[Race] The GROAT - Round 3 - 1989 Suzuka vs 1986 Adelaide

[crmalcolm]

1989 Suzuka
Qualifying would see Senna claim his twelfth pole position of the season, while Prost secured second alongside. Behind them came the two Ferraris of Gerhard Berger and Nigel Mansell, while Riccardo Patrese and Alessandro Nannini shared the third row.

However, while Senna won the battle in qualifying, it was Prost who won the battle of the start, easing ahead of the Brazilian into the first corner. They both managed to pull clear of the Ferraris during the opening tour, with Berger and Mansell fighting with Nannini.

All of the attention would be on the battle of the McLarens out front, for Senna had to win the race just to keep his title hopes alive. At half-distance it seemed as if Prost was destined to win the battle, having established a five second lead, only for Senna to inch his way back towards him as the race wore on.

By lap 40 the Brazilian was right on the Frenchman's tail, but was unable to pull off a move, for Prost was quicker down the straights. Indeed, it was going to take a lunge from Senna to claim the lead, with the Brazilian making several sighting moves into the chicane.

At the end of lap 46 Senna finally made his move, slinging his McLaren inside Prost's car as they braked for the chicane. A huge smack between the two left Prost with suspension damage and a stalled engine, while Senna was left with wing damage and a stalled Honda unit.

However, while Prost abandoned his car, Senna would be able to bump start his car, having been pushed twice by the marshals. He subsequently cut across the chicane, entered the pits for a fresh front wing and rejoined, before hunting down Nannini in the closing stages.

With three laps to go the Brazilian scythed past the Benetton-Ford Cosworth to reclaim the lead, before sprinting away to claim victory. However, immediately after the race the officials opted to disqualify Senna for missing the chicane, with the Brazilian also hit with a six month ban (albeit suspended) and a $100,000 fine.

Nannini was hence declared the victor of the Japanese Grand Prix, while Prost was declared as the winner of the Championship with a race to spare. Elsewhere, Patrese beat Thierry Boutsen to second, while Nelson Piquet, Martin Brundle and Derek Warwick claimed the remaining points.


1986 Adelaide
Championship leader Mansell had the advantage after qualifying, grabbing pole ahead of Williams-Honda teammate and rival Piquet. Ayrton Senna was in third ahead of Prost, with the rest of the field headed by René Arnoux in the Ligier-Renault.

Mansell duly led the field away at the start, knowing that a podium finish would be enough for him to take the title, no matter what Prost or Piquet achieved. However, the Brit would wisely leave room for Senna to charge through into the lead at the first corner, a barge that also allowed Piquet and Keke Rosberg to slip ahead.

Piquet would subsequently claim the lead later on the opening lap, knowing that he would only take the title if he won. Senna, meanwhile, was left to slip behind Rosberg, Mansell and Prost during the early stages, and was no-longer a factor in the fight for victory by the end of lap ten.

Piquet's lead would last until the seventh lap, with Rosberg barging past as Prost claimed third from Mansell. Piquet's hopes were then dashed by a spin, dumping him out of the points, while Prost's hopes of taking the crown were dashed by a puncture a few laps later.

Fortunately for Prost he only had to limp around a couple of corners, and hence rejoined in fourth behind Mansell and a charging Piquet. Indeed, on fresh rubber both Piquet and Prost would both manage to catch Mansell, although Piquet, having passed his teammate, would work alongside Mansell to keep the Frenchman behind.

Their tussle subsequently became one for the race win on lap 63, with a catastrophic failure on Rosberg's right rear tyre left the Finn stranded at the side of the circuit. Sensing this Piquet attempted to pull away from his teammate in a late bid for the title, just before Mansell's title charge was ended by a similar issue.

While travelling at over 180mph down the back straight Mansell's left-rear tyre would also fail, with bits of rubber flailing around as the Brit struggled to keep his car pointing in a straight line. Indeed, Mansell's quick reactions ensured that he did not have a spectacular accident, although the high speed failure had wrecked his suspension.

Williams reluctantly called Piquet in a couple of laps later on safety grounds, handing the lead to Prost. Piquet duly recorded a mesmerising set of laps in a desperate bid to catch the Frenchman, but ultimately fell fifteen seconds shy when the chequered flag fluttered.

Prost hence claimed victory and the World Championship, becoming the first man since Jack Brabham in 1960 to successfully defend his crown. Piquet, meanwhile, would end the season in third, a point behind teammate Mansell, as Williams-Honda were officially declared as the Constructors' Champions after their mutual efforts.