Today we have numbers 80-71 from out top 100 Formula One videos. Including a near miss at Monaco, terror at the Hockenheimring, and turbo heaven at Montreal. Read on for more.
Tags f1 / formula one / grand prix / motor sport / video / f1 video
80 – 1991 Monaco Grand Prix, Monte-Carlo – Ayrton Senna and the marshall
En route to his fourth victory in the Monaco Grand Prix Senna came within inches of striking a careless marshall. Fourteen years after Tom Pryce and a marshall had died at Kyalami in similar circumstances, a similar tragedy was narrowly avoided.
79 – 1994 German Grand Prix, Hockenheimring – Benetton fire
The 1994 season was a litany of tragedy and scandal. Refuelling had been re-introduced in the hope that it would improve the racing. But at Germany it came close to killing Jos Verstappen and several of his mechanics. It later transpired that Benetton had tampered with their fuel rigs and many suspected that they had done so to illegally increase the fuel flow rate. Benetton avoided prosecution by the FIA.
Refuelling has remained a part of Formula One despite a series of similar scares and the growing belief that it inhibits racing, rather than improving it.
78 – 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal – Lap with Rene Arnoux
The changes to the F1 calendar in the past two decades have been so great that there are only three venues left on the calendar that have been there longer than Montreal and retained basically the same configuration: Monza, Silverstone and Monte-Carlo. This video from 1982 shows not the few differences to the original Montreal circuit including the earlier pit lane and start finish straight, the fast chicane that disappeared after 1986 and the ultra-fast sweeps that were axed in 1994.
It also shows the massive power of the Renault turbo engines, which had won their first Grand Prix at Dijon earlier that year.
77 – 1987 Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps – Nigel Mansell vs Ayrton Senna
The pugilistic Briton and the sensational Brazilian had already had a few run-ins with each other before they clashed at Spa in 1987. Mansell took a run at Senna coming out of Pouhon and the two touched, spinning off into the dirt. Later, Mansell tracked Senna down in the pits and thumped him – perhaps inspiring Michael Schumacher to try the same on David Coulthard at the same track in 1998.
76 – 1970 Austrian Grand Prix, Osterreichring – Jochen Rindt retires from his last home race
Jochen Rindt was the first Austrian World Champion – but tragically he was killed before he could claim the crown. That year he started his home race from pole, but his Lotus’s Cosworth engine failed.
75 – 1995 Australian Grand Prix, Adelaide – David Coulthard crashes on his way into the pits
A ‘blooper reel’ moment from the last ever Australian Grand Prix to be held on the Adelaide street circuit. The slippery pit lane entrance claimed Luca Badoer, and sent Johnny Herbert spinning, but the most high-profile casualty was David Coulthard. The Scotsman slithered into the wall while making a pit stop. Damon Hill won.
74 – 1995 British Grand Prix, Silverstone – Comparison of Michael Schumacher and Johnny Herbert
A rare chance to compare the driving styles of Michael Schumacher (then with only one title to his name) and Benetton team mate Johnny Herbert, using actual telemetry from their cars. Fascinating and insightful.
73 – 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka – Senna and Piquet in driver’s briefing
Often overlooked in the reams of history written about the Ayrton Senna-Alain Prost feuds at Suzuka is this scene from the drivers’ briefing before the 1990 race. Nelson Piquet asks for a clarification of the rules regarding cutting a chicane, which Senna seizes upon to make a point about the controversial circumstances of his disqualification the year before
72 – 1998 Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka – Last ever Tyrrell retires
The collision between Toranosauke Takagi’s Tyrrell and Esteban Tureo’s Minardi on lap 28 is best known for being the collision that precipitated Michael Schumacher’s tyre failure and retirement from the race, handing that year’s championship to Mika Hakkinen. But it has a more poignant significance as the final retirement for a Tyrrell car, a team that won multiple championships early in their life and repetedly defied the odds to cling to their place in Formula One.
71 – 1989 Australian Grand Prix, Adelaide – Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle collide
Despite his disqualification from the preceding Japanese Grand Prix Ayrton Senna still held hopes of overturning the verdict and claiming the title by winning in Australia. He dominated in the pouring rain, but it all came to an end when, unsighted in spray, he ploughed into the back of Martin Brundle’s Brabham. This video from Brundle’s rearward facing camera was one of the defining images of that year.
Nikos Darzentas
21st June 2006, 9:01
Excellent, excellent, excellent. Excellent. Keep it up Keith.
Your faithful reader from Greece.
PS If you could put together material highlighting unsporting incidents by other drivers apart from Schumi that would be great – I’m wondering whether his status is the main reason he’s always on the receiving end… Btw, that Monaco spin really didn’t look good…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
21st June 2006, 9:21
Ah don’t worry we’ve got some non-Schumi gems of dodginess coming up later in the top 100…
Glad you like the feature!
Lauri @ Benetton Place
1st November 2010, 3:30
Hi there, just wandered by. I have a Benetton website. Lots of information out there. Not what I was looking for, but very nice site. Cya later.