[Race] The GROAT - Round 1 - 1993 Donington vs 2012 Yas Marina vs 1964 Hermanos Rodr?*guez

[crmalcolm]

1993 Donington
The Williams cars were 1–2 in qualifying with Prost on pole ahead of Hill, Schumacher, Senna, Wendlinger and Michael Andretti. At the start, it was damp and Schumacher blocked Senna and both lost time and Wendlinger took third. Having dropped to fifth, Senna quickly passed Schumacher at the third corner. He then went after Wendlinger, passing him through the Craner Curves with Schumacher and Andretti trying to follow through. Schumacher went through but Andretti hit Wendlinger and both were out, meaning Andretti was still yet to complete a racing lap in his F1 career. Senna went after Hill now and took second at McLean's Corner. Now Prost was the target and the lead was taken at the penultimate corner – the Melbourne Hairpin. Going into the second lap, Senna led Prost, Hill, Rubens Barrichello (who had started 12th), Jean Alesi, Schumacher and JJ Lehto.

The track began to dry and everyone pitted for dry tyres. Lehto was fifth, having started from the pit lane, but he retired with handling problems on lap 14. Gerhard Berger took the place but he too retired with suspension problems six laps later. The rain returned and the leaders now pitted for wets. Mark Blundell was forced off by Senna whilst battling Fittipaldi at the Esses and then spun off backwards into the gravel trap whilst attempting to rejoin the track surface. Schumacher stayed out and was leading but soon spun out by lap 23 as a result of being on the wrong tyres. The track began to dry and everyone pitted once again with Senna having a problem and losing 20 seconds. Prost now led Senna, Hill, Barrichello, Derek Warwick and Johnny Herbert.

It began to rain and the two Williams stopped for wets while Senna stayed out. It was the correct decision because it began to dry again. The Williams stopped yet again for dries. Prost stalled in the pits in his stop and when he rejoined, he was a lap behind and down in fourth. Barrichello was now second but it rained and then stopped again. He went to the pits twice and by now Hill was in second, albeit a lap down. Barrichello, third, had trouble with his fuel pressure and retired, giving the place to Prost. Senna set the fastest lap on lap 57, on a lap when he drove into the pit lane but aborted the pit stop, showing that there actually was a shortcut through the pit lane. This is due to the Grand Prix configuration of Donington, which has the pit entry before the final hairpin corner onto the start/finish straight.

Senna won from Hill and Prost, having made four pit stops in the wet-dry conditions compared to Prost's seven. Herbert finished fourth for Lotus, stopping only once, while all the other finishing drivers stopped in the pits several times. Riccardo Patrese and Fabrizio Barbazza completed the top six. By the end, Senna had lapped the entire field except for Hill, who finished over a minute behind.

At the end of the race, Senna was led onto a podium and given a trophy that depicted Sega's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog holding a trophy with the Sega logo underneath A widely circulated image shows Senna holding the trophy. After this marketing photo op, he was given the official award, a trophy that does not depict either Sonic the Hedgehog or the Sega logo. McLaren is still in possession of the Sega trophy; for a long time, it was thought to have been lost until McLaren's official Twitter account revealed that it is in one of their storerooms. On 12 June 2020, McLaren put the trophy in a trophy case in McLaren Technology Center.


2012 Yas Marina
The race started at 17:00 GST (UTC+4). The conditions on the grid were dry before the race; the air temperature ranged between 29–30 °C (84–86 °F) and the track temperature was between 29–34 °C (84–93 °F). Most of the drivers started on the soft compound tyres with Vettel, Schumacher and Senna starting on medium compound tyres. Red Bull elected to start Vettel in the pit lane after taking his car out of parc fermé and changed his gear ratios along with his suspension as well as the creation of a low-drag aerodynamic setup to allow overtaking easier for the driver. de la Rosa did the same when a thread on a rear tyre blanket got tangled on his car at the start of the formation lap. As the five red lights went out to signal the start of the race, Hamilton maintained his pole position advantage heading into the first corner. Räikkönen made a quick start and passed Webber and Maldonado to run in second. Force India teammates Hülkenberg and di Resta, along with Grosjean and Senna tangled heading into the first corner. Hülkenberg was forced to retire, while di Resta and Grosjean pitted at the end of the first lap for repairs; Grosjean for a replacement for a right-front punctured tyre. Alonso made a good start when he passed Button and overtook Webber after he got a run on the Red Bull after leaving turn nine. At the completion of the first lap, Hamilton led from Räikkönen, Maldonado, Alonso, Webber, Button, Massa, Kobayashi, Pérez, Schumacher, Ricciardo, Rosberg, Vergne, Glock, Kovalainen, Petrov, Pic, Karthikeyan, Senna, Vettel, de la Rosa, Grosjean and di Resta.

