Piquet has fight to retain title

Press, 13 July 1984, Page 23

Piquet has fight to retain title

By

GEORGE TANNER

With the 1984 world drivers championship just past the half-way stage, what appeared to be a no contest because of the dominance of the Marlboro International McLaren team, has developed into an interesting tussle, since the defending champion, Nelson Piquet, hit winning form recently. Following tradition, the series started in the searing heat of Brazil’s AutodromoRiocentro, and the former Renault driver, Alain Prost, now driving for McLaren, capitalised on his former employer’s misfortune, stealing victory in the closing stages from his successor, Derek Warwick of Britain. For the tenth time in his four year grand prix career, Prost accepted the laurels. New fuel restricting regulations laid down by the sports governing body, F.1.5.A., meant that the normally thirsty turbo engines, now used by every team with the exception of Tyrrell, could not use the same fuel capacity as in previous seasons. It also meant that pit stops for fuel were forbidden.

With justification, many drivers were angered by the move, claiming that grand prix cars were designed to be raced and not built for fuel economy runs. The Porsche developed TAG-turbo unit used exclusively by McLaren, proved it was able to cope best with fuel conservation without speed loss. Proof of this was demonstrated at Kyalami in South Africa. On the high altitutde circuit on the outskirts of Johannesburg, Prost’s McLaren team-mate, Niki Lauda, trounced the opposition in his typical manner, leading home a McLaren 1-2 finish as the others spluttered around with near empty tanks. Last year the Belgian Grand Prix returned to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit

after a break of 13 years. This year it was held on the less exciting Zolder circuit. It was at this track two years ago that the French Canadian, Gilles Villeneuve, lost his life in a practice crash.

It was ironic that a Ferrari bearing the late Canadian’s No. 27, won the race and broke, albeit temporarily, the McLaren stranglehold on the championship. The winning Ferrari was driven by the 27-year-old Italian, Michele Alboreto, who was the first Italian to win a grand prix for Ferrari since the late Ludovico Scarfiotti won the 1966 Italian G.P. at Monza. Alboreto’s win was what the championship needed, bearing in mind that the following race was on Italian soil at Imola. The wildly enthusiastic Italians turned out in their thousands in anticipation of a Ferrari win, but this year they went home sulking. Prost dominated the race in a manner that has become familiar this season. The equally patriotic French were dealt a similar blow a fortnight later when Patrick Tambay, the fastest qualifier for the French G.P. at Dijon-Prenois, had to settle for second place. He finished in the wake of a brilliant drive by Lauda who took his career tally of wins to 21, six short of equalling Jackie Stewart’s record of 27 wins. History repeated itself at the Monaco Grand Prix. In 1972 a Frenchman driving a Marlboro-sponsored car won the Monaco race in atrocious weather conditions. This year a Frenchman driving a Marlboro-spon-sored car won the race in equally atrocious weather. In 1972, Jean Pierre Beltoise’s win at the wheel of a B.R.M. was thoroughly deserved.

This year Prost’s win was very fortunate. A Brazilian novice, Ayrton Senna, almost passed the slowing

Prost, as the red flag controversially ended the race before the half-way mark. Of six races at that stage, McLaren had won five, a domination that was not in the best interest of the sport. As crews prepared for the North American races they wondered if the McLaren bubble would burst.

The answer came at Montreal where Piquet finally sorted out the mechanical bugs that had robbed him of points in earlier races. He won the Canadian G.P. with consummate ease at the wheel of his Brabham B.M.W. A week later in Detroit, Piquet again asserted his authority in spite of a mishap at the start, and a hard, charging run from the Tyrrell driver, Martin Brundle, in the closing stages. The final United States race was the inaugural Dallas G.P. through the city streets. Those who follow the television soap-opera of the same, name know that J. R. usually comes out on top. Last week-end on the streets of Dallas it was K.R. who was to the fore.

Keke Rosberg, the 1982 world champion, survived the sweltering heat to win his third grand prix, and give Honda its first grand prix victory since Ritchie Ginther won the 1966 Mexican G.P. Most of the favourites fell by the wayside. A close finish is promised in the championship because of the upsurge in reliability of the Brabham, Lotus, Ferrari and Williams teams. The main question is, will McLaren’s good luck and reliability continue? /If it does, will the cunning Lauda get the better of Prost’s French temperament, or will Piquet, as was the case last year, make a late burst and produce a third title for the Brabham team? Add the ever consistent Elio de Angelis and Rene Arnoux, and the 1984 championship could be decided at the final venue.