18º Grande Prémio de Portugal
Portugal came with threatening weather consitions in the area, with the 18th running of the event set to be run in changing conditions as the first practice session opened to the public. Fortune has long favored the bold here in Estoril, with winners being harder to predict than most circuits, though Rick Mears, with his two victories at the Grand Prix, remained a favorite with Arrows. Arrows were still favorites in general, having won 3 of the 6 Grand Prixs to date, and as such the odds saw the American driver score quite high when compared to his contemporaries, though it was Piquet who remained the favorite overall. The downforce upgrades Ferrari tacked on were set to make that an easier task for the Brazillian, though Lotus were confirmed to be bringing wings that were reportedly good for a downforce increase of 60%. That's a deeply concerning figure for their rivals, who will be looking to protect their leads any way they can.
Qualifying was wet, and it was Piquet on pole for the 8th time in his career. Shockingly, the Haas seemed to be wall suited for the wet conditions, as rookie Guillermo Maldonado, in only his second start, would qualify 3rd in a car that had previously struggled to even make the top 25. It seemed a real finish would be on the table for the new squad as they looked to improve their points tally of 2. The list of drivers who failed to qualify were: Rene Arnoux (Ligier) Al Unser Jr. (Zakspeed) Hans Joachim Stuck (Minardi) Tom Sneva (Renault) Michele Mouton (Spirit) Kazuyoshi Hoshino (Tyrrell) Ingo Hoffmann (RAM) and Derek Warwick (Toleman). Riccardo Patrese (Williams) Nearly missed the show, but thanks to his champions provisional was able to secure a spot on the grid.
The start was slow and agonizing as the drivers prioritized getting as much grip off the line as possible. It turned out that there was just enough to save the start from being a pile-up in the vein of Canada 1981 or Fuji 1977, as all of the drivers kept their cars within a sensible distance of each other. There was little in the way of on track battles for much of the early race as the competitors focused on securing finishes instead of fighting to improving them.
It was a task that proved easier said than done, as Eddie Cheever was in a massive wreck in the early stages. With conditions only worsening, it was announced that drivers could expect a competition caution to be called on lap 20, to ascertain the conditions of the circuit and see if the race would be worth running to halfway, or if it would be abandoned prematurely. The rate of attrition was such that only 11 cars actually saw that caution, wherein the field was brought to the pits and given a fresh set of tires.
The second start was cause for much controversy, as FISA ruled that only the cars that had made it to this point should be allowed to take the restart. Claiming it would be unfair to the cars who had made it to this point, the 11 car field of Piquet, Alliot, Prost, Lauda, Villeneuve, Thackwell, Maldonado, Senna, Mears, Rosberg, and Fabi would take the restart with 50 laps to go, a decision derided by many in the paddock. The three would have a similiarly slow start to the initial running as they came off the line, with Piquet quickly covering off Alliot as they came to turn one.
A pileup occurred early in the running, though the damage sustained wasnt serious enough to warrant a race stoppage as FISA kept the race green.
It was dire straights for Corrado Fabi, who struggled to keep his Minardi pointed straight as the 7.0 Liter V12 Jaguar's screams echoed through the circuit. That spelled disaster for the leading Piquet as he gapped Guillermo Maldonado's Haas, with Piquet losing it in tandem with the Minardi. His day was effectively done as the Argentine powered past.
And he would finish in the lead, too, as the checkered flag flew at the end of the 2 hour allotment. Maldonado would be the first rookie winner since Philippe Alliot took victory with Arrows in 1984, securing a shock victory in these abhorrent conditions to seal his name in the history books. It was Alliot who secured 2nd behind Guillermo, and Niki Lauda came third.
That win puts Maldonado within a stones throw of the top 10 in points, though Keke Rosberg would defend his position with a strong 6th place finish. Mears made his charge for the championship, though a meek 4th would be what pulled him ahead of his teammate Chico Serra as the season entered its closing stages. Piquet's championship seemed to be lurking ever closer as Arrows could hardly muster a respectable points total in Ferrari's absence from the top 6.
In the team standings, Arrows found their footing once more, taking the lead by two points. The teams battles were close as ever in the top 5, with Lotus knocking on the door of McLaren, and further battles emerged as Haas and Toleman tied for 8th. Porsche extended their lead in the engine points extended their lead to 30 points over Ferrari, as Renault enjoyed a strong points haul that saw them secrue 48 points overall.
This week is the Belgian Grand Prix, and Spa is nothing if not exciting. Be sure to tune in again next week as we're sure to bring in an absolute banger of a race! Be there! Or be square.
Early in the session, we were blessed with this treat of an angle from Niki Lauda. Lotus packed on a wide array of updates for Monaco, and they seemed to be working quite well at Circuit Paul Ricard... Until they weren't. The double champ has made it clear he's only interested in legacy at this stage of his career, and much speculation is underway as to where his future lies when his contract expires.
Stefan Bellof, the young up and comer, has struggled in his journey to F1 stardom as of late. Though always remembered for his electric rookie year where he took four victories, he's seemingly unable to make that same magic happen while trapped behind the wheel of what is a significantly slower Mclaren these days.
Arrows looked to be favorites once more - it's almost certain that one of them will take pole position this weekend. Mears won last time out, while Serra took victory in Brazil and Mexico in eclectic fashion. Arrows are on their best form ever at the moment, and it'd be hard to pick against them for top honors this weekend.
Lotus would be hurting for pace, their new setup seemingly a hindrance as Michael Andretti continued to impress in his Alfa Romeo. Bright things could be on the horizon for the 23 year old, if only he could find himself a car that finishes. Being 14th while having around a 30 miles an hour deficit to the frontrunners shows true grit on behalf of the American.
Below the cutline, several drivers didn't even set a lap, with Al Unser Jr., the 23 year old rookie, setting the slowest time in his Zakspeed. That was all that came out of the two practice sessions, as now final preparations can be made ahead of qualifying on Sunday. Expect further updates then!
It was a strong effort from Arrows as they ran a low downforce setup that allowed them to snatch the fastest speed of 208 MPH down the Mistral.
Minardi also looked quite good, as they managed to net their Jaguar V12 a 197 MPH top speed down the Mistral as well. A potentially exciting weekend for the small team, though qualifying has been a struggle for them this year.
And so, it'd be Patrese taking top honors, as Pirro, in the third car for Arrows, would secure a solid P2 result. He's set to be replaced by Philipe Alliot ahead of the race, but makes a solid account of himself before hanging it up for the weekend.
Tom Sneva acclimated well to his return to Renault after a race ban saw him miss Monaco, perhaps for the best.
Seeing Waltrip below the cutoff was quite the surprise. Renault CEO Poopbanana will be sure to want to get a handle on that sooner rather than later.
