · 5 Jun 2002, 18:18 (Ref:305507)

Quote:

Originally posted by Sato san

i Thought he was stuck in fifth gear for the final lap , i dont think it was his mistake .

I thought he ran out of fuel... didn't he ?

Quote:

Originally posted by Sato san

Poor old Nige , he looked gutted that he lost that race , only for his bitter rival Nelson Piquet to laugh at his misfortune in the press conference after the race . That was Piquets last ever win i do believe .

No, not the last... Piquet last win was in Japan, and Senna was the champion of the season.

Jonny Apex · 5 Jun 2002, 19:05 (Ref:305538)

Nope. Canada 91 was Piquet's last win.

You're thinking of Japan 90. Funny story: the Autosport GP reporter Joe Saward left the editorial team on his desk saying if benetton finished 1-2 in Japan then he'd learn to tapdance. So what happened? Senna & Prost went out at the first bend, Berger then spun out on his own and Piquet and team-mate Moreno came through for a Benetton 1-2.

Didn't Piquet then go on to win the 90 season finale in Australia as well?

Good times ...

Sato san · 5 Jun 2002, 19:34 (Ref:305574)

yes he did , yer , very good times .

well Johnny , i may have been wrong then about Niges exit from canada 91 . But i had always believed that to be the case , but at the time , there was so many silly storys about what happened that it was hard to know which one was the truth . One storyy said that he had flicked the engine kill button by mistake !....but it sells papers i suppose .

Jonny Apex · 5 Jun 2002, 19:40 (Ref:305578)

Quote:

Originally posted by Damon
Do you not like the guy Jonny. Nige was fantastic and that race was one of his all time great drives. he simply dominated from start to near finish. What ever happened at the end is irrelivant.

It is relevant as it formed half the basis of my post. How can it be one of your greatest drives when you let your team down by such an unforgiveable lapse of concentration?

I'll acknowledge that on his day he was stunning. His moves on Piquet at Silverstone 87 (which I was fortunate enough to witness), Senna in Hungary 89 and Berger in Mexico 90 were out of this world.

Too often, though, despite the incredible efforts of the 100 or so people who worked 110 per cent to give him such a terrific car, he'd still put them down. Like I said, if they'd not botched my pitstop in Portugal I'd have been champion. Never: if I'd not screwed up on the last lap in Canada or spun off in Japan ... (and, believe this or not, but nobody in the Williams team could find anything wrong with that car's brake pedal afterwards).

**Adam43** · 5 Jun 2002, 20:06 (Ref:305614)

Quote:

Originally posted by Kex
7 years since one of the most popular GP victories ever.

I'm at a loss.
7 years. 1995?
Micheal?
Damon?
Johnny?
DC?

RT · 5 Jun 2002, 20:25 (Ref:305663)

Quote:

Originally posted by Damon
Do you not like the guy Jonny. Nige was fantastic and that race was one of his all time great drives. he simply dominated from start to near finish. What ever happened at the end is irrelivant.

I always thought the idea was to be the first to cross the finish line.......the rest is applied decoration to the drive (i.e. non functional).

nameless · 5 Jun 2002, 20:52 (Ref:305716)

Quote:

Originally posted by Kex
7 years since one of the most popular GP victories ever.

am i right in thinking jean alesi

**Adam43** · 5 Jun 2002, 20:58 (Ref:305724)

d'oh how could I be so stupid!

7 years ago this race...

Thanks anonymous one!

Jordi · 5 Jun 2002, 21:38 (Ref:305779)

Jean, in the 27 Ferrari... in his 30th birthday that day... it was so appropiate..

Champ69 · 6 Jun 2002, 02:23 (Ref:305928)

I am of the view that Mansell knocked the kill switch or something when he was waving to the fans on the last lap.

Great driver but shows that to "finish first, first you must finish"

**Adam43** · 6 Jun 2002, 07:42 (Ref:306043)

To add to this. I thought that Nigel just let the engine revs die too much and the thing lost hydrolic pressure and stalled. I'm pretty sure that this is what Patrick Head said.

Muzza · 6 Jun 2002, 10:16 (Ref:306172)

Quote:

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
To add to this. I thought that Nigel just let the engine revs die too much and the thing lost hydrolic pressure and stalled. I'm pretty sure that this is what Patrick Head said.

Adam, you are correct, and I read an interview with Patrick Head on this subject. Mansell came to the hairpin in 5th gear and did not gear down. It was not a mechanic failure. And the exit of the turn the engine was running on low, he did not pump the clutch and the car stalled.

To make things even odder (or funnier), Head foresaw the whole thing happening, and he was yelling to Mansell on the radio to keep the revs up. But Old Nige was too concern celebrating and he did not get the message.

racer69 · 6 Jun 2002, 13:24 (Ref:306396)

As mentioned earlier, 20 years since the death Ricardo Paletti. Intriguing who was involved, the track had only recently been renamed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and Pironi was on Pole, and dedicated the Pole to his late team mate, who as is well known was not happy about the San Marino result, and it was Pironi who stalled on the line and was rammed by Palletti in only his first GP (had qualified for one previously but crashed in warm up so didn't start). The size of the impact is clearly shown by how far Pironi's car goes after being statioary when hit, Paletti had a good F1 career in front of him.......

On Mansell, Imagine how he must of felt, first of all screwing up, then having his bitter rival Piquet beat him in those circumstances, i bet Nelso had a field day with the press.

Damon · 6 Jun 2002, 17:49 (Ref:306564)

Quote:

Originally posted by Jonny Apex
... (and, believe this or not, but nobody in the Williams team could find anything wrong with that car's brake pedal afterwards).

I always thought this was a little far fetched when it happened. The supposed "long brake pedal" apparently had nothing do with the fact that he broke too late while trying to catch Senna

. They didn't call him 'whiner' for nothing!!

**Bononi** · 7 Jun 2002, 13:09 (Ref:307318)

I always loved Mansell & Piquet mind games...

Does anybody remember that race, after Mansell winning it, he was standing in the top a car waving to the crowd, and Piquet was sitting by his side. The car entered in the garage and Mansell hit his head, because he was looking to the crowd...

Damon · 7 Jun 2002, 18:13 (Ref:307622)

British GP '87 as I remember. Then Murray went and poked him on the head in the interview afterwards

.