9 November 2016 11:00 (UTC)
Season closer: when November meant F1 in Adelaide
Two decades ago, the start of November usually meant one thing: the Australian Grand Prix, held around the tough, bumpy and exciting street circuit in Adelaide, South Australia.
Win or lose, McLaren tended to play a starring role in almost all of Adelaide’s 11 memorable grands prix.
Let’s take a look at some of the McLaren highlights – and lowlights – of that classic old-school track.
“Colossally… That’s Mansell!” spluttered BBC TV’s Murray Walker, and as the luckless Brit’s left-rear tyre exploded, so did his title hopes, unexpectedly handing the world championship to McLaren’s Alain Prost.
It was the 15th win out of 16 races for the (almost) unstoppable MP4/4. With Ayrton Senna already crowned champion, Prost stroked it home to take the last win for a turbo-engined F1 car for 25 years.
The rear-facing camera on Martin Brundle’s car told the whole story. In the wet murk, Senna failed to see the Brabham and pranged into the back of it while flat-out along the back straight. A painful retirement.
If 1989 had been wet, the race in 1991 was even wetter. In fact, the weather was so atrocious, and conditions so dangerous, that the whole thing was called off after just 24 minutes. Ayrton took the spoils.
Under braking for the final corner, Ayrton misjudged his braking point and ploughed into the back of Nigel Mansell’s Williams. The impact tore a wheel off the McLaren and eliminated both cars on the spot.
On the podium for their final race together, Ayrton put aside old differences with his rival Alain Prost, quietly wondering where he’d find his Mojo now that the Frenchman was retiring. It was to be the Brazilian’s final win in Formula 1.
A left-rear puncture caused a huge accident, and only an emergency tracheotomy saved the Finn’s life. He would return an even stronger racer in 1996, and two commanding world titles would follow.