Hamilton complained of cold tyres and locked up heading into turn eight on lap two allowing Räikkönen to gain advantage but Hamilton withstood pressure from the Lotus driver to retain the lead. Vettel had made early progress passing the HRT's, Marussia and Caterhams, but his early progress came at the expense of his right-front wing endplate when he made contact with Senna's left-rear at turn eight switchback on the same lap. Hamilton regained the optimum temperature needed for his tyres and began to pull away from Räikkönen after setting a fastest lap of the race. Alonso closed the gap to Maldonado in second place with the use of DRS in the main straights but was unable to close sufficiently to feign an overtaking manoeuvre because the Williams was fast in a straight line. Vettel chose not to pit for the time being, as the race was interrupted by the intervention of the safety car on lap nine. Rosberg was in the process of overtaking Karthikeyan when Karthikeyan's car began to fail with his hydraulic pressure which caused his steering to become heavy. Rosberg, caught unawares by Karthikeyan's troubles, was launched over the back of the HRT and into the barrier, and scattered debris onto the circuit. Rosberg and Karthikeyan were unhurt. During the safety car period, Vettel was forced to pit when he swerved to avoid Ricciardo and crashed into the polystyrene bollard marking the start of the DRS zone, further damaging his wing. Red Bull took the opportunity to pit him early, with the downside being that Vettel would have to do 42 laps on the soft tyre when supplier Pirelli predicted they could only do 36. Vettel's car was also installed with a replacement front wing.

Racing resumed at the end of lap 14 when the safety car drove into the pit lane with Hamilton leading Räikkönen. Alonso drove slower than Webber, allowing the Red Bull drive to run alongside Alonso, but the Ferrari driver maintained third position. Vettel moved up to 19th place after he overtook di Resta and de la Rosa. Hamilton again started to pull away from Räikkönen. Vettel started to battle Grosjean for 17th position and during an overtaking manoeuvre, Vettel drove off the racing line and onto the run-off area, and was required to give 17th back to Grosjean to avoid being issued with an penalty. Vettel came back onto the circuit and passed Grosjean to take over the position. Alonso began to close the gap to Maldonado who was running slower allowing Räikkonen to extend his hold over second place. Vergne allowed Vettel to move into eleventh on lap 20. Hamilton slowed and pulled over to the side of the track with an fuel pressure problem on the same lap, handing the lead to Räikkönen. Alonso passed Maldonado in the second DRS zone by using his KERS system heading into the chicane to move into second one lap later. Webber attempted to pass Maldonado by taking the outside line on lap 23, but the two drivers made contact with Webber spinning onto the run-off area. Both drivers were able to continue and Webber fell down to seventh. When Räikkönen's engineer gave him information over the radio about the gap to second-place Alonso, he responded "Just leave me alone, I know what to do". He later gave his Lotus team T-shirts with the phrase on, after it was widely covered in the media.

On the following lap Maldonado was passed by Button (who took the inside line) for third position, while Vettel moved into the points-scoring positions by passing Ricciardo for tenth on the same lap. Pérez moved in front of Massa for fifth on lap 25, while Vettel passed Schumacher for eighth place on the next lap. Kobayashi made the first scheduled pit stop for tyres on the 26th lap. Webber employed his DRS system on lap 26 on the straight linking turns ten and eleven in an attempt to overtake Massa, and ran on the outside line side-by-side with Massa. Webber ran wide onto the run-off area, and made contact with Massa who was sent into a spin after hitting the kerb at turn twelve. Massa and Schumacher pitted on lap 27 and rejoined in 14th and 15th positions respectively. Alonso pitted for medium compounds tyres on lap 29 and remerged in seventh behind Vettel. On lap 30, Pérez passed Maldonado with the assistance of DRS for fourth place. Maldonado made his pit stop on the same lap and Webber was ordered not to battle Vettel for position. Red Bull called Webber into the pit lane for medium compound tyres on lap 31 allowing Vettel into second. Räikkönen pitted from the lead on lap 32 for medium compound tyres and remained in the lead with Vettel close behind. Button closed the gap between himself and Alonso (after setting a new fastest lap–a 1:46.495–on lap 32) by lap 33 and feigned an overtake at turn 21 but had slight oversteer. Räikkönen began to extend the time gap from himself and Vettel on lap 34 who was preserving the lifespan of his soft compound tyres. Grosjean, fifth, had worn tyres and was caught by di Resta, Pérez and Webber. Vettel was caught into the pit lane by Red Bull for their mechanics to fit a new set of soft tyres and remerged in fourth in front of Grosjean.

On lap 39 di Resta forced Pérez wide at turn 13; as Pérez rejoined the circuit, he cut back across the front of Grosjean and the two made contact at the next corner, which in turn forced Grosjean into the path of Webber who was attempting to drive on the inside line. Grosjean and Webber retired because of damage to their cars and the debris on-track from the accident called for the second safety car period of the race. The safety remained out for three laps, during which marshals cleared the track of debris. Pérez was given a ten-second stop-go penalty by the stewards on the 42nd lap for which he served three laps later. Räikkönen began to rebuild his lead over Alonso once the safety car came in on the end of lap 42. Alonso was also being harried by Button; Button himself was being harried by Vettel in fourth. Vettel was in the tow of Button heading towards turn eight and got a run on the McLaren driver driving into turn eleven but was unable to pass. Button and Vettel's duel allowed Alonso to break free, and he started chasing down Räikkönen in the last five laps. Vettel tried again on lap 48 and took the outside line to attempt a pass heading into turn eleven, but Button defended his position. Four laps later Vettel lined up another passing manoeuvre on Button (who went wide heading into turn ten) by employing his DRS in the run up to turn eleven and passed the McLaren driver around the outside to take over third place.

Alonso drew to within 1.9 seconds of Räikkönen on lap 53, but was unable to get close enough to challenge the Lotus driver, who held on to secure his (and Lotus') first victory of the season, and was the eighth driver to win a race in the 2012 season. Alonso was second, 0.8 seconds behind Räikkönen with Vettel third. Button finished fourth. Maldonado took fifth despite not being able to use his car's KERS after the first safety car period. He was seven seconds ahead of a close group comprising Kobayashi, Massa, Senna and di Resta. Massa closed on the Sauber driver late in the race, who was afflicted with an issue with downshifting and was unable to fully recharge his KERS, and Senna and di Resta reduced the time gap to Massa who maintained their positions throughout the remainder of the race. Ricciardo held off Schumacher in the final five laps to secure the final points-scoring position in tenth. Vergne was classified in twelfth place, with Kovalainen, Glock, Pérez, Petrov and de la Rosa the last of the classified finishers.


1964 Hermanos Rodr?*guez
The race would go down in history for the dramatic way in which the Championship was decided, as Graham Hill, John Surtees and Jim Clark went to battle for the ultimate prize.
It had been advantage Hill when the field assembled in Mexico ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, but on the track no one could deny Clark pole. An incredible lap saw the Scot beat second placed Dan Gurney by nearly a second, with Surtees on the second row in fourth, and Hill even further back in sixth. Hill needed to finish third or better to win the title if Surtees won, while Surtees had to finish on the podium regardless. As for Clark, the Scot could only worry about himself, needing to win to stand any chance of defending his crown.

Off the line the Championship swung in Clark's favour as he launched away from pole perfectly, just as Hill fell down to tenth after his goggles slipped as he pulled off the grid. By the end of the opening lap, Clark was clear of Gurney and Lorenzo Bandini behind, while Hill was battling away at the back of the top ten. Surtees' chances had also taken a nose dive when his Ferrari began to misfire halfway round the first tour, meaning he was in thirteenth by the end of the opening bout.

The opening two thirds of the race then saw a dramatic recovery through the field, despite Clark blasting away at the front of the field. Surtees' engine miraculously sorted itself out after a couple of laps allowing him to pick his way through the order, while Hill had a surge during the opening phases to climb into third. That, however, was to change on lap 31, when Bandini, Surtees' team mate, misjudged his braking and put both into a spin.

Hill rejoined behind Surtees and Bandini, and with a crumpled exhaust he could do little but coast around and hope his rivals faltered. Bandini was faster than Surtees and so allowed by to try and hunt down Gurney in second for third place would not be enough for Surtees if Clark won. Yet, as Clark opened the final lap of the season, the Lotus' Climax engine seized to end his title hopes, handing victory to Gurney while news spread down through the pit lane.

The news reached the Ferrari pits just in time, who just managed to signal Bandini to slow down and allow Surtees pass before the both blasted past the pits. Fortunately for Surtees, he and his team mate were friends as well as rivals, and the Italian duly moved aside to hand Surtees second, the six points enough for the Englishman to earn a maiden title. Hill was beaten by just a single point, finishing down in eleventh, although most people's sympathies were with Clark, who had been cruelly denied by mechanical failure for a second time in three seasons.

[chunterer]

Crikey I don't recall Lehto getting that far up that quickly at Donington! From memory he had qualified 6th on the grid but like you say, took the tyre gamble from the pitlane.
He had been significantly quickest in one of the atrociously wet and cold FP sessions on Friday, if not overall certainly for a long part of it.

Anyway I digress. One of Ayrton's top 3 drives and utterly humiliated Williams.
Rubens starred and was set for a podium until he retired...
Both Lotus' did well, Herbert often put in some stunning drives in 92 and 93. Even with restricted ankle/heel movement he was consistently quick. I still wonder how far he would have got if not for Brands '88.

And Barbazza... hugely underrated pedaller. Real hard charger (much like slightly younger compatriot, Zanardi).
If like me any of you remember what he did with the Crypton run Leyton House at Brum in 1990, you'll know what I mean.

[S griffin]

I'm choosing between Donington 93 and Mexico 64. One of the greatest drives ever vs a dramatic season finale. I'll go with Mexico

[Aysedasi]

Interesting combination, as most of them so far have been 'modern' GPs, but it wouldn't really matter to me what the combination was, as Donington '93 would inevitably be my choice.